FloraLynnIsaacson

Lauren English as Gillian Holroyd with her cat Pyewacket in Bell Book and Candle at SF Playhouse

SF Playhouse ushers in the holiday spirit for the company’s 10th season with the romantic comedy, Bell Book and Candle by John Van Druten and directed by Bill English.

The play opened on Broadway in 1950 and starred Lily Palmer and Rex Harrison. The movie version which starred Kim Novak and James Stewart opened in 1958.

The plot concerns Gillian Holroyd (Lauren English), a young, sultry witch who admires her neighbor, a publisher, Shep Henderson (William Connell), who one day stumbles into her gallery to use the telephone.  When she learns he is about to marry an old college enemy of hers, she impulsively takes revenge by casting a love spell on him that backfires when she ends up falling for him herself.

Once Gillian falls in love, she loses her witch’s powers.  She is unable to cast spells.  Her sister, Queenie (Zehra Berkman) and brother Nicky (Scott Cox), a witch and warlock, do not quite know how to relate to this new human Gillian.

Lauren English sparkles as Gillian! She plays her role with a combination of sophistication and naivete, and creates a warm and touching portrait of an unhappy, bewildered witch.

William Connell gives a solid performance as Henderson, the straight laced book publisher.  Gillian’s wacky sister Queenie is played by Zehra Berkman with delightful nervous energy.  Scott Cox gives a strong performance as Nicky, Gillian’s immature brother.  Louis Parnell gives a flawless performance as Sidney Redlitch, who wants Henderson to publish his manuscript on modern-day witchcraft.

Bill English’s handsome set done in red velvet gives a marvelous view of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building from Gillian’s arched picture window. The imaginative costume design is by Abra Berman with Kurt Landisman doing the lighting design.

Bill English has assembled five talented actors for this production and keeps the action fast and snappy.  Bell Book and Candle is light holiday entertainment and this production which runs through January 19, 2013 is thoroughly enjoyable.

Performances are Tuesday-Thursday at  7 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. No show on 12/25 or 1/1.  Added Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. on 12/30, 1/6 and 1/13.

Performances are held at the SF Playhouse, 450 Post St. (2nd floor of Kensington Park Hotel b/n Powell and Mason), San Francisco.  For tickets, contact the SF Playhouse box office at 415-677-9596 or go online at www.sfplayhouse.org.

Coming up next at SF Playhouse will be The Motherf**cker with the Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Bill English, opening January 29, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Gabriel Marin as George and Sarah Overman as Mary in MTC’s It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play

The Frank Capra film classic takes on a different twist at Marin Theatre Company in Joe Landry’s adaptation with five actors playing radio actors voicing dozens of characters and creating all the sound effects as if performing in a radio drama in front of a studio audience.  Jon Tracy directs this famous tale of George Bailey’s crisis of faith and his lovable guardian angel, Clarence.

The intimate space of MTC is transformed into the 1940’s radio studio of New York Station A at WMTC. The audience is whisked back in time as they watch five wonderful actors create all the characters who populate the magical world of Bedford Falls.

Gabriel Marin plays Jake Laurents who plays a sincere and earnest George Bailey.  Sarah Overman is Sally Applewhite who plays a sunny and delightful Mary who becomes George’s wife.  Michael Gene Sullivan plays the announcer for WMTC as well as the voices of the villainous old miser, Mr. Potter, Uncle Billy, Mr. Gower (the druggist) and bartender, Martini.  Carrie Paff plays Lana Sherwood who lends her versatile voice and acting skills to every other female in the play, ranging from a small child to a senior citizen and from the town’s siren, Violet to George Bailey’s mom.  Rounding out the cast is Patrick Kelly Jones who plays Harry “Jazzbo” Heywood who brings to life the saving angel Clarence, Harry Bailey (George’s father), Sam Wainwright, Harry’s close friend and others.

This charming MTC production sets it all in an elegant, warmly lit studio.  Scenery by Eric Sinkkonen achieves some holiday effects with a lovely tree and a view through a high window of falling snow.  Lighting by Michael Palumbo adds a special glow.  The actors are costumed by Callie Floor in attractive period suits and dresses. The ladies hairstyles even look right.

Michael Gene Sullivan does a warm up with the audience at the beginning of the show to get them to applaud when the applause light goes on. Director Jon Tracy lets the actors open up to one another by having them memorize their lines. They only make use of their scripts as a prop.

Rekindle your holiday spirit with this delightful, family-friendly celebration with this special holiday gift from Marin Theatre Company.

It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio plays runs November 23-December 16, 2012 at  MTC. Performances 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. and also, Saturday, December 15 at 2 p.m. as well as Thursday, December 6 at 1 p.m.

Marin Theater Company is located at 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley.  For tickets, call 415-388-5208 or go to www.marintheatre.org. Coming up next at MTC will be Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett, directed by Jasson Minadakis, January 24-February 17, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Dead Certain is an intricately plotted psychological thriller, which tells the story of Michael (Andrey Esterlis), a charismatic out of work actor who is hired for an evening by Elizabeth (Diana Brown), a wheelchair-bound ex-dancer to read a play she has written.  The plot thickens as Michael begins to realize that Elizabeth’s play is mirroring real life and that their paths may have crossed at least once before. There are many twists and turns before the play builds toward a shocking climax.

Diana Brown and Andrey Esterlis both give lively, theatrically entertaining performances throughout.  They both play off each other extremely well.  Also, as the director, Esterlis does an excellent job with the blocking as the theatre space at the Cartwright is very intimate and this makes the play even more exciting.

Dead Certain is presented by Expression Productions and continues at the Hotel Cartwright, 524 Sutter, San Francisco Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. through December 15, 2012.  For tickets, call Expression Productions at 415-307-0470 or email: expressionproductions@gmail.com.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Wood Lockhart as Martin Vanderhof.  Photo by Robin Jackson

You Can’t Take It With You by the beloved team of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart just opened as the second show of Ross Valley Players’ 83rd season. At the helm is James Dunn, renowned Marin director.  The original production of the play opened the Booth Theatre on December 14, 1936.  The play won the 1937 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

This timeless classic relates the humorous encounter between a conservative family and the lunatic household of Martin Vanderhof.  The play takes place in the Vanderhof home in New York City, mid-1930’s on a magnificently detailed set by Ken Rowland.  “Grandpa” Martin Vanderhof (Wood Lockhart) was once part of the competitive business world. However, one day he realized he was unhappy, so he stopped working and is doing whatever he wants to do.  His daughter Penny (Maureen O’Donoghue) writes plays simply because a few years ago a typewriter was accidently delivered to her house.  She also paints.  She is easily distracted and never finishes a single project. Her son-in-law, Paul Sycamore (Richard Kerrigan) spends hours in the basement making illegal fireworks and playing with erector sets.  His granddaughter Essie (LeAnne Rumbel) sells candy and has been clumsily attempting ballet for over eight years.  His grandson-in-law, Ed (Ross Berger) plays the xylophone (or tries to) and innocently distributes Marxist propaganda.  In addition to the family, many “odd ball” friends come and go from the Vanderhof house.  Some never leave.  Mr. DePinna (Bob Wison), the man who used to deliver ice, now helps out with the fireworks and dresses in a Greek toga to pose for Penny’s portraits.

In contrast to these delightful people are the unhappy Kirby’s.  Tony (Isaac Islas), the attractive son of the Kirby’s, falls in love with Alice Sycamore (Robyn Grahn) and brings his parents to dine at the Sycamore home on the wrong evening.  The shock sustained by Mr. and Mrs. Kirby (Stephen Dietz and Robyn Wiley), who are indignant from the cheap food offered, shows Alice that marriage with Tony is out of the question. The Sycamores find it hard to understand Alice’s view.  Tony knows the Sycamores live the right way with love and care for each other, while his own family is the one that is crazy.  In the end, Mr. Kirby is converted to the happy madness of the Sycamores after he happens to drop in during a visit by the Grand Duchess of Russia, Olga Katrina (Christina Jacqua) who is currently earning her living as a waitress at Child’s Restaurant.

Under the careful direction of James Dunn, the Vanderhof household is filled with activity, all of it chosen and purposeful to the person doing it. In addition to the wonderful cast ideally selected by James Dunn, there are delightful cameos by Kim Bromley as Reba, the Vanderhof’s maid and Donald (Javier Alarcon), the Vanderhof’s chef and Kolenkhov (John Starr), Essie’s ballet teacher. This play is delightful fun for the entire family.

You Can’t Take It With You runs at Ross Valley Players November 15-December 16, 2012.  Thursday performances are at 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. The venue is Ross Valley Players Barn Theatre at the Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. For reservations, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or go online at www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

Coming up next at Ross Valley Players will be Pack of Lies by Hugh Whitemore and directed by Molly Noble, January 18-February 17, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

With grateful thanks to Dr. Annette Lust, Artistic Director and Festival Coordinator, The Dominican University Players and the Fringe of Marin just celebrated their 30th anniversary.  Pamela Rand opened the ceremony by presenting Dr. Lust with a beautiful plaque with the masks of comedy and tragedy and inscribed to her in honor of her fine work as well as some lovely flowers and a bottle of champagne.

Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, Director and Actors were announced Sunday, November 18, 2012 at Meadowlands Assembly Hall at Dominican University in San Rafael.

The first awards presented were for Best Play. The pride of 1st Place went to Don Samson for The Game. The 2nd Place winner was a tie between Get A Date Show by Stacy Lapin and Pamela Rand, and The Trouble At Table 23 by Charley Lerrigo.  3rd Place honors went to Michael Ferguson for Sharp Edges.  Nominations went to Carol Sheldon for On With The Wind, George Dykstra for Mysterious Ways, George Freek for She Has A Plan, Ollie Mae Trost Welch for Shaw and G. Randy Kasten for Supplementing.

Next up were awards for Best Director. There was a 1st Place tie between Carol Eggers for The Game and Paoli Lacy for Get A Date Show.  Peter Hsieh won 2nd Place honors for Sunday Sundays.  Nominations went to Pamela Rand for How Salt and Pepper Got Put Into Shakers, Amy Crumpacker for The Trouble At Table 23, Carol Sheldon for On With The Wind, Jim Colgan for She Has A Plan and Harold Delinsky for Mysterious Ways.

There was a tie for 1st Place as Best Actor between Kevin Copps for Shaw and Manik Bahl for The Trouble At Table 23.  There was also a 2nd Place tie for Best Actor between George Dykstra for Mysterious Ways and David Louis Klein for Sharp Edges.  3rd Place honors for Best Actor went to Rick Roitinger for The Game. Nominations went to George Doerr for She Has A Plan and Ross Travis for Get A Date Show.

The last of the Critics Circle Awards went to the Best Actress.  1st Place honors went to Emily Soleil for The Game. Roberta Maloy won 2nd Place for On With The Wind.  Nominations went to Jean Davis for The Trouble at Table 23, Joan Mankin for Get A Date Show, Tristan Cunningham for Get A Date Show, Jennifer Cedar-Kraft for Sharp Edges, Terri Barker for How Salt and Pepper Got Put Into Shakers, Lauren Arrow for Minerva and Melrose and Melissa Schepers for One Time At The Zoo.

For the 11th consecutive time, the Audience Awards took place. Here are the results.

The Trouble At Table 23 by Charley Lerrigo won Best Play.  One Time At The Zoo by William O. Chessman III won 2nd Place.  There was a three way tie for 3rd Place between Get A Date Show by Stacy Lapin and Pamela Rand, On With the Wind by Carol Sheldon and The Game by Don Samson.  4th Place honors went to Minerva and Melrose by Martin A. David. There was a tie for 5th Place between Shaw by Ollie Mae Trost Welch and How Salt and Pepper Got Put Into Shakers by Annette Lust. There was a tie for 6th Place between Arrangements by Claire J. Baker and Sunday Sundays by Peter Hsieh.  There was a three way tie for 7th Place between Supplementing by G. Randy Kasten, Sharp Edges by Michael Ferguson and She Has A Plan by George Freek.  George Dykstra won 8th Place honors for Mysterious Ways. A Nomination went to Hollywood Confidential by Shirley King.

Amy Crumpacker won 1st Place as Best Director for The Trouble at Table 23. There was a tie for 2nd Place between Carol Sheldon for On With The Wind and William O. Chessman III for One Time At The Zoo.  3rd Place for Best Director went to Pamela Rand for How Salt and Pepper Got Put Into Shakers.  4th Place honors went to Paoli Lacy for Get A Date Show.  There was a three way tie for 5th Place between Martin A. David for Minerva and Melrose, Carol Eggers and Peter Hsieh for Sunday Sundays.  There was a tie for 7th Place between G. Randy Kasten for Supplementing and Ollie Mae Trost Welch for Shaw.  Robin Schild won 8th Place as Best Director for Hollywood Confidential.  Nominations went to Harold Delinsky for Mysterious Ways, Michael Ferguson for Sharp Edges and Gina Pandiani for Arrangements.

Manik Bahl won the audience vote for Best Actor for The Trouble At Table 23.  George Dykstra won 2nd Place as Best Actor for Mysterious Ways.  3rd Place went to George Doerr for She Has A Plan. Rick Roitinger won 4th Place as Best Actor for The Game.  There was a tie for 5th Place between Kevin Copps for Shaw and Jon Zax for Minerva and Melrose.  There was a four way tie for 6th Place Best Actor between Ken Sollazzo for One Time At The Zoo, Michael A. O’Brien for One Time At The Zoo, David Rodrigues for Supplementing and David Louis Klein for Sharp Edges.  7th Place for Best Actor went to Ross Travis for Get A Date Show. There was a tie for 8th Place for Best Actor between Randy Craig for Get A Date Show and Jerrund Bojest for Shaw.  Nominations for Best Actor went to Michael Collins for On With The Wind, Charles Grant for How Salt and Pepper Got Put Into Shakers and also for Arrangements, Everado Leon for Sunday Sunday, Monty Paulson for Hollywood Confidential, John Ferreira for The Trouble At Table 23 and Simon Patton for She Has A Plan.

Lauren Arrow won 1st Place as Best Actress for Minerva and Melrose.  2nd Place honors went to Jean Davis for The Trouble at Table 23.  Emily Soleil came in 3rd Place for The Game.  There was tie for 4th Place between Diane Rodrigues for Supplementing and Susan Amacker for One Time At The Zoo. There was a three way tie between Pamela Rand for Get A Date Show, Kathy Holly for On With The Wind and Terri Barker for Arrangements.  There was a tie for 6th Place Best Actress between Donna Andrews for On With The Wind and Jennifer Cedar-Kraft for Sharp Edges.  There was a tie for 7th Place between Cynthia Sims for How Salt And Pepper Got Put Into Shakers and Ayelette Robinson for She Has A Plan.  There was a tie for 8th Place between Flora Lynn Isaacson for On With The Wind and Melissa Schepers for One Time At The Zoo. Nominations went to Gigi Benson for Hollywood Confidential, Terri Barker for How Salt and Pepper Got Put Into Shakers, Cynthia Sims for She Has A Plan and Joan Mankin for Get A Date Show.

Bravo to Dr. Annette Lust for maintaining the Fringe of Marin Festival for 30 Seasons!

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Last Friday, November 2, Artistic Director Dr. Annette Lust welcomed us to the 30th anniversary season of the Fringe of Marin. Program One introduced six new plays and one solo performance.

Shirley King’s Hollywood Confidential opened the program.  Stylishly directed by Robin Schild, who directed her earlier play, Scramble Time, starred the same actress, Gigi Benson.  In this play, Gigi Benson plays Gloria who works for Mission Control and is hoping to save Hollywood from extinction.  Gloria’s assignment is to thwart the evil Frost Gang.  Ralph Duckman is the only volunteer.  He is a Super Hero always up for a new adventure.  The actors move well and Gigi Benson is beautiful in her sexy red dress. Each character tries to outsmart the other.

Mysterious Ways, a solo performance written and performed by George Dykstra was next on the program.  George Dykstra is a talented playwright and director.  This is his debut performance as an actor. He is dressed in a tuxedo and starts out as a singing waiter with a beautiful voice about to celebrate a special occasion.  Next he reflects on memories in a family album. As he does this, the piece takes a different turn with a serious look at the human condition becoming a bit melodramatic.

Minerva and Melrose written and directed by Martin A. David was next. Lauren Arrow as Minerva gives an outstanding performance as a young wife concentrating on her career while she keeps her older husband imprisoned in the bathroom. Jon Zax is Melrose and gives a subdued performance as her supportive husband.  This is a delightfully clever comedy!

Rounding out the first half of the program is The Game by Don Samson and directed by Carol Eggers.  In The Game, Tom (Rick Roitinger) and Marion (Emily Soleil) have been invited to a sex party.  Tom wants to go and Marion does not. She uses her wifely knowledge and weapons to get her way.  Here we have a top notch playwright, director, actor, Rick Roitinger and a charming newcomer Emily Soleil.

Dr. Annette Lust’s delightful pantry tale, How Salt and Pepper Got Put Into Shakers, opened the second half of the program. The piece was imaginatively staged by Pamela Rand with a darling set by Ruth Grant.  Charles Grant, with a wonderful French accent, is the Cook who is also the narrator.  Salt (Cynthia Sims) and Pepper (Terri Barker) are constantly quarreling. Their costumes are so clever!  The Cook pulls them apart and puts them into their shakers and give us the following moral – “When sisters or brothers fight over which is more appreciated, little do they realize they are creating their own shaker prisons that could separate them for years to come.”

Next up was Sharp Edges written and directed by Michael Ferguson.  In this play, Daniel (David Louis Klein) and Melanie (Jennifer Cedar-Kraft) run into each other during the intermission of a performance. Daniel is a good looking middle aged man and Melanie a younger woman. Daniel seems to be a sexual predator and Melanie an innocent girl. This is well acted and directed although the story is melodramatic.

Program One concludes with Sunday Sundays written and directed by Peter Hsieh. This is an avant garde play about the game of croquet starring Jason Hurtado, Michael Lee Lund, Everado Leon and Elizabeth Curtis.

Program One continues Friday November 9 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday November 10 at 2 p.m. and November 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Meadowlands Assembly Hall, Dominican University, 50 Acacia Avenue at Grand, San Rafael. For reservations and information, call 415-673-3131 or go online at www.fringeofmarin.com.

Founded in 1990 by Dr. Annette Lust, these Fringe of Marin Festivals set a precedent for other Fringe Festivals both locally and beyond, creating a sense of excitement regarding new discoveries and community artists combined with spectator participation.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

President Jackson ponders a difficult decision on how to deal with Indians (Ashkon Davaran & Michael Barrett Austin)

The SF Playhouse’s 10th season gets off to an energetic start in a new theatre at 450 Post Street known as Theatre On the Square. Perfect for an election year, Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson has a book by Alex Timbers who was nominated for a Tony. The music and lyrics are by Michael Friedman.  Ashkon Davaran, who made a splash with his rendition of “Don’t Stop Believin'” during the Giants 2010 World Series game leads the cast as Andrew Jackson.

Alex Timbers’ book re-imagines and reinvents the life of President Andrew Jackson, and Michael Friedman sets it to an infectious rock score.  Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson tells the story of the pioneer of humble stock–known as “Old Hickory” who invented the Democratic Party, moved the Indians west and rose to the highest office in the land as our 7th President.  The show also tracks his humble beginnings on the Tennessee frontier to his days as a Populist Commander-In-Chief where he wrestles political power away from the elite.

Ashkon Davaran is dynamic as Andrew Jackson.  He is the only one in the cast portraying only one character.  The eleven person ensemble that also doubles as the band includes Michael Barrett Austin whose Martin Van Buren is a bundle of laughs, El Beh who acts, sings, dances, plays the cello and brings down the house with her “Ten Little Indians,” Angel Burgess in a moving performance as Jackson’s wife, William Elsman’s outstanding John C. Calhoun, Jonathan Fadner, the Bandleader, Safiya Fredericks who does double duty as Henry Clay and Black Fox, Lucas Hatton as James Monroe, Ann Hopkins who is delightful as the Storyteller and Olive Mitra as John Quincy Adams.

Jon Tracy’s direction is in your face and energetic.  Nina Ball’s set is an impressive outline of the capitol dome, a perfect environment for what amounts to a musical in the form of a rock concert with flashy lighting design by Kurt Landisman.  This is presentational theatre, not representational theatre.

According to Artistic Director Bill English, “We’ll never look at a twenty dollar bill quite the same way again.”

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson runs through November 24, 2012. Performances are at 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 3 p.m. Saturday.  Performances are held at 450 Post Street (2nd floor of Kensington Park Hotel b/n Powell and Mason), San Francisco.  For tickets, call 415-677-9596 or go online at www.sfplayhouse.org.

Coming up next at SF Playhouse is Bell, Book and Candle by John Van Druten and directed by Bill English opening December 8, 2012.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Bowman Wright as Lincoln and Biko Eisen-Martin as Booth in Top Dog/Underdog at Marin Theatre Company

With this play, Suzan-Lori Parks won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and was nominated for the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play and the 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding New Play.

Lincoln (Bowman Wright) and Booth (Biko Eisen-Martin) are brothers trapped in a dangerous sparring match fueled by their poverty, race, family history and prophetically, their very given names.  This two-handed family play centers on the love/hate relationship of these two Black brothers.  Lincoln, homeless since his marriage dissolved, shares his brother’s tenement dwelling and works in an arcade where, in white face, cloaked in a stove pipe hat, frock coat, fake beard, he plays the Lincoln who gets shot.  He is doing this because he has gone straight and rejects his former profession as master of the street con called three-card monte.  Art, his younger brother strives to learn the game and keeps practicing as the play progresses.  As the brother’s reveal their individual needs and reflect on their family history of abandonment, a cumulative tension develops between them.

The play works best of all in the strength of the performers, Bowman Wright and Biko Eisen-Martin, who are both undeniably excellent and the sharp direction of Timothy Douglas, rather than the writing which often attempts to be more profound than it is and could be less repetitious.

I strongly recommend the play for the professionalism of the cast and direction, Mikiko Uesugi’s realistic run down apartment, Callie Floor’s imaginative costumes and Kurt Landisman’s impressive lighting.  Top Dog/Underdog is destined to remain memorable. Susan-Lori Parks aims for the sky and often succeeds mightily.

Top Dog/Underdog continues at Marin Theatre Company through October 21, 2012. Performances are held Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. Matinees are held Sunday at 2 p.m and Saturday, October 20 at 2 p.m., and Thursday, October 11 at 1 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 415-388-5208 or go online at marintheatre.org.

Coming up next at Marin Theatre Company will be It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play by Joe Landry and directed by Jon Tracy November 23-December 6, 2012.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Susan Jackson as Jessie and Diana Brown as Jenny 
in Eye Tooth, Part 2.  Photo by Stacy Marshall

The Southern Railroad Theatre Company’s mission is to bring the true Southern experience to the Bay Area in the plays of Susan Jackson.  Her main characters are strong, irrepressible women, facing sudden challenges.  All of the characters in her plays are related by blood or marriage, and this family tree is the foundation of her producing calendar beginning with Heathen which takes place during the Civil War and continues to the present day. In addition, the selections of the plays are connected thematically–Blessings 2010, Forgiveness 2011, Mercy 2011 and Beholden 2012.

Act One opens with Heathen Part 2 which takes place in Bess Canaan’s bedroom in 1865.  Here Ann Kuchins has remarkable stage presence as Bess Canaan as she explains to Posey, her slave girl (Margo Sims) how she has always taken care of her and saved her life making Posey beholden to her for life.  This is followed by  contrasting scene in Posey Carter’s home, two miles from the Canaan Plantation in 1929 in which Posey has a monologue speaking her thoughts, explaining why she is never beholden to anyone.

The next play is Eye Tooth, Part 2 directed by Ann Thomas.  Eye Tooth takes place in the present day at a California State mental hospital. Here Diana Brown has a great deal of spontaneity as Jenny Safrit who explains in group therapy, why she took the life of Jessie Waters (Susan Jackson) who was one of her husband’s “bitches.” Susan Jackson is effective as the ghost of the waitress, Jessie Waters.  Robert Cooper is very professional as Dr. Phillip Brevard who is in charge of a group of patients which includes Adrienne Krug, Ann Kuchins and Margo Sims.

Act One concludes with For I Am Not Breaking, Part 5 directed by Stephen Drewes, which takes place at the Charlotte International Airport, September, 2011.  Here, Susan Jackson, in an appealing performance as Marion Peallin, soon to be ex-wife of bigamist Judge Peallin, meets a stranger (Eric Nelson) while waiting for the flight for her first trip to New York City.

Act Two opens with Rockets Red Glare: Lacy’s Story directed by Ann Thomas which stars Adrienne Krug as Crazy Lacy.  Here we join Lacy on her survival journey from an abandoned three year old in 1970 through 2012, a few days before The Wedding of the Century in 2012.  Here Krug gives a wonderful tour de force performance as Lacy at two years old, seven years old, nine years old, thirteen years old, twenty one years old, forty years old and forty five years old.

The grand finale of the evening is Rockets Red Glare: The Wedding directed by Ann Kuchins. This play takes place in the Anterooms and Sanctuary of the Beaver Dam Free Will Baptist Church in the present, 2012.  Here the entire cast joins in, in wonderfully comic performances.  The folks in Beaver Dam never thought they’d see the day that Salacious and Nancy (Diana Brown) would stop fighting long enough to actually get married, yet it seems that the day has finally arrived.  They are joined by a supporting cast in top notch performances which include Ann Kuchins as Rev. Rainbow, Robert Cooper as Billy Barnett, Susan Jackson as Mayor Peaches Nasterson, Adrienne Krug as Crazy Lacy and Margo Sims as Tulita.

Thanks to Susan Jackson’s marvelous sense of humor, a great time is had by all!

2Beholden or Not 2B! runs through September 29. Performances are held Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Royce Gallery, 2901 Mariposa, San Francisco. For tickets and information, contact www.brownpapertickets.com/event/252834 or call 1-800-838-3006.

Laura Domingo as Maria, Craig Christiansen as Tito and Gwen Kingston as Maggie in Ross Valley Players’ production of Lend Me a Tenor

Ross Valley Players opens their 83rd season with Lend Me A Tenor by Ken Ludwig, directed by Kris Neely and produced by Anne Ripley.

In 1934, renowned tenor Tito Morelli (Craig Christiansen) is scheduled to sing the lead in Otello. The opera is being produced as a gala fundraiser for the Cleveland Opera Company.  Unfortunately, even before the star leaves his hotel room, everything begins to unravel.  Chaos ensues when Morelli’s wife, Maria (Laura Domingo), who has mistaken an autograph-seeker hidden in the closet for a secret lover, leaves him a Dear John letter. The distraught Morelli, accidentally, is given  double dose of tranquilizers to calm him and passes out. Saunders, the company’s General Manager (David Kester) is determined that the show will go on (for his own financial interest), so he asks his assistant Max (Robert Nelson) to impersonate the opera star.  Max puts on the black-faced makeup required for the role of Otello and his disguise succeeds admirably–until Morelli, also in black-face, wakes up and heads for the stage. What follows is a chain reaction of mistaken identity, farcical plot twists, double entendres, innuendoes and constant entrances and exits through six different doors.

Kris Neely takes on the directorial challenge of creating a three-ring circus of slamming doors, double takes and pratfalls at top speed and top volume in his eight character romp. In the slapstick sweepstakes, David Kester, as the long-suffering director of the opera company, wins hands down, followed by Robert Nelson and Craig Christiansen who do a wonderful second act dance as the two Otellos being pursued by women (Christina Jacqua as a lecherous dowager, Gwen Kingston as an ingenue admirer, Dylan Cooper as a prima donna who hopes seducing the tenor may be her ticket to the Met and Amanda Grey as a sexy female bellhop in awe of the tenor).  Laura Domingo as the tenor’s long (but not silently) suffering wife, was almost as skillful and overblown in her stage Italian as her husband in their arguments.

There were lots of opportunities for actors to hustle in and out of the six doors in Ken Rowland’s handsome red and white set, hiding in bedrooms and closets, disappearing in the nick of time into the hallway or the kitchen.  The beautiful costumes by Michael A. Berg are easy on the eyes.

Lend Me A Tenor achieves true comic delirium at the curtain call when the cast romps through a mimed version of the lunatic plot in about two minutes.  Those two minutes are more charming and fundamentally funnier than the two hours of hard labor that have come before.

Lend Me A Tenor runs September 14-October 14 at Ross Valley Players’ Barn Theatre, Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, CA. Performances are Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For reservations, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1.

Coming up next at Ross Valley Players will be You Can’t Take It With You by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, directed by Jim Dunn, November 16-December 16, 2012.