Kedar Adour

Washington Senators coach “Van Buren” (left, Richard Lewis) with the Washington Senators in DAMN YANKEES at Foothill Music Theatre,
playing July 26 – Aug 18, 2013 in the  Smithwick Theatre, Foothill College. Photo by David Allen

DAMN YANKEES: Musical.  Book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop.  Music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross and based on the novel “The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant” by Douglass Wallop.  Directed by Tom Gough.  Foothill Music Theatre and the Foothill College Theatre Arts Department.  Smithwick Theatre,  Foothill College 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022.  650-949-7360 or  www.foothillmusicals.com .   Through August 18, 2013.

DAMN YANKEES hits a three-bagger at Foothill Summer Musicals

Last year the era of Jay Manley summer musicals at Foothill College came to a close as he moved on to helm the Mountain Musical and other venues.  His departure left a gap. With this year’s production of Damn Yankees, using a baseball term, that gap has been ably filled by experienced director Tom Gough assisted by a talented artistic and technical staff.

Damn Yankees is a fun show that ran for over 1000 performances on Broadway in 1955. In the intervening years it has had many professional mountings and has become a mainstay for local theatres around the country.  It has a breezy dynamic script with rousing songs interspersed with love ballads; vivacious Bob Fosse directed dance numbers and a plethora of humor. In the original production Ray Walston as “Mr. Applegate” and Gwen Verdon as “Lola” put their individual stamp on their roles and the show went on to win seven Tony Awards.

The story is fantasy fun with a delightful twist on the Faust legend. Aging baseball fanatic Joe Boyd (fine baritone Matt Tipton) is upset that his favorite team, the Washington Senators, is not in contention to win their division that includes the hated (Damn) Yankees. His avid addiction is verified when faithful wife Meg (Mary Melnick) and the ensemble sing “Six Months Out of Every Year” to throw in the first pitch to start the evening. What would Joe do to have his team win the pennant? He sells his soul to the devil Mr. Applegate (Jeff Clarke) and becomes a star all-around player Joe Hardy (Daniel Mitchell).  Apple gate, against his better judgment gives Joe an opt-out clause. Old Joe and young Joe sing a charming duet “Goodbye Old Girl” to Meg before a quick scene change to the baseball locker room.

If you don’t have the ability of being a top notch team what do you need? You need “Heart” and full bodied manager Benny Van Buren (absolutely perfect Richard Lewis) leads the male ensemble making them believers. They become more believing when Joe Hardy enters hitting the practice balls out of the park.   Contentious news reporter Gloria Thorpe (professional voiced Caitlin Lawrence-Papp) labels Joe as “Shoeless Joe from Hannibal, MO.”  And the Senators are off to the races climbing toward first place.

Hey there has got to be conflict and that shows up after Joe reflects in song “A Man Doesn’t Know” what he has until he’s lost it.  Applegate summons up the 150 year old Lola (Jen Wheatonfox) who was the ugliest girl in Rhode Island and has sold her soul for sexual beauty. With her powers of “A Little Brains, A Little Talent” (with an emphasis on the latter) she takes on the job of seducing our hero Joe Hardy singing and dancing “Whatever Lola Wants.”

The first act ends with the rousing dance by Lola and Dance Corps giving their all in “Who’s Got the Pain?”

It is a long first act with a 20 minute intermission before the ballplayers return for another hilarious ensemble number “The Game.”  Jeff Clarke nails his irreverent solo number “Those Were the Good Old Days” backed up by the ensemble dancers in front of a flaming red silk backdrop. Shortly after the applause dies down choreographer Katie O’Brien gets to show her ability using classic Fosse dance moves in the stunning production number “Two Lost Souls.”

The production numbers interspersed throughout the story are classic musical comedy fare and director Gough keeps the action moving

The devil Mr. Applegate (Jeff Clarke) calls in his sexy siren Lola (Jen Wheatonfox)

despite some technical glitches that include problems with the amplification. Daniel Mitchell with the physical appearance and strong tenor voice is almost perfect for the part of Joe Hardy. Wheatonfox is beautiful, has a grand interpretive soprano voice, but lacks the physical stature and dancing ability to carry-off the demanding role of Lola. She is further undercut by atrocious costumes (Janis Bergmann). For this reason, Damn Yankee’s just misses a home run. Running time 2 hours and 40 minutes including the intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreinternetmagazine.com

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

ADDED NOTE:  Kendell Hinds replaces Victor Sho for this performance and the following week.

50 SHADES! THE MUSICAL (The Original Parody of the “50 Shades of Grey” phenomenon). Marines’ Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA. For tickets visit www.shnsf.com or call SHN Audience Services at 888-746-1799.

Plays through July 28,2013 with ADDED PERFORMANCES due to popular demand Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at 6:30 p.m.

50 SHADES! The Musical redefines the three Rs.

In the days of one room school houses (meaning gentler times) the three Rs refer to Reading, (w)Righting and (a)Rithmatic.  For the three Rs to describe the musical 50 Shades! The Musical you must use Raunchy, Risqué and Ribald and for good measure you could add Trashy and Tacky. The dialog, songs and dances fit all those adjectives but the uproarious response of the opening night audience suggests it is wonderful. All the seats remained filled after the intermission.

The show is a parody of the novel “50 Shades of Grey” written by E. L. James that describes in explicit detail BDSM (Bondage, Dominance, Sadism and Masochism) practices through the exploits of Christian Grey (Chris Grace), a rich, handsome well hung tycoon, and Anastasia Steele (Amber Nicole Petty), an innocent virginal college student. Whips, chains and handcuffs play a prominent role in their dominant-submissive relationship.

In this parody the whips, chains and handcuffs are all there but Christian in this show a rotund, short Asian with a wicked sense of timing, a great singing voice but the red spandex wrestling outfit reveals less than gigantic private parts. A cod piece would have helped but that would have diluted the parody?

It all begins with a trio of women (Jessica Kemock, Emily Eden and Spencer Rose) at their book club meeting finally deciding ton review “50 Shades of Grey.” As they discuss passages from the book the characters come to life in song and dance. The nine member cast, with the exception of Christian and Anastasia double in other roles. One of the funniest is Nick Semar as Jose the sexy and persistent Mexican who is hot for Anastasia’s body.  The dance group of Matthew Nolan, Caroline Reade and Victor Sho do not have much to do but they do it with energy. They are the ‘eye candy’ with beautiful bodies especially Reade as the “Inner Goddess” dominatrix, bare chested Kendell Hinds (replacing Nigerian Victor Sho for one week) with six-pack abs and tall handsome ladies’ man Mathew Nolan.

The lyrics are bawdy and delicious with the music being played by an onstage three piece band of electric-piano, guitar and drums. The song titles are only partially suggestive of their “mommy porn” but you will get the idea what they convey especially “There is a Hole in Me” (that has to be filled), “Red Room of Pain” and “How Much Can I Take?” Not content with parody of ‘the’ book, the authors also take swipes at “Phantom of the Opera” (“Follow Me Into the Night) and “Le Miz” (“50 Shades”).

The finale combining “How Much Can I Take” and “Hole Inside of Me” and riotous curtain call led to an uproar of appreciation from the audience. All this compressed into  90 minutes including the 15 minute intermission to allow the audience to visit the refreshment bar and point out to each other this point or that just in case they missed the innuendos. Actually innuendos were few and far between with in-your-face dialog and lyrics.

It may not be for the couple from Des Moines or the residents of San Francisco Retirement Home but the denizens of San Francisco will flock to the show.Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

Jayme Catalano as Jeri Neal, Pamela Ciochetti as Dinah, Stephanie Ahlberg as Sheree, Hilda Roe as Lexie. Photos by Robin Jackson

THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB: Comedy by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. Directed by Linda Dunn. Ross Valley Players Barn Theatre at the Marin Art & Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. in Ross. For tickets, call 415-456-9555 or go to www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

July 19 – August 18, 2013

THE GOLDEN GIRLS GO TO THE BEACH

Before the virtual curtain rose on Ross Valley Player’s sixth and final production of their 2012-2013 season the group enjoying the pre-theater buffet of mostly Southern comfort food were overheard making speculative remarks about RVP’s judgment for selecting an all women show.  Veteran director Linda Dunn assured the group that the play would be almost equally appreciated by the male members of the audience. She was mostly right.

If you are an aficionado of the long running TV serial comedy The Golden Girls (GG) RVP’s production of The Dixie Swim Club (DSC) is your cup of tea and you will find a couple of doppelgangers from that show gracing the Barn Theatre stage. This is understandable since James Wooten a former member of the writing team for GG, is a member of the triumvirate who wrote the DSC show. They are often listed as Jones Hope Wooten and it is easy to visualize them creating ‘laughter on the 23^rd floor.”  (Apologies to Neil Simon).

The play, like most TV sitcoms is formulaic with the laughs coming in bursts, minor conflict progressing to serious disagreement, and crisis appearing two thirds of the way into the script followed by a poignant denouement. Yes, the story line has all that but RVP’s cast under Linda Dunn’s tight direction makes it a winner.

Five Southern women, members of their college swim team whose motto is “The faster you swim, the faster you win” have maintained contact and friendship throughout the years. When the play opens it is 22 years since graduation and they are meeting for their yearly reunion in a rented cottage (terrific set by Ron Krempetz) on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They have set aside a long August weekend each year when they get together without family to relive their personal experiences and rekindle their camaraderie.

The characters are diverse and each actor’s performance nails their part with distinction. It is a true ensemble work with each getting their chance to shine while integrating their roles into the whole. Lexie (Hilda L. Roe) is the many times married and divorced sexpot (think Rue McClanahan as Blanche Devereaux in GG) who is obsessed with remaining young.

Sheree (Stephanie Saunders Ahlberg), the team swim captain tries to keep things organized, is a health nut whose ‘healthy hors d’oeuvres’ of mung bean paste in herring oil end up in the flower pot or out the window. 

Dinah (Pamela Ciochetti ) martini swilling successful lawyer but with a frustrating social life is a stabilizing influence when conflict arises within the group.

Floriana Alessandria as Vernadette

Vernadette (Fioriana Alessandria) who always has to pee when she arrives and always has an injury. She has a deadbeat husband, criminal children and a front bumper on her truck held on with duct tape. She is the one who stirs up the trouble with her caustic but cogent remarks. (Think Estelle Getty as Sophia Petrillo from GG). 

Last but not least is Jeri Neal (Jayme Catalano) a former nun who is pregnant by artificial insemination after deciding that motherhood is for her after holding the baby of a homeless woman. The first scene ends with Jeri giving birth . . . off stage of course.

The play is constructed in two acts and four scenes and the stage crew deftly moves the props on and off the set while appropriate musical interludes captures the feeling of the era being depicted. There is a 5 year gap between scenes two and three and 23 years later for the final scene. They mature from age 44 to age 77 with appropriate costume and adroit personality changes. The one line zingers abound in the first three scenes and the tenor of the play changes for the poignant ending. Running time a little over 2 hours including an intermission.

Kedar Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

Haylee (Julie Fitzpatrick) and Jordan (Adrian Blue) share a tender moment in Catherine Rush’s unconventional romantic comedy THE LOUDEST MAN ON EARTH, receiving its World Premiere at TheatreWorks  July 10 – August 4, 2013  at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.

THE LOUDEST MAN ON EARTH: Romantic Comedy by Catherine Rush. Directed by Pamela Berlin. WORLD PREMIERE. TheatreWorks at the Lucie Stern Theatre, 1395 Middlefield, Palo Alto, CA. 650-463-1960 or www.theatreworks.org.  July 10 — August 4, 2013

THE LOUDEST MAN ON EARTH is stunning at TheatreWorks

The end of TheatreWorks 2012-2013 season is a heart gripping tour de force by 4 actors with the deaf Adrian Blue giving a superlative performance as his stage character Jordan negotiates the world of sound while in love with a non-deaf woman Haylee played superbly by Julie Fitzpatrick.  The play was a runaway hit of the 2012 New Works Festival where Blue and Fitzpatrick were joined by Cassidy Brown and Mia Tagano for those staged readings. That team is kept together for this fully staged World Premiere as an introduction to the 2013 New Works Festival that begins at the Lucie Stern Theatre in August.

This review has a very personal slant since, as a retired Ear, Nose and Throat doctor, the problems encountered by the protagonist Jordan were experienced by many of my patients.  There is an added interest considering that my first 1964 published medical article is entitled “The World of Silence.”

There is a semi-autobiographical bent to the play since Adrian Blue is married to the author Catherine Rush and they most certainly have encountered some of the obstacles faced by the onstage couple. Further, like the character Jordan, Adrian Blue is an accomplished theatrical director, actor and writer. A visit to the Palo Alto theatre will be instructional as well as heartwarming and entertaining.  The opening night audience responded with a well-deserved standing ovation.

Haylee is a dynamic journalist sent to interview the deaf Jordan who is rehearsing his cast for an upcoming production.  That interview sets the

Adrian Blue delivering a monolog

tone for the play as the two strong personalities slowly begin to understand each other as romance blossoms.  Jordan is the narrator and between the multiple scenes using American Sign Language (ASL) adding facial and body language “speaks” volumes to the audience.  You will be astounded that you are able to “hear’ what he is saying.

After a three month courtship they move in together and the problems arrive about adjusting to the hearing world around them.  Although many deaf persons learn to speak their speech patterns are distinctively different and proud Jordan has refused to learn and humorously describes himself as an “oral failure.”  Not only he an oral failure but a Jewish oral failure. That leads to a dramatic twist later in the play.

Cassidy Brown and Mia Tagano who play all the other roles are listed as Men and Women and perfectly portray the various personalities that entwine with the lives of Jordan and Haylee. They become police officers, the upper-class parents of Haylee, the Jewish parents of Jordan, insensitive friends, oriental waiters and others. Their masterful changing of costumes (Tanya Finklestein) and personalities is aided by the ingenious sliding paneled set (Jason Simms) that gives the illusion of being askew reflecting the skewed interaction of deaf and hearing world.

The evening is a total package of everything a theatrical production should be – a charming well written story, perfect acting, brilliant direction, ingenious staging while being highly instructional. What else could a theatre goer ask for? Running time is 90 minutes without intermission.  A must, must see production.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Adrian Blue as “Jordan” delivers several silent monologues

Haylee (Julie Fitzpatrick) and Jordan (Adrian Blue) share
a tender moment in Catherine Rush’s unconventional
romantic comedy THE LOUDEST MAN ON EARTH,
receiving its World Premiere at TheatreWorks
July 10 – August 4, 2013
at the Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto.

Photo credit: Tracy Martin

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

(l – R)Sister Butterworth (Ashley Cowan), Reverend Tollhouse (Dave Sikula) and Brother Brightbee (Christopher Kelly) admire (center) Sister Elizabeth’s (Jennie Brick) famous cheese ball in Custom Made’s The Book of Liz.

THE BOOK OF LIZ: A satirical Farce by The Talent Family of David and Amy Sedaris. Directed by Christopher Jenkins. Custom Made Theatre (CMTC), The Gough Street Playhouse attached to the historic Trinity Church, 1620 Gough Street (at Bush), San Francisco. (510) 207-5774 or www.custommade.org.Extended through August 21, 2011.

THE BOOK OF LIZ a runaway farce at Custom Made

In 2011 Custom Made mounted a very successful production of The Book of Liz that filled their intimate three sided stage every night and earned an extended run. It probably makes good business sense to remount the show at the end of their 2012-2013 season. From the enthusiastic response of the opening night audience, despite some technical glitches, that decision is seems justified.

The play is a satirical farce and the new cast and director have upped the energy level emphasizing the farcical element at the expense of the satire.  By doing so much of the double edged satiric dialog gets lost in the extremely broad acting and physical shtick.  The four cast members portraying 15 different roles deserve accolades for the sheer energy of their performances and must be physically and vocally exhausted by the end of the whirlwind 90 minutes on stage without an intermission.

The authors, David and Amy Sedaris, are known for their quirky, inane and cutting humor at the expense of hapless characters.  The initial group of characters inhabits the Cluster Haven Squeamish Religious Community under the leadership of Reverend Tollhouse (Dave Sikula) who in his opening prayer, kneeling on his beloved prayer cushion, is egotistical rather pious with a complimentary prayer to God as he praises himself rather than the Creator. Sister Elizabeth Donderstock, known as Liz (Jennie Brick) who is Sqeamish to the nth degree makes irresistible tasty cheese balls (traditional and smoky) and the proceeds from their sale keep the entire group financially solvent.

Reverend Tollhouse and Sister Constance Butterworth (Ashley Cowan) are critical of Liz’s liberal philosophy and poor Liz is removed from the annual Chastity Parade dedicated to the “dangers of casual glancing.” Further indignity is heaped upon on gentle Liz when the aggressive newcomer Brother Brightbee (Christopher Kelly) takes over the baking chores after demanding Liz’s recipes. Enough is enough says Liz she and hits the open road on a Candide type journey to discover the outside world.

First up on that road is Mr. Peanuts, who is one half of a Ukrainian couple who were professional cat-de-clawers. They have cockney accents (don’t ask) and befriend Liz who ends up in the Peanut costume.  Alas, the couple are deported back to Ukraine  due to a parking ticket. Never fear about our Liz who lands a job as a waitress in the Plymouth Crock Cafe (serving Pilgrim food such as English muffins) that hires only recovered alcoholics. (“If you sober up an alcoholic assholes . . . you end up with sober assholes!”) She also learns that homosexuals are the scourges of yard sales.

Complications arise because she has hyperhidrosis (for the non-medical that’s excessive sweating) but she is still offered a promotion to manager. Alas, her prudery will not allow her to get undressed for a physical exam and she would never wear a mini skirt that would display her thighs and legs!

Back at Cluster Haven, they cannot duplicate Liz’s tasty recipe, sales have plummeted they are being forced into bankruptcy.  Liz, who has remained a true Squeamish disciple returns and the special ingredient that made her cheese balls so tasty is discovered. They become financially solvent and everyone lives happily ever after with the moon and planet Saturn projected on the back screen.

The entire show is simply staged and you will recognize props from other shows. The multiple scenes are separated with blackouts allowing the costume changes. Jennie Brick’s cheerful attitude as the much put upon Liz is admirable: “I had to dress like a Peanut before I could feel human!” There are many vignettes that are handled adroitly by Ashley Cowan, Christopher Kelly and Dave Sikula but none is hardly memorable.  Directorially Jenkins has dispensed with an ensemble concept allowing his actors to loudly and individually “emote” often at the expense of the many delicious satirical lines not receiving their proper emphasis. When the technical glitches are corrected the scenes will flow smoothly adding zest to this zany, madcap, wacky satirical farce that will again attract full audiences.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of http://www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com/

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

Richard Hefner as “Gregory” and Randy Roberts as “The Lady” in “Chance – A Musical Play About Love, Risk and Getting it Right”  Photo by Jay Yamada

CHANCE:  A Musical Play about Love, Risk & Getting it Right. World Premiere by Richard Isen.  New Musical Theater of San Francisco, Alcove Theater, 414 Mason Street, 5^th Floor, San Francisco. 415-992-8168 or www.thealcovetheater.com   July 5 – 28. 2013

CHANCE shows great promise at the Alcove Theater.

Chance is the second offering for the New Musical Theater of San Francisco and after a few tweaks should match the long run (140 performances) of Absolutely San Francisco that inaugurated their season. The word ‘chance’ can be a noun, adjective, verb or adverb and in this bitter-sweet musical drama titled Chance refers to all its connotations and denotation. It is unfolding at the intimate new Alcove Theater of San Francisco that combines cabaret ambiance with semi-professional staging of new musical works.

Gregory (Richard Hefner), a 55 year old introverted gay industrial psychologist in a chance meeting on the internet meets a young rent-boy named Chance (Ken Lear) and takes a chance on hooking up with him. But before that happens in the play we meet the star of the show The Lady played by the wonderful ‘female illusionist’ (don’t use the words drag queen) Randy Roberts who has been involved in the play’s workshops going back more than one year. He is pitch-perfect in the part dressed in a stunning colorful sequined floor length gown with an open bodice and side slit showing off a pair of perfect gams.

Gregory has had a life threatening cerebral event and in his mind he conjures up the lovely movie aficionado The Lady who becomes his constant companion, internal sounding board and almost spiritual advisor. The story is told in flashback embellished with music beginning with the charming “The Way of the World.” The Lady is only in Gregory’s mind and does not interact with Chance, although they do sing duets and trios. The music is provided by an excellent trio put together specifically for this show by Tammy L. Hall (on the piano) with Caleb Herring on Bass and Ruth Price on percussion.

The play is divided into 14 scenes and each scene is introduced by an Oscar Wilde line that is pertinent to the action and lyrics. Those lyrics carry the plot forward as well as having a smidgen of universality.  Isen’s book at times tends to be overly dramatic but that is ‘the way of the world’.  His characterizations of Gregory and Chance become fully rounded by the end of the play with enough back stories being introduced to make their actions plausible.

Ken Lear as “Chance”

Ken Lear is a beautiful handsome hunk and he makes Chance’s seductive come-ons irresistible and his acting skills will make you want to forgive him for transgressions he inflicts on Gregory. Randy Roberts is the star of the evening playing the part of The Lady straight without ever breaking character.

Since the Oscar Wilde lines are so pertinent to each scene, director Kalfin should consider using projections rather than have the lines read by Tammy L. Hall from the far corner of the room.  On opening night half of those lines did not reach the rear of the hall.

My advice, take a chance and obtain a ticket for Chance and give this fledging group a chance to remain successful.  Running time about 2 hours including an intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

Romeo (Dan Clegg) visits Juliet (Rebekah Brockman) at her balcony in Cal Shakes’ production of “Romeo & Juliet.” Photo: Kevin Berne

ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare. Directed by Shana Cooper. California Shakespeare Theatre (CalShakes), Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, Orinda. (510) 548-9666. www.calshakes.org.  July 6-28, 2013.

Rebekah Brockman is a brilliant Juliet at Cal Shakes

Director Shana Cooper and Amanda Dehnert are cast from the same mold. Dehnert shamelessly confesses at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival “Life isn’t neat and theater isn’t clean,” Life is messy, so should theater be. You should see where the lights hang, see the clothes being put on and taken off, see how people transform through the power of imagination.” Cooper may not have taken a page from Dehnert’s book but her reimagining of Romeo and Juliet accepts those precepts and Cal Shakes production is proof of the observation.

The stage is bare wooden planking with miscellaneous props on the outer perimeter including an upright piano, a wheelbarrow, a tall wooden stepladder, a table resembling disco paraphernalia and a cot bed.  Even before the virtual curtain is to rise the cast dressed in non-descript costumes stand on center stage while the perfunctory pre-show festivities are dispensed with. I guess that is sufficient information that we are about to see a modern concept of our beloved Shakespearean play.

Cooper uniquely conceptualizes the play featuring a seven member ensemble cast playing all the roles with only Romeo (Dan Clegg) and Juliet (Rebekah Brockman) remaining in character. Stylistic fisticuffs replace sword play and each blow is emphasized with the crack of brick hitting brick.  And that is just the first scene where Tybalt Capulet (Nick Gabriel) engages Mercutio Montaque (Joseph J. Parks) setting the scene for the further violence to come.

Early on, the piano and disco are put to use for the fateful meeting of R & J staged as a wild party given (thrown?) by the Capulets to introduce Paris (Gabriel again) ending with a love ballad with banal lyrics “I must have you and through with love etc.”). Erika Chong Shuch (listed as Movement director) must have had a ball (pardon the pun) staging that party.

Just when this audience member was ready to say “Enough, already, get on with the play!” the wooden step ladder is wheeled on stage and Rebekah Brockman delivers the balcony speech that is riveting and worthy of a Tony award. Cooper emphasizes the fact that Juliet is only 14 years old and Brockman nails the characterization.  She is fresh from her stunning performance as Thomasina in A.C.T.’s production of  Arcadia and adds further accolades to her curriculum vitae.  Dan Clegg’s Romeo is only a partial match for Brockman’s superb Juliet.

In the supporting roles the always reliable Dan Hiatt stands out, first entering the stage as a supercilious servant, is charming as the Friar and is mesmerizing as the infuriated Lord Capulet insisting that Juliet marry Paris. Arwen Anderson does yeoman work as Benvolio, Lady Capulet and in the ensemble along with Dominigue Lozano as the nurse and Prince.

All the directorial conceits taking place on the bare stage have an unfortunate consequence: The death scene becomes anticlimactic and is further degraded by the staging of the lover’s burial. However, the lighting (Lap Chi Chu) and sound cues (Paul James Pendergast) for the final scene are brilliant with pillars of light surrounding the stage extending to the sky partially illuminating the beautiful trees and hills in the background. A great deal is cut from the script and running time about 2 hours and 20minutes including a 15 minute intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of  www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

(l to r) Eugene Marchbanks (Tim Homsley)The Reverend James Mavor Morell (Christopher Vettel) his wife, Candida (Sharon Rietkerk), Miss Proserpine “Prossy” Garnett (Liz Baltes) and Reverend Alexander “Lexy” Mill (Jarrod Zimmerman)

A Minister’s Wife: Musical Theater. Adapted by Austin Pendleton from G.B. Shaw’s “Candida.” Music by Joshua Schmidt. Lyrics by Jan Levy Tranen. Conceived and directed by Michael Halberstam. San Jose Repertory, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. (408) 367-7255. www.sjrep.com. 

 June 27 – July 14, 2013.

A MINISTER’S WIFE  is a charming musical interlude at San Jose Rep

After seeing a perfect production of George Bernard Shaw’s (GBS) Candida by California Shakespeare Company in 2011, there was a bit of trepidation when we took the trip to the musical version receiving its West Coast premiere at San Jose Rep. There should not have been any qualms about going if one has faith in Terry Teachout’s July 2009 Wall Street Journal review. A clipping received from a friend and writer of reviews for opera (RVS) advised to be on the lookout for it. That review ends with: “A Minister’s Wife is that rarity of rarities, an adaptation of a major play that improves decisively on its source material.”

According to SJ Rep’s Artistic Director Rick Lombardo since its world premiere at the Writers’ Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois the artistic creators have continued to refine it even after its successful Lincoln Center staging in 2011. He has brought along Michael Halberstam, a member of that artistic group, to direct the play. As an added plum Liz Bates returns to the role of Miss Proserpine “Prossy” Garnett that she originated in its world premiere and had won a Jeff Award (Chicago’s version of the Tony Award) for Best Supporting Actress.

Candida by GBS’s standards is a relatively short play and A Minister’s Wife runs a scant 95 minutes without intermission.  It is not a musical comedy in the mode of My Fair Lady but  rather is a chamber music opera affair with much of the dialog sung in recitative with a backup by a partially hidden on-stage quartet consisting of piano/Conductor (Dolores Duran-Cefalu), violin (Petr Masek), cello (Robin Snyder) and bass clarinet (Michael Touchi).

A Minister’s Wife is a charming musical interlude that is well worth seeing but Mr. Teachout’s profuse adulation is misplaced for the present production. The overall essence maintains Shaw’s philosophical/political/social leanings but this musical adaption centers on the “love triangle.”   

Although the main character is the well liked Reverend James Morell (Christopher Vettel) a Socialist clergy it is Candida (Sharon Rietkerk) whom is Shaw’s protagonist.

 Morrell is admired by his curate Lexy (Jarrod Zimmerman) and Secretary Miss Proserpine “Prossy” (Liz Baltes) and his parishioners but spends most of his time writing sermons and giving political lectures.  He regards his wife Candida as the “perfect woman.”  All those around Candida truly love her for being a pillar of strength, a devoted mother/wife with a strong social conscious. That social conscious has led to her taking in a destitute idealistic young poet Marchbanks (Tim Homsley) who has fallen in love with her and is determined to take her away from the unappreciative Morrell. Thus the love triangle evolves without Candida’s knowledge.

The verbal and physical battle between Morrell and Marchbanks take up most of the action while the interplay between Lexy and Prossy adds the much needed humor. The lyrics maintain Shaw’s words and the dialog is very often delicious. When Morrel suggests that Marchbank’s love is “calf love”, Marchbank retorts that Morrel’s gift-of-gab is just rhetoric and metaphors and the fight is on. This eventually leads to asking Candida to choose between them. That was not a good idea and Candida’s response is a high light of the evening. 

Christopher Vettel and Tim Homsley have fine tenor voices and handle the intricate lyrics adroitly but director Halberstam may have erred  with Homsley who seem much too harsh thus detracting from what should be a clear dichotomy between the combatants.

Jarrod Zimmerman and Liz Baltes are a joy to observe with their playful banter to match their excellent singing voices.  It is the beautiful charming dulcet voice of Sharon Rietkerk who steals the show as she makes her entrances in magnificent Victorian dress (Costumes by Brandin Baron).  Added to all this is a magnificent set (Collette Pollard) and lighting (David Lee Cuthbert) that adds luster to SJ Rep’s consistent production values.

With only five characters and the need only for a musical quartet, this show will surely be produced in a plethora of smaller venues around the U.S. You should really see it in this present extravagant production thus to be able to compare when the smaller venues mount the show, and they will.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/

Belinda (l, Carrie Paff*) and Cody (r, Aldo Billingslea*) bicker during their barbecue picnic as an old high school friend (c, Gabriel Marin*) looks on in the Bay Area Premiere of This is How It Goes

This Is How It Goes: Drama. By Neil LaBute. Directed by Tom Ross. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822 or www.auroratheatre.org.

THIS IS HOW IT GOES plays at the Aurora Theatre in Berkeley now through July 28 (added performances: Tuesday, July 23, 7pm, Thursday, July 25, 8pm, Friday, July 26, 8pm, Saturday, July 27, 8pm, Sunday, July 28, 2pm).

THIS IS HOW IT GOES is a racist infused 95 minutes of shocking theatre.

If you are familiar with playwright/screen writer Neil LaBute and have seen his other  plays you know that the closing show for Aurora’s 21st season This is How It Goes could be a shocker. It is but the  saving grace is that this dark, edgy  and comic Bay Area Premiere is directed by Artistic Director Tom Ross and features Aldo Billingslea, Gabriel Marin, and Carrie Paff. These three superb actors under Ross’s thoughtful directional almost make this racist infused 95 minute play palatable.

Using the race card is not limited to the white population, the reverse is prevalent and LaBute’s play does not pick sides. Black Cody (Aldo Billingslea) is married to white Belinda (Carrie Paff ) a former high school cheerleader.  Cody is one of the few black faces in a small unnamed Midwestern town. He has built a very successful business and because he is not fully accepted in the town, he is a poseur who adopts an affected style and intimidating demeanor. Having been an Olympic quality star track athlete he maintains a rigid exercise routine keeping his taut physique. The mixed race couple have been married for a few years and have children who are never seen in the play but become significant cogs in the storyline. Trouble is brewing in the marriage.

The storyline begins with a white narrator, listed as Man (Gabriel Marin) in the program. He honestly tells the audience that the action/facts he relates may or may not true . . . “this is how it goes.” That line is oft repeated as Man breaks the fourth dimension and moves back and forth to the story. He may or may not be a playwright explaining why the back wall of the three sided stage is covered with typed script pages. There are only a few props that are swiftly moved on and off the stage allowing the action to flow while a plethora of twists and turns unfold.

Schoolmate Man has mysteriously returned after being away for 12 years and rents an apartment above the couple’s garage. Is his presence in the town accidental or is it to revive the spark he has for Belinda? He does not tell us because ‘this is how it goes’. As conflict builds, LaBute in his trademark manner introduces ugly dialog and action that will make you uncomfortable.

Billinsglea’s powerful acting conveys menace when menace is needed and in the few scenes where tenderness is required his shift in personality is believable. Diminutive Carrie Paff is a joy to watch as she moves Belinda from subservient wife to strong challenger to a bullying husband. Gabriel Marin’s professionalism makes him a perfect choice for ensemble acting. He is the master of milking humor from what appears to be a throw-away line yet slips into a dramatic posture when physically and orally challenged.

It is not a play that will engender love for your fellow man but it certainly will stimulate conversation.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Kedar Adour

forallevents.com/reviews/