Kedar Adour

L-R: Donald Currie as Auden, Tamar Cohn as Kay, Michael DeMartini as Neil, Justin Lucas as Stuart, and John Fisher as Britten in The Habit of Art by Alan Bennett, directed by John Fisher. A Theatre Rhinoceros production at Z Below. Photo by Kent Taylor.

The Habit of Art: Comedy by Alan Bennett. Directed by John Fisher. Theatre Rhinoceros, being performed at Z Space Below, 470 Florida St., San Francisco, CA. 866-811-4111 or www.therhino.org. Wednesdays through Sundays, March 27 – April 13, 2014

 The Habit of Art in a bi-polar production by Theatre Rhinoceros [rating:3] (3/5 stars)

Before every performance Theatre Rhinoceros prides themselves on their longevity as a unique gay theater company being in existence for 36 years. Unfortunately, after losing their home base on 16^th Street in the Mission District they have been nomadic moving between various venues. For their latest venture, The Habit of Art, they have landed in the intimate Z Space Below and they use every foot of the commodious stage to give credence to Alan Bennett’s latest play that is a paean to theatre as well as to W.H. Auden and Benjamin Britten.

 If you are not familiar with the writing of Auden and the music of Britten be advised to brush up on their biographies before seeing this problematic play. They were among the most revered artists of their generation and their reputations have extended beyond their graves. However, since their deaths information about their sexual orientation has been revealed by their biographers and is included in Bennett’s play.

To give credence to the personalities of Auden (Donald Currie) and Britten (John Fisher), his major characters in this intricately woven play, Bennett uses the device of a play within a play. The actors break the fourth wall to comment on their interpretation of the parts they are playing.

The setting is a theatrical rehearsal hall where the actors are having a run through of a play called Caliban’s Day that takes place in Auden’s rooms at Oxford in 1973. The play is about a fictitious meeting between Auden and Britten who had not been in contact for 25 years. Britten is writing an opera of Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice” and is there to ask Auden’s advice on how to portray the potential pedophilic relationship within the book. Auden erroneously assumes Britten is there to ask him to write the libretto. Bennett slyly inserts comments about Britten’s association with Peter Pear and Auden’s partner Chester.

Before that engrossing scene takes place late in act one, we are treated to the semi-chaotic run through directed by Kay, the stage manager (Tamar Cohn) whose love of the theatre is palpable with her protective nature of her aging leading man who seems unprepared with his lines. There are the conflicts with the author and between actors.

In the play within the play there is a hilarious scene where biographer Humphrey Carpenter (Craig Souza) arrives to interview Auden and is mistaken for the rent boy Stuart (Justin Lucas) hired by Auden. 

Bennett’s dialog between Auden and Britten are handled brilliantly by Currie and Fisher. Justin Lucas does a creditable job as the sensitive rent boy. This review is being written about a preview performance and Craig Souza’s bombastic voice and his entrance in drag playing a tuba to start the second act throws the play out of kilter. Hopefully that will be corrected.

Within the play within the play, there is a conflict between the cast and the playwright as to the play’s ending. Currie gives a beautiful delivery of one of Auden’s poems that is suggested as the ending but Bennett has elected to give the love of the theatre the final shrift. Running time 2 hours and 20 minutes with intermission.

Cast: Tamar Cohn, Donald Currie, Michael DeMartini, John Fisher, Justin Lucas, Seth Siegel, Craig Souza, Kathryn Wood.  Creative team: Valerie Tu, Gilbert Johnson, Jon Lowe, Alicia Bales, Scarlett Kellum.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Venus in Fur: Fantasy/Comedy by David Ives. Directed by Casey Stangl. American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.),  A.C.T.’s Geary Theater, 415 Geary Street, San Francisco. 415-749-2228 or www.act-sf.org. March 19 – April 13, 2014

Venus in Fur a stunner at A.C.T.

[rating:4](5/5 stars)

(Vanda (Brenda Meaney), an aspiring actress, convinces Thomas (Henry Clarke), the adaptor/director of a new play based on Leopold von Sacher-Masoch’s 1870 novel of the same name, to read with her. Photo by Kevin Berne.)

Words enter our lexicon for various reasons, some for their infamy others for ordinary reasons. Three words associated with infamy are ‘quisling’ with reference to Norwegian traitor Vidkun Quisling, ‘sadism’ for the sexual practices of the Marques De Sade and ‘masochism’ for Austrian Leopold von Sacher-Masoch who, in 1870, wrote the novel “Venus in Furs.” The play Venus in Fur is based on that novel and is a play within-a-play. However, it is as much about theatrical intrigue as it is a study of BDSM.

For those unfamiliar with the term BDSM, it is shorthand for bondage/discipline, domination/submission and sadism/masochism. Local audiences had a big dose of BDSM in 2012 at the Marines Memorial Theatre in the sold out run of 50 Shades! The Musical, based on the runaway best seller novel “50 Shades of Grey.  At the risk of being labeled chauvinistic, little old ladies flocked to the theatre to be titillated by raunchy hilarious implications of sado-masochism. Be assured that ‘raunchy’ probably will not be used in reviews of this semi-intellectual extremely well-acted, clever and disturbing two-hander but it might be.

The proscenium arch curtain has been replaced with a non-descript scruffy drape that lifts to reveal a non-descript rehearsal hall to the sight and sound of thunder, lightning and flickering lights. Author/director Thomas Novachek (Henry Clarke) is bemoaning into a telephone the problems he has undergone auditioning women for a part in an adaptation of Sacher-Masoch’s novel. Enter Vanda Jordan (Brenda Meaney) loaded down with bags, losing a battle with a recalcitrant umbrella and three hours late for the audition. Her description of the tribulations she had to endure getting to the audition is hilarious and the audience responded with appreciative laughter.

The laughter continues with Vanda’s outwardly scatterbrained dialog ending with the plaintive resignation that the part for which she wishes to audition is “Somebody who isn’t me. I’m too young, I’m too old. I’m too big, I’m too small. My résumé’s not long enough. O.K.” Through what appears to be innocence without guile, she weasels her way into giving an audition even though she is told the subject involves masochism. Her response that brings down the house is “You don’t have to tell me about masochism, I’m in the theater!”

In the stage adaptation that Thomas has written there are two characters Vanda von Dunayev and Severin von Kushemski both from Carpathia. They meet when Vanda returns Severin’s copy of “Faust” containing a bookmark of Titian’s painting of “Venus with a Mirror” that she found by the fountain statue of Venus.  Severin, after a childhood incident with his aunt who whipped him as he lay on her fur piece, has become obsessed with a predilection to be enslaved by woman. Vanda Jordan’s off handed reply, “Oh! It’s about child abuse” sets Thomas into a defense of love associated with sado-masochism and Ives’ play moves into more serious and dangerous ground.

There is a constant shift back and forth to the present audition and the fantasy of the adaptation replete with appropriate thunder, light changes (Alexander V. Nichols) and incidental music (Will McCandless). Vanda, the neophyte actor, is much more than what she first seems to be. She has come scantily dressed in a leather dominatrix outfit replete with stiletto heeled shoes. Out of her tote bags she brings forth a white 1800’s style dress to play Severin’s Vanda .  Those tote bags also provide period costumes (Alex Jaeger) when the time shifts back to Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Brenda Meaney’s performance is riveting and her switch between the two different characters is a marvel to behold and it absolutely believable as she gradually morphs into the male dominant role while Severin/Thomas becomes the begging female subservient slave. Henry Clarke’s performance has more than a touch of verisimilitude with his switches back and forth into reality and fantasy but must play second fiddle to Meaney.

There is a plethora of mystery cleverly within into the play that fortifies Ives’ reputation as a master of dialog. Even with that accolade there are stretches of this 90 minute play without intermission that are redundant and tedious. This reviewer recommends it for the theatre aficionado but not the lady from Dubuque.

Cast: Henry Clarke as Thomas and Brenda Meaney as Vanda .

Artistic Crew: Scenic designer John Lee Beatty; Costume designer Alex Jaeger; Lighting designer Alexander V. Nichols; Sound designer Will McCandless.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

ALMOST, MAINE: Comedy by John Cariani.Directed by Carol Chacon. Altarena Playhouse, 1409 High St, Alameda, CA. (510) 523-1553 or www.altarena.org. March 14 – April 13, 2014.

ALMOST, MAINE pleases at Altarena [rating:2] (5/5 stars)

 Almost, Maine is a series of nine vignettes about the universal joys and pain of love encapsulated in the frigid mythical town of Almost, Maine. The first vignette is split into three very, very short segments comprising the Prologue for the first half of the show, an ‘Interlogue’ for the second act and an Epilogue that slyly/saccharinely suggests/enforces the platitude that absence makes the heart grow fonder and what goes around comes around.

The segments all range about 15 minutes or so and all are mostly two-handers with four competent actors playing 19 different characters. Many of the roles are similar and the cast does a creditable job giving each distinctive qualities. Author John Cariani does add specific traits to each individual but by the end of the evening (this reviewer attended a matinee) they all seem to blend into generic men and women with two or three being memorable.

Creating the mythical town of Almost, Maine gives the author leeway to inject fantasy and whimsy into everyday trials and tribulations of loving couples. First there are the glorious and mystical Northern Lights that fascinate Glory (not to subtle is it?) and later shooting stars for making wishes (beware of what you wish for) and so on. All the individual stories take place on a Friday night.

Speaking of Glory, in scene 1 entitled “Her Heart”, she carries her broken heart in a paper bag and luck/fate/kismet intervenes on her journey to view the northern lights. She meets East, a repairman and you guessed it, he ends up putting together the broken pieces of ceramic heart.

Almost, Maine has become the most produced play in the the United States by community theaters and High Schools. There have been dozens of international venues. It requires only four actors and needs minimal staging. To date there has been nearly 2000 productions.

The titles, in the order that Altarena has used are “Her Heart”, “Sad and Glad”, “This Hurts”, “Getting It Back”, “They Fell”, “Where it Went”, “Story of Hope” and “Seeing the Thing.”  You will have your own favorites. Three of mine being “That Hurts” with Steve Rhyne and Donna Turner with an ironing board being the major prop. “Getting it Back” with Emily Garcia and Stewart Lyle exploring the inequality of love given and taken and is it possible to get it back. The there are the slapstick shenanigans of Rhyne and Lyle playing two dear macho men who literally and actually fall for each other. As an afterthought, you will find out what happens when the other shoe falls and what happens when you mistakenly wish on a planet and not a real shooting star in “Where it Went.”

Running time a little over two hours with a 15 minute intermission.

Cast: Steve Rhyne (Pete, Jimmy, Steve, Chad, Daniel); Emily Garcia (Ginette, Sandrine, Gayle, Marci); Stewart Lyle (East, Lendall, Randy, Phil, Dave); Donna Turner (Glory, Waitress, Marvalyn, Hope, Rhonda ).

Production Staff: Artistic Director, Producer, Frederick L. Chacon; Director, Carol Chacon; Technical Director, Set Design/Construction, Stewart Lyle; Stage Manager, llona Herbert; Sound Design, Fred diNatale; Scenic Painter, Darrell Burson; Light Design/Construction, Frederick L. Chacon; Costume Design, Sydney Micheals; Props, Frederick and Carol Chacon; Stage Crew, Nikki Eggett, John Rivard, Nadine Paulino; House Manager, Star Valdez; Box Office Manager, Elaine Henninger; Photography, Patrick Tracy; Program, Laurel Wilton; Ushers, Bayview Women’s Club.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theathreworldinternetmagazine.com

Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma presents Steinbeck’s masterpiece Of Mice & Men, starring Keith Baker (right) and Samson Hood as the famous friends George and Lennie. (Photo by Eric Chazankin)

OF MICE AND MEN: Drama by John Steinbeck. Directed by Sheri Lee Miller. Cinnabar Theater, 3333 Petaluma Boulevard North, Petaluma, CA.  707-763-8920 or visit www.cinnabartheater.org  March 21 –April 6, 2014.

EXTENDED THROUGH APRIL 13

Steinbeck’s OF MICE AND MEN grips the heart at Cinnabar [rating: 5] (5/5 stars)

Steinbeck’s OF MICE AND MEN grips the heart at Cinnabar [rating 5] (5/5 stars)a spontaneous standing ovation after the initial shock of the expected heart tugging horrendous coup de grâce ending that had the audience riveted to their seats and brought gasps from a grown man sitting nearby. It is the kind of production Cinnabar has consistently mounted. It is visually stunning, in an earthy inelegant manner that truly reflects the time and place of action, and with great acting and taut direction that deserves full audiences during its run.

The play had its origins in Steinbeck’s first professional short stories published in 1932 under the title of “Pastures of Heaven” that chronicled the arrival of newcomers to the Salinas Valley full of hope and dreams and intertwining lives.  In 2011 California Shakespeare Company produced a theatrical adaptation of those stories by Octavio Solis and directed by Jonathan Moscone. They are classic California stories of dreams that whither and only the land endures. By 1939 Steinbeck became the champion of the disenfranchised and eventually won the Pulitzer Prize for the dust bowl saga “The Grapes of Wrath.”

In 1937, two years before writing that seminal novel he wrote the novella “Of Mice and Men” fully planning it to be a stage play. He wrote the script for the stage production, first produced on Broadway in 1937 directed by directed by George S. Kaufman. It starred Wallace Ford as George and Broderick Crawford as Lennie and ran for 207 performances. Since then there have been two or three movies, the most notable is the 1939 version starring Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. that was faithful to play and is well worth revisiting.

The original play was written in three acts beginning with the idyllic scene along the Salinas River where George (Keith Baker) and Lennie(Samson Hood), are spending the night before continuing on to their jobs as ranch hands. Lennie is a slow witted hulk with limited recall skills. George has become his de facto protector and purveyor of the dream to own that elusive piece of land where Lennie can raise rabbits and they can live “off the fat of the land.”

On the job they buck bales of wheat 10 to 11 hours a day and share the bunk house with cowboy Slim (Tim Kniffin), insensitive Carlson (Anthony Shaw Abaté) and old kind hearted Candy (Clark Miller), who lost a hand working on the farm for which he received $250 indemnity, and Whit (Kevin Singer). All are inured to living uneventful existences of playing horseshoes, card playing, storytelling and discussion of their trips “to town.” All avoid hot-headed Curly (James Gagarin) and his unnamed wife (Ilana Niernberger). Then there is Crooks (Dorian Lockett) a black man relegated to the barn due to rampant racism.

Title of the play is taken from Robert Burns’ poem “The Mouse”: “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley.” (The best laid schemes of mice and men / Often go awry.) Lennie’s affinity for soft furry mice that he unintentionally kills with his powerful hands telegraphs what is to happen before the play ends.

Samson Hood’s superb interpretation of the loveable mentally challenged Lennie steals the show with his imposing stature, wide-eyed childlike innocence yet powerful demeanor worthy of a Tony award. Director Miller keeps the interaction balanced with minor exceptions that occasionally do not ring true but do not detract from over-all excellence of the staging.

Cinnabar’s’ ensemble actors bring each of the characters to life and under Sheri Lee Miller’s sensitive direction you will feel the torment of Lennie and George and the claustrophobic environment that eventual destroys all dreams. There are touching scenes that will have you reaching out to individual characters. One such scene involving the fate of Candy’s ancient dog is a heart stopper and Clark Miller handles that role with unspoken internal devastation and eventually his joy of being allowed to “buy into” Lennie’s dream is palpable. Another is when Dorian Lockett makes you feel his racist isolation and his desire to join Lennie, George and Candy to that elusive piece of land where they can be free.

Keith Baker as George has the most difficult challenge of playing opposite Samson Hood’s perfect depiction of Lennie, but with exemplary timing and under-playing the role you feel his frustration and emotional attachment to his burden that is Lennie. Ilana Niernberger playing Curley’s wife exudes the sexual nature of the roll and will have you leaning forward in the fatal scene when she asks Lennie to stroke her hair.

The set  is a marvel with accolade’s well deserved by scenic designer, Joe Elwick and the creative support staff. This reviewer highly recommends it as a must see production. Running time 2 hours and 20 minutes.

CAST: Keith Baker (George), Samson Hood (Lennie), Anthony Shaw Abaté (Carlson), James Gagarin (Curley), Tim Kniffin (Slim), Dorian Lockett (Crooks), Clark Miller (Candy), Ilana Niernberger (Curley’s wife), Kevin Singer (Whit), and Barton Smith (The Boss).

 

Creative Team: Director, Sheri Lee Miller; Stage Manager, Ross Tiffany Brown; Scenic Designer, Joe Elwick; Costume Designer, Pat Fitzgerald; Lighting Designer, Wayne Hovey; Sound Designer, Jim Peterson; Fight Choreographer, Barton Smith; Assistant to the Director, Lauren Heney; Production Manager, Sharlyri Klein; Photographer, Eric Chazankin.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

 

(l-r) Norman A. Hall as Howard Leibowitz  and Tim Setzer as Vincent Alcedo give star performances in THE BOOK OF MATTHEW (Leibowitz), at Spreckles Theatre in Rohnert Park. Photo by Eric Chazankin

THE BOOK OF MATTHEW (Leibowitz), A Comedy about the seriousness of life: by Gene Abravaya. At the Bette Condiotti Theatre, Spreckels Performing Arts Center, 5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park, CA. 707-588-3400 or www.spreckelsonline.com. Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., Sundays Matinees at 2:00 PM.  March 21 – April 13, 2014.

 THE BOOK OF MATTHEW (Leibowitz) a standing ovation winner at Spreckles Theatre Company

[rating:4] (5/5 stars)

 Spreckles Theatre Company is fortunate to have auteur (actor, director, playwright) Gene Abravaya as their artistic/managing director.  His enthusiasm and theatrical knowledge has brought quality productions to the North Bay making Rohnert Park a ‘destination’ locale.

For their latest endeavor he has reached into his personal repertoire restaging his first full length play The Book of Matthew that had its world premiere in the Bette Condiotti Theatre in 2009 (http://www.forallevents.info/kedaradour/2009/03/world-premiere-book-of-matthew-by-gene.html ).  He has rewritten the play with multiple changes and elected to direct it himself.

The first change is the adding of (Leibowitz) to the title that could be construed as a disclaimer for association with the “Gospel of Matthew” the first book of the New Testament. But there is the suggestion that Abravaya’s Matthew Leibowitz has similar traits to the Messiah who was rejected by Isreal but continued his teaching through his disciples.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew)

Other changes include updating time references, musical selections, and making the characters typical New Yorkers. The directorial conceits, that are expertly projected by the superb cast, emphasize Jewish heritage without sacrificing universality. 

Matthew Leibowitz (Jeff Cote) is a 38 year-old writer with a stack of unpublished novels and rejection slips living in a cheap, unkempt 4^th floor flat (great set by Eddy Hansen) on the “upper, upper Westside of Manhattan” (Think the mean streets of Harlem). He supports himself in two jobs as a waiter and pizza delivery man. His desire is to be a writer in the mold of Thomas Wolfe and has given up a lucrative position writing scripts for a TV soap opera in which his wife Maggie (LC Arisman) plays a pivotal character. They have split due to unwise one night sexual episode by Maggie with a hunky member of the cast.

Matthew’s closest friend is Vincent Alcedo (giving a Tony Award type performance by Tim Setzer) a flamboyant Hispanic gay actor who lives in the upper flat. His entrance and exits are through a fire escape window and he is privy to all that goes on in Matthew’s flat as the conversations drift, nay are probably amplified, through the shaft of an unused fireplace.

Matthew’s older brother Robert (exceptional Jeffery Weissman) a successful CPA with talkative wife Karen ( ebullient Madeleine Ashe) are planning a two week vacation and deliver the father Howard ( absolutely perfect Norman A. Hall) into Matthew’s care. He has become semi-catatonic after the death of his wife two years ago.

With the characters all in place Abravaya weaves an intricate plot structure with cogent dialog that his actors deliver with verisimilitude and understanding although there are stretches of exposition needed to back fill characterization. One such scene will give you a catch in the throat when Vincent spills his life story to Howard that leads to charming scene as Howard breaks his silence and a bond of friendship is created. The humor that abounds is spontaneous and never hurtful. Madeleine Ashe has a pitch perfect accent displaying Karen’s vociferous nature that makes Howard’s sly comment that there is no need for him to speak while living in her home brings spontaneous applause.

The play runs for 2 hours and 35 minutes including the 15 minute intermission and seems to lose audience attention with the re-introduction of Maggie into Matthew’s life. The excellent direction by Abravaya and the fine perforance by Jeff Cote in the lead role give added depth to  this well written and produced play.  

CAST: Matthew Leibowitz, Jeff Cote; Maggie Fitzgerald Leibowitz, LC Arisman; Vincent Alcedo, Tim Setzer; Howard Leibowitz, Norman A. Hall; Robert Leibowitz, Jeffrey Weissman / Understudy: Benjamin Privitt; Karen Leibowitz, Madeleine McGuire Ashe.

Production: Director Gene Abravaya
Set Designer: Eddy Hansen
Costume Designer: Pamela Enz
Lighting Designer: Eddy Hansen
Sound Designer: Daniel Mitchell
Stage Manager: Lyndsey Transue
Set Dresser, Prop Master, Scenic Artist : Elizabeth Bazzano

Publicist: Kim Taylor
Photographer: Eric Chazankin
Stage Crew: Jessica Johnson
Lighting Operator: Lyndsey Transue
Build Crew: Eddy Hansen

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

 (l to r) Eugene Ma (Constables), Liam Craig (Superintendent), Steven Epp (Maniac), and Allen Gilmore (Pissani) star in Dario Fo’s classic comedy, Accidental Death of an Anarchist, at Berkeley Rep. Photo by Joan Marcus

Accidental Death of an Anarchist: Farce. By Dario Fo. Directed by Christopher Bayes. Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley, CA. (510) 647-2949 or  www.berkeleyrep.org.

ACCIDENTAL DEATH of an ANARCHIST a hilarious must see romp at Berkeley Rep.[rating:5] (5/5 stars)

Late in the second act of Berkeley-Yale Repertory Theatres’ brilliant production of Dario Fo’s agitprop farce Accidental Death of an Anarchist, one or two of the commedia-del-arte type characters chastise the Maniac (Steven Epps) that he has overstepped the bounds with his manic additions/perversions to the script stating, “It’s not Dario Fo!” They are right but who cares that the authors have insinuated English/Americanisms into Fo’s Italian based political farce. Corruption in politics is not limited to the Italians.  

Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo has taken a factual event that happened in 1969 and with the use of his superb writing skills created a play about a miscarriage of justice that is still unresolved. In December of 1969 the Italians were in the throes of a power struggle between those in power and the anarchists. When the National Agricultural Bank in Milan was bombed, the government allowed the police to round up any suspects for questioning.  A lowly railroad worker was arrested  and on the third day of his interrogation he fell to his death from the fourth floor window of the police station. Initially called a suicide it eventually was ruled by the Superior Court as an “accidental death.” Fo’s starting point is the reopening of the case using satirical wit and farce to present truth through humor thus keeping himself out of detention.

There could not be better casting choices for this madcap whirlwind of theatre. Steven Epp is no Stranger to the Bay Area having graced the boards at Berkeley Rep in, A Doctor in Spite of Himself, The Miser, Figaro and Juan Giovavanni. His ability and reputation as a comic performer are legendary. He is reunited with director Christopher Bayes whom he worked with at the Tony-Award winning Theatre de la Jeune.  A union made in theatrical heaven.

Epp called simply Maniac, is brought to the lower level of the police station for impersonating a multitude professionals.  Alas the law says a maniac cannot be held responsible for his actions.  Unfortunate police officer Bertozzo (Jesse J. Perez) and unnamed Constable (Eugen Ma) are no match for the demeanor and rapid fire dialog of Epp. The laughs start early and the dialog is fortified by slapstick stage shenanigans that would make the Marx Brothers envious.

Through a series of clever visual projections the “audience” is taken by elevator (don’t ask) to the fateful fourth floor. Epp now impersonates a Superior Court Judge (amongst many other characters) and summons the Superintendent (Liam Craig) and his cohort Pissani (Allen Gilmore) to explain the discrepancy of the fateful suicide/accident that led to the anarchist going out the window.

A French farce requires a minimum of four doors but the director and cast make do with two but if you count the window that would make three. That is close enough for this play.

The set is a marvel of dishevelment and the musicians ( Aaron Halva and Travis Hendrix) on stage right are allowed to engage with the actors adding more than a modicum of interest.

Each of the male actors have individual vignettes that break the fourth wall that are too numerous to recall but bring laughter or applause from the enraptured audience that rewarded the production with a standing ovation.

Then there is Feletti (Renate Friedman) a “token female role” controlling the stage as a reporter in the last scene never playing second fiddle to her male compatriots.

Yes, this is Epp’s shining 2 hours and 15 minutes and his supporting cast work in perfect harmony even though the word harmony does not define the marvelous, hectic pace that should not to be missed evening.

FACT SHEET: ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST WHO: Written by Dario Fo Directed by Christopher Bayes. Adapted by Gavin Richards from a translation by Gillian Hanna

CAST: Liam Craig (Superintendent), Steven Epp (Maniac), Renata Friedman (Feletti), Allen Gilmore (Pissani), Eugene Ma (Constables), and Jesse J. Perez (Bertozzo)

CREATVE TEAM: Aaron Halva (music director, composer, and musician), Travis Hendrix (musician), Kate Noll (scenic design), Elivia Bovenzi (costumes), Olivier Wason (lighting), Charles Coes (sound designer), Nathan Roberts (composer and sound designer), Michael F. Bergmann (projection designer).

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of  www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

 

                     l to r) Mimu Tsujimura (Lady Nijo), Monica Cappuccini (Pope Joan), Cat Luedtke (Isabella Bird), Cary Cronholm Rose (Marlene), Carina Lastimosa Salazar (Patient Griselda), Megan Putnam (Waitress),  Katie Robbins (Dull Gret).  Photo by Claire Rice

TOP GIRLS: Comedy by Caryl Churchill. Directed  by Laura Lundy-Paine. Custom Made Theatre Company, Gough Street Playhouse, 1620 Gough St. (at Bush),  San Francisco, CA 94109. 415-798-CMTC (2682) or  www.custommade.org.  March 20 – April 13, 2014.

TOP GIRLS at Custom Made needs directorial guidance. [rating:2] (5/5 stars)

This reviewer has admired the ambition/audacity/avidity of Custom Made that might be summarized as “daring to tackle difficult to perform plays.”  Caryl Churchill’s work requires quality/intricate direction that is absent in Top Girls. Fortunately a quieter second act with the mostly competent cast playing multiple roles makes the evening almost worthwhile.

The play is non-linear, partial fantasy with throw back scenes to the Kitchen Sink dramas made famous by her contemporary Arnold Wesker. Churchill is a feminist railing against the subjugation of women in our male dominated world. As written  Top Girls first act is a doozy but, as directed , is a noisy shamble and as one critic noted at intermission “I didn’t know we were going to see a drag show!” The costumes are ludicrous (Scarlett Kellum).

Churchill has dipped into history conjuring a historical celebratory dinner party to top all dinner parties. It is being given to honor Marlene (Cary Cronholm Rose) for her promotion,  by-passing a male colleague, as the head of a modern day employment agency. There is (in order of appearance) Isabella Bird (Cat Luedtke) a Victorian era inveterate traveler, Lady Nijo (Mimu Tsujimura) a 13^th –century Japanese consort who became a Buddhist nun, Pope Joan (Monica Cappuccini) a martyred female pope from the middle ages, Dull Grett (Katie Robbins) a fire and brimstone peasant warrior taken from a Flemish painting and Patient Griselda (Carina Lastimosa Salazar) a dutiful wife from the “Canterbury Tales. The cacophony that increases with their drinking is probably a put-down of male camaraderie. Is Churchill is telling us that if men can do it so can women? In the course of a verbose, boisterous evening with Churchill’s signature overlapping dialog, each guest spills the beans of their horrendous treatment by men reinforcing the fact that female subjugation is as old as time.

The play, originally written in three acts is presented as two acts. That second act salvages the evening.  In an interim scene we meet Angie (Katie Robbins) a semi-retarded “tweener”, her mother Joyce  (Cat Luedtke) and her younger playmate Kit (Megan Putnam).  With the exception of Cary Cronholm Rose  who works into the role of Marlene by act two, all the other actors play multiple roles. With two exceptions the transformations of all the actors for the act 2 are so complete you will be asking “Is that really (fill in any actor’s name) who played that historical figure in scene one?”

After the raucous dinner party the play returns to present day 1980 (the Margaret Thatcher years) taking place in the Top Girls Employment Agency office. As Marlene’s employees interview applicants for prospective jobs, there is a series of brilliant individual vignettes that are played with professional touches. Two applicants who add verisimilitude to their roles Megan Putman as Shona, an under aged applicant trying to look and act as a 29 year old and Carina Lastimosa a 47 year old who has played second fiddle to younger co-workers. You will recognize the problem that still exists today. This is not to denigrate the performance of the others since the commitment of the cast is palpable and they deserve better direction.

In the final scene, a classic kitchen sink drama, there is a reverse time shift in which younger Marlene returns to the rural neighborhood of her youth. The confrontation with her sister Joyce (Cat Luedtke) is stunning and family secrets and deep animosity surface. There is an abrupt and perfectly plausible ending as Marlene’s complete character is fleshed out.

Cast: Monica Cappuccini, Cary Cronholm Rose, Cat Luedtke, Megan Putnam, Katie Robbins, Carina Lastimosa Salazar and Mimu Tsujimura

 Production Crew: Director – Laura Lundy-Paine; Stage Manager – Jane Troja; Scenic Design – Kevin Dunning; Costume Design – Scarlett Kellum; Lighting Design – Colin Johnson; Scenic Artist – Nicola MacCarthy; Liz Ryder – Sound; Design/Score; Costume Design-Scarlett Kellum; Dialect Coach-Rebecca Castelli; Fight Choreography-Jon Bailey.

Running time 2 hours 25 minutes with an intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

 

 

Little Shop of Horrors:  Music by Alan Menken. Book and Lyrics by Howard Ashman.  Foothill Music Theatre. Direction by    Milissa Carey.  Lohman Theater, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Alto Hills, CA. 650-949-7360 or www.foothillmusicals.com.      [rating:3] (5/5 stars)

 February 20-March 9, 2014

Little Shop of Horrors an exuberant pastiche at Foothill College

It always a pleasure to take the drive down to Foothill College to see the latest show they are mounting in one of their two theaters. This time they are staging the hilarious tongue-in-cheek anthropomorphic/horror/black comedy musical Little Shop of Horrors in the intimate Lohman Theater. They are using every inch of space including the aisle between row one and the stage as a runway/performing area. You cannot get more intimate than that.

The first to cavort on that space are the Urchin Trio, three attractive young ladies Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette (marvelous Melisa Baxter, Lyn Mehe’ula and Megan Coomans in that order) singing the doo-wop prologue before the company joins in with the Motown type hit “Skid Row” that is better known as “DownTown.” These young ladies are sort of a Greek Chorus that weaves in and out of the story. The show is backed up by a five piece off-stage band.

 That storyline is a humdinger and began as a 1960 black and white Roger Corman cult classic film that included the young Jack Nicholson in a minor but necessary role.  Alan Menken and Howard Ashman converted it into the musical. They fine-tuned it through a series of workshops eventually it ran off-Broadway for 2200 performances. It is now probably a staple of every community musical theatre in the U.S.  Broadway by the Bay recently gave it a terrific performance and it is scheduled for the Altarena Playhouse later this year.

But you do not have to wait for that production since Foothill has mounted an audience pleasing winner despite some technical glitches that surely will be overcome with more rehearsal.

The action takes place in Skid Row, NY where Seymour (a first-rate Adam Cotugno) our erstwhile hero/protagonist works in a financially floundering Flower Shop owned by Mr. Mushnik (Alex Perez) and with ditzy co-worker Audrey (Adrienne Walters with a dandy voice to match her comic demeanor).

Hapless Seymour has found an exotic plant that he names “Audrey II” in honor of his secret love Audrey.  How was he to know that the innocuous strange looking plant feeds on blood! Well, it does but as “Audrey II” grows and grows it requires, nay it demands blood and flesh and Seymour obeys. Even creepier, “Audrey II” can talk and sing in a sonorous basso voice (James Devreaux Lewis).

The creature is played by a series of puppets that increase in size eventually filling almost all of center stage. (Accolades go to the hidden puppeteers David Kirk and Erik Scilley). As Seymour nurses the small plotted plant into a humongous size big enough to swallow a whole person he becomes famous and rich and the flower shop flourishes!! Yes, people do get swallowed up but you will have to go see the show to find out who and when leading to a hysterical finale.)

Integral to the plot is Orin Scivello (rugged Jeff Clarke) a sadistic dentist [aren’t they all?] who is sort of loved in a masochistic way by our heroine Audrey (I not II!!) and is Seymour’s competition for Audrey I’s affection. I guess you can call it a romantic tale but that would be stretching the definition a bit far even though there are two great love songs, “Somewhere That’s Green”, and “Suddenly, Seymour” that you may be humming when you stop laughing and leave the theater.

The large cast includes Skid Row denizens, winos, joggers, shoppers, delivery guy, cop and plant victims. They perform with a wide range of competence with director Melissa Carey giving them latitude to emote as she moves them effectively around the small acting areas. Running time is a fast, furious, fun-filled two hours with an intermission.

Cast: Adam Cotugno, Adrienne Walters, Alex Perez, Jeff Clarke,   James Devreaux Lewis, Lyn Mehe’ula,  Melissa Baxter, Megan Coomans, William Bowmen, Cassandra Grilley, Nicholas Mandracchia, Davied Morales, Caitlyn Prather, Patrick Ross, Holly Smolik,  Nicholas Mandracchia,  and Puppeteers David Kirk, Erik Scilley.

Production Staff: Direction by Milissa Carey; Musical direction by Dolores Duran-Cefalu; Choreography by Amanda Folena; Scenic Designer Yusuke Soi; Lighting Designer Michael Rooney;  Costume Designer Margaret Toomey; Sound Designer Ken Kilen; Orchestrations Robert Merkin; Vocal Arrangements  Robert Billig

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

 

                               The Queen (Janis DeLucia) and The King (Lasse Christiansen) discuss plans for building the maze. Photos by Pak Han

A MAZE: Drama by Rob Handel. Directed by Molly Aaronson-Gelb. Just Theater, Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Ave., Berkeley, CA. Two hours, 20 minutes. (510) 214-3780 or www.justtheater.org.

Through March 9, 2014

A MAZE fascinates in Just Theatre’s production on Shotgun’s Ashby Stage.                  [rating:5] (5/5 Stars)

 Bring your thinking cap with you when you go to see A Maze that is being given a second mounting on Shotgun’s Ashby Stage after a critically acclaimed three week run at the out-of the way Live Oak Theatre. Lis Lisle Managing Director at Shotgun astutely recognized that it was a perfect fit to match the eclectic work their company. If you missed it the first time around, as this reviewer did, you now have the chance to enter the labyrinths created by author Rob Handel and ushered to the stage by Molly Aaronson-Gelb.

It certainly was not an easy task to take a non-linear play with 25 plus blackout scenes and three different storylines that inter-mesh over a 10 year period and create an engrossing intelligible evening. All is not perfect with the construction but these are minor faults and can be overlooked. Add to this a storybook King (Lasse Christiansen) who continual builds a labyrinth (a maze of course) to protect his Queen (Janis DeLucia) and daughter from the outside world or is it to keep her imprisoned?

The catalyst for the intertwining stories is Jessica (Frannie Morrison) a 17 year girl who was abducted at age 7 and kept prisoner for nine years. She has walked away from her captor, willing to be interviewed by Kim (Lauren Spencer) a national TV talk-show host who is astounded by Jessica’s desire to be “that famous child who was abducted from the super-market” explicitly suggesting “blame the victim syndrome.”

In quick succession the shift is to the Desert Palms Rehab Center where “Pathetic Fallacy” rock band super-star Paul (Harold Pierce) is being encouraged by his girlfriend and song writer Oksana (Sarah Mosher) to break his habit and to recreate his genius. While there Paul meets and befriends Beeson (played brilliantly by Clive Worsley) a cartoon-artist-author who is forever working on a story that already has over 1500 pages (with lots and lots of crosshatching) and is a cult sensation. The King and Queen of the aforementioned labyrinth are characters in his story.

The three major characters are trapped in their figurative mazes and intricately the mazes interlock with an ending that is a zinger. All this plays out on a fantastic black and white set (Martin Flynn) with lines suggesting multiple maze configurations. Along the way there are intellectual comments about artist having idiosyncratic natures and should we separate the creation from the personal defects of the artist.

Advice: Do not miss this performance two hour and 20 minute (with intermission) that will keep you riveted.

Kedar Adour, MD

Courtesy of  www.theatreworldinternetmagazince.com