Skip to main content
Aug 15 2015
Love0

Coward’s songs featured in Stanford show

By Judy Richter

Noël Coward was a man of many talents. Besides writing witty plays like “Private Lives” and “Blithe Spirit,” he was a prolific songwriter.

“Cowardy Custard,” presented by Stanford Repertory Theater, provides a tasty sampling of those songs, performed by four engaging young singers.

In this show devised by Alan Strachan, Gerald Frow and Wendy Toye, the 20 songs are narrative or satirical.  Directed by Brendon Martin, it starts on a snappy note with the foursome marching in singing “Has Anybody Seen Our Ship?”

Among the highlights are “Mad Dogs and Englishmen,” sung by student Andre Amarotico and recent graduate Dante Belletti, and “Don’t Put Your Daughter on the Stage, Mrs. Worthington,” sung by student Samantha Rose Williams. She and student Ellen Woods are featured in “Mad About You.”

Belletti returns in “Mad About the Boy” as Amarotico seems indifferent. This song is an apparent reference to Coward’s closeted homosexuality, but this production then steers away from that as the two women join in.

Other highlights are “Someday I’ll Find You,” followed by the concluding “I’ll See You Again,” featuring all four.

Woods is a sweet-voiced soprano, while Williams has a more operatic voice with a wide range. Local audiences may recall her as Eliza Doolittle in Broadway by the Bay’s “My Fair Lady.” Both men sing well, too.

All four are multi-talented, executing choreography by Jamie Yuen-Shore.

They’re accompanied by three fine young musicians: Wyatt Smitherman on violin, Christopher Davis on bass and music director Makulumy Alexander-Hills on piano.

The show is presented in the Nitery Theater in Old Union. It’s an intimate space with four rows of theater seats on a riser plus round tables, mostly for four, dispersed through the rest of the space.

The only drawback is that it isn’t air-conditioned, so it can become quite warm even though SRT provides a bottle of water at each seat.

Running about 75 minutes with no intermission, “Cowardy Custard” is the concluding feature of SRT’s Noël Coward Festival. It featured several events, including a topnotch production of “Hay Fever,” with Amarotico in the cast.

“Cowardy Custard” continues through Aug. 23. For tickets and information, call (650) 725-5838 or visit http://repertorytheater.stanford.edu.

 

Aug 14 2015
Love0

Dragon at Edinburgh International Festival

By Jo Tomalin
above: Dragon – Photo by © Drew Farrell

Review by Jo Tomalin

Dragon
Edinburgh International Festival 2015
Pictured: Scott Miller as Tommy
Vox Motus/National Theatre of Scotland/Tianjin People’s Arts Theatre
Photo credit: Drew Farrell
Fri 14 & Sat 15 Aug 7pm, Sat 15 Aug 2pm, Sun 16 Aug 12noon & 4pm
Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
+44 (0)131 473 2000
eif.co.uk/dragon

Outstanding  

Mesmerizing Dragon!

Visually stunning and beautifully performed by the ensemble of seven actors, Dragon explores themes of telling the truth and staying silent. Vox Motus, National Theatre of Scotland, and Tianjin People’s Art Theatre (China) present Dragon – a spectacular piece of theatre without words for adults, teenagers and children, marking the first co-production between the three companies.

Directors Jamie Harrison and Candice Edmunds, and Designer Jamie Harrison have developed an exceptionally creative production, which received a well-deserved ovation on opening night, August 14, at the Edinburgh International Festival 2015.

Dragon
Photo © Drew Farrell

After losing his mother the character Tommy experiences fear, grief and bullying. Trying to deal with everything unsuccessfully on his own, a friendly dragon becomes his guide to help him. The dragon is a shape shifter – arriving when least expected and looking slightly different each time.

The wonderful ensemble of seven actors (Martin McCormick, Joanne McGuinness, Scott Miller, Amanda Wright, Gavin Jon Wright, Kai Zhang and Yan Tao) play authentic and compelling characters, supported by outstanding physical acting skills – and they manipulate puppets and props with precision. Without any spoken words the actors use their physicality to emote subtly. This is very effective storytelling and what is so special is that the physical acting is very pure –with no mime, exaggeration or pretend speaking – these actors do not need words.

Design for every part of this production is excellent! Harrison’s gorgeous Set Design is like pages in a picture book…dark blue sky, silhouettes of houses, huge stuffed clouds that change from white to dark grey. Tables, beds and doorways glide on by the actors with some genius staging.

Lighting Design by Simon Wilkinson is dramatic and unifies the design of the play perfectly. Music composed by Tim Philips underscores throughout and has a filmic quality that moves the story forward and complements the action. Mark Melville’s Sound design includes clever sound effects matching the action. Puppets designed by Harrison and Guy Bishop are awesome, have remarkable movement and are built with a variety of textured materials. Don’t miss this show – it’s absolutely enchanting.

Tickets and More Information:

Performances: Fri 14 & Sat 15 Aug 7pm, Sat 15 Aug 2pm, Sun 16 Aug 12noon & 4pm
Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh
+44 (0)131 473 2000
eif.co.uk/dragon


Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com  Arts & Travel Reviews

Aug 13 2015
Love0

Hotel Paradiso at the Edinburgh Fringe

By Jo Tomalin
above:  Hotel Paradiso Photo by © Michael Vogel

Hotel Paradiso – Mask Theatre at Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Hotel Paradiso is a mask theatre show set in a modest family run hotel in the Alps – silent and very funny. Four physical actors actors from the established Berlin-based Familie Flöz mask theatre company perform three or four different characters each, so there’s never a dull moment as the staff get on with their work and a stream of guests enter the hotel seeking hospitality.

There are not so many mask shows – or good ones around these days and Hotel Paradiso is a great example, so see it while you can. Their masks cover the actors’ faces completely with exaggerated features and neutral expressions. The neutral faces make it possible for the actors to tilt their head or use their physicality to show different moods such as happy, sad, or secretive – and their reactions to each other without speaking a word. These actors are quick change artists because they change characters, masks and costumes very quickly and return to the stage looking completely different for each character.

Think of it as a day or two in the life of this hotel. The actors take time to establish who is who from the beginning – this timing offers moments that show their personalities to the audience and it’s also good mask theatre technique. They use their entire bodies to show different characters by changing their posture or gestures and by moving their head.

Slapstick features in several scenes and this ensemble is very good at justifying these sequences within their characters – this is not mindless slapstick but it adds to the story and relationships. Several doorways that are well used give a farce-like quality to the story, which moves along swiftly and takes unexpected turns – and surprises – along the way.

This hotel has an old fashioned feel to it, is in need of modernizing, but charming nevertheless. The guests are hilarious and all have their idiosyncrasies, such as the trendy lady, wealthy lady with lots of the luggage and the sweetheart. The receptionist has his own way of doing things and doesn’t mind a bit of flirting. The hotel staff and owners are generally friendly but have secrets, which add depth and dimension to the characters. A large detailed colorful set has its own nooks and crannies, as well as a secret or two, which make it fun. There are also soulful moments, which draw the audience in even more. The 75 minute show is very entertaining and relatable to all ages.

Review originally published in: www.FringeReview.co.uk

More Information:


Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com  Arts & Travel Reviews

Aug 12 2015
Love0

Antigone – Binoche & Van Hove at Edinburgh International Festival

By Jo Tomalin
above: Antigone Patrick O’Kane + Samuel Edward-Cook  Photo credit: Jan Versweyveld

Juliette Binoche as Antigone Photo © Jan Versweyveld
Edinburgh International Festival 2015Sat 8 – Sat 22 Aug 7.30pm (except Mon 10 & Mon 17 Aug); Sat 15 & Sat 22 Aug 2.30pm; Preview Fri 7 Aug 7.30pm
King’s Theatre
eif.co.uk/Antigone
+44 (0)131 473 2000 

Highly Recommended

Ivo van Hove’s Antigone

Ivo van Hove directs Antigone, currently on tour at the 2015 Edinburgh International Festival from 12 to 22 August at the King’s Theatre. Antigone is headlined by the acclaimed actor Juliette Binoche, with an excellent cast.

Antigone’s brother Polyneikes has been killed but Kreon says he was a traitor, therefore, refuses him a proper burial. In this play Antigone makes her case to Kreon to bury her brother.

Sophocles wrote the original version of the play which has been translated for van Hove by Anne Carson. Van Hove has been widely acclaimed for his unusual but stark powerful choices in his recent directing on Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge. Antigone’s set and lighting design by Jan Versweyveld is stark and streamlined in it’s all black set, a wide stage with a raised platform, and a lower area resembling a slick city flat with built in sofa and table. On the back wall there is a huge disk, which changes in significance during the play.

As soon as the play starts there is a deliberateness in the pacing of the spoken text. The language, updated by Carson, is spoken in a restrained and pointed ‘unpresentational’ and unemotional way that takes a bit of getting used to at first. The addition of body microphones on most of the actors means it is possible to speak softly with nuances and still be heard very clearly. This allows the actors, the excellent Patrick O’Kane’s Kreon in particular, to sound like he is thinking about what he is saying as he talks to his fellow characters – and not ‘proclaiming’ or projecting his speeches. His scenes are very effective and there is a combustible tension when he realizes that Antigone washed her brother.

The five-person Chorus is fascinating – each actor in the Chorus doubles up as another character: Obi Abili is also a Guard, Kirsty Bushnell also Ismene, Samuel Edward-Cook is Haimon, Finbar Lynch plays Teiresias and Kathryn Pogson plays Eurydike. These characters stay on stage a lot of the time, and transition effortlessly from the Chorus – hanging out in the living room – to their second character. They each distinguish themselves as both characters, particularly Abili’s matter of fact contemporary take as the Guard, which added humour, planned or not.

Juliette Binoche’s Antigone is fresh, raw, determined and naïve, believing that it is her brother’s right to an honourable burial and she fights for it. Binoche and O’Kane’s scene where Antigone tells Kreon that she did right by her brother is authentic, bringing out  Kreon’s paternal side. Bushnell’s intervention in this family crisis as Ismene, fighting with Kreon for her sister, Antigone’s life is a high point for these actors.

Modern costumes by An d’Huys comprising black or dark textured overcoats, suits and Binoche’s two piece trouser and short sleeved top add to the production’s contemporary feel. Video projections of street scenes and others by Tai Yarden play intermittently throughout the play with chilling images near the end.

This is a new take on Antigone which is very interesting and quite effective. The pacing lets the audience in to listen, reflect and appreciate the language and situation.

Tickets and More Information:


Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com  Arts & Travel Reviews

Aug 11 2015
Love0

Breaking the Code given a taut staging at the Eureka.

By Kedar K. Adour

Pictured left to right: John Fisher as Turing, Val Hendrickson as Knox in Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore; A Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre. Photo by David Wilson

Breaking the Code: Bio-Drama by Hugh Whitemore. Directed by John Fisher. Theatre Rhinoceros, Eureka Theatre, 215 Jackson St., San Francisco, CA 94111 www.therhino.org/buy.htm or 1-800- 838-3006 Return Engagement: Aug. 5 -29, 2015

Breaking the Code given a taut staging at the Eureka. [rating:4]

The genius of Alan Turing became common knowledge with the release of the 2014 movie The Imitation Game that garnered many awards including Academy Award nominations for best picture and best actor for Benedict Cumberbatch. It was based on the biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges that had been previously adapted for the stage as Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitmore in the 1980s with Derek Jacobi playing Turing in London, on Broadway and television.

Since its initial production the play has been revised and the staging by Theatre Rhinoceros at the intimate Eureka theatre is a compact, engrossing two hours and ten minutes including the intermission. Much of that credit is earned by director John Fisher who also plays the lead role as Alan Turing. It is a multi-scene non-linear construction that has a simplistic but derivative set allowing the movement of sparse furniture by the actors in full view of the audience to signify the scene and time shift. Occasionally this is a disadvantage since the time frames of individual scenes are not clearly defined.

 This staging is re-run of Rhino’s critically acclaimed initial 4 week run in March of this year with significant changes in actors thus challenging comparisons of each. John Fisher dominates the play as the insecure, stuttering nail-biting protagonist Alan Turing who challenged the mores of the time while making a significant contribution to ending World War II and the development of the modern day computer. It was his orientation as a homosexual and his truthfulness about his sexual dalliances that eventually were his undoing.

The play introduces the major characters that define and reflect Turing’s personality. These include his clueless mother Sara ( Celia Maurice), his public school intellectual partner and lover Christopher Morcom (Heren Patel), his female working partner and potential wife Pat Green (Gloria McDonald), his understanding co-worker/confidant Dillwyn Knox (Val Hendrickson) and a young hustler Ron Miller (Frank Wang). A detective Mike Ross (Patrick Ross) became the initial nail in Turing’s coffin.

The work that Turing was doing was highly confidential and his actions were minutely scrutinized thus his proclivity for the company of young boys was known but due to the need for his genius were tolerated during the war. After the war while working as a lecturer in what was to become computer science, a robbery at his home led to police intervention by Detective Ross and Turing being honest about his engaging in what at that time was called “gross indecency” was sentenced to either prison or submitting to chemical castration. He sought the later and in 1954 committed suicide.

Fisher’s performance as Turing is a tour de force as he shifts from adulthood to public school student, from insecurity with Pat to defiance of co-worker Dillwyn and then confusion in his love for the young hustler Ron. Patrick Ross gives a touch of empathy to his interrogation of Turing while being perplexed by Turing’s honesty in confessing to his relationship with Ron.  Val Henrickson is a true professional with beautiful underplaying of the elder Dillwyn Knox and Heren Patel’s shift from school boy to Greek rent boy is laudable. Celia Maurice and Gloria McDonald perform admirably in this male dominated milieu.

The major gut wrenching theme is the unvarnished inhumanity of anti-homosexual laws that were in effect as late as the 1960s in Great Britain that lead to an early death of a man whose work saved thousands of lives. In 2009 he posthumously received an official public apology and in 2013 a pardon from Queen Elizabeth.

CAST: Kevin Copps (John Smith); John Fisher (Alan Turing); Val Hendrixson (Dillwyn Knox); Celia Maurice (Sara Turing; Gloria McDonald (Pat Green); Heren Patel (Christopher Morcom/Nikos); Patrick Ross (Mick Ross); Frank Wang (Ron Miller).

Technical credits: Lighting & Scenic Design: Jon Wai-keung Lowe; Costumes:
Lara Rempel; Sound Design: Colin Johnson/Anthony Jue; Photos by David Wilson. Directed by John Fisher.

Recommendation: A should see. (Be advised it is open seating).

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

 

Pictured left to right: John Fisher as Turing, Val Hendrickson as Knox in Breaking the Code by Hugh Whitemore; A Theatre Rhinoceros production at the Eureka Theatre. Photo by David Wilson

Aug 11 2015
Love0

“Don Quixote” – Marin Shakespeare Company

By Joe Cillo

Ron Campbell as Don Quixote

The tale of the Knight of the Woeful Countenance has been transformed from the written word into many forms from plays, to operas, to movies, even television specials.  Written, allegedly, by Miguel de Cervantes from a found Arabic text, “Don Quixote de La Mancha”  is considered the to be the first modern novel.  Playwrights Peter Anderson and Colin Heath certainly had a lot to work with in adapting the novel for its United States premiere at the Marin Shakespeare Company’s 2015 Season.  In a preview talk, Canadian Anderson admitted that the work was difficult and that they had to cut it down to make it meet his and Heath’s vision of how they saw the completed production – as Commedia d’ell Arte theatre.

The playwrights and director Lesley Schisgall Currier couldn’t have cast a more perfect Quixote than movement and solo artist Ron Campbell and, as his co-star, the equally outstanding John R. Lewis as Sancho Panza.  Ron Campbell’s skills as a movement artist are evident in portraying Quixote’s physical fluidity and dance-like actions.  The leads were enhanced by an ensemble of five actors in various supporting roles: Cassidy Brown, Rick Eldridge, Lee Fitzpatrick, Monica  Ho, and Jed Parsario.  Adding to the wonderment of this fantastic production were the twenty five or more half-masks hand-crafted especially for this production by multi-talented, David Poznanter, who is also an actor, circus performer, and acrobat.  He spent a year in Italy learning mask-making from a famous mask-maker, Matteo Destro.

The ensemble: (Not in order) Rick Eldridge, Cassidy Brown, Lee Fitzpatrick, Monica Ho, and Jed Parsario, with Ron Campbell.

Poznanter’s masks enable an actor to change  and embody the character, which is significantly recognized in all the actors.

Quixote, having steeped himself in a library full of books on knights and chivalry, claimed the mantle of a knight, bent on saving damsels in distress, and putting to rights social and political wrongs.  Yes, he was delusional; believing things were what they were not – an inn, a castle; a bucket on a broom handle – his horse, Rosenante.  A barmaid, a princess.

 

Ron Campbell as Don Quixote and John R. Lewis as Sancho Panza

I read Book One of “Don Quixote” and wondered how the playwrights would handle some of his most difficult adventures: the windmills which Quixote insisted were giants; the scene with the chain-gang; the flock of sheep, etc.  But they did so, beautifully; assisted by all whose efforts went into making a truly inventive, memorable production.

Don Quixote plays Friday nights and weekends through  August 30 at  Forest Meadows Amphitheatre on the Domincan University campus in San Rafael.  Go to www.marinshakespeare.org for more information.

 

 

Photos by Steven Underwood

Aug 11 2015
Love0

The Encounter: Complicite / Simon McBurney

By Jo Tomalin
photo above: The Encounter  Edinburgh International Festival 2015  Complicite  Performer: Simon McBurney  Photo credit: Robbie Jack

Review by Jo Tomalin

The Encounter (rehearsals)
Edinburgh International Festival 2015
Complicite  Performer: Simon McBurney
Photo credit: Gianmarco Bresadola

Outstanding

The Encounter is Complicite’s new production with Simon McBurney, inspired by the book Amazon Beaming by Petru Popescu – presenting its world premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival 2015.

Complicite is an award winning physical theatre company that produces fascinating, devised, thought provoking ensemble shows created and directed by McBurney, also an actor who sometimes performs in them. The Encounter (a one person show) is a brilliant idea and performance supported by sound technology wizardry .

As the audience enters Simon McBurney walks around the wide stage which is strewn with plastic water bottles. Several microphone stands, a cardboard box, a desk and chair are also on stage – and a repetitive line pattern covers the huge black wall upstage. He chats to the audience casually saying he is inspired by telling stories to his children – and how stories get inside our heads.

Intense and articulate, wearing a khaki shirt, cap and jeans, McBurney tells us to put our headsets on or we won’t be able to hear the play. However, the Sennheiser headsets we wear and an onstage mask on a stand acting as a sensitive microphone are just the start of the unusual and magical journey. Playing with sounds and accents sitting or moving about the stage, McBurney talks and the sound is extraordinary – as if he is sitting very close and whispering in our left ear and then the right ear. This is clever sound magic!

Rehearsing and developing this piece he worked long hours at home and his young daughter interrupts his work several times. Her presence asking for something to eat and a story, (recorded by chance during his rehearsals) are part of the show when her voice is played as if she’s in the next room. It’s authentic and human.

McBurney interacts with the masked head – a binaural conduit for the stunning sound quality – yet it becomes its own character. In a space of his own creation, McBurney swigs water, makes sound effects with it such as waves or rain – his voice is now in our heads and he wants to”‘pull the story out of our subconscious.” In fact we are being taken on a journey into the Amazon deeper than we expect to go as McBurney narrates then becomes characters within the story.

McBurney is his own foley artist and taps various foot pedals to sample sounds that he makes onstage, recording clips effortlessly, repeating them to make a cacophony of voices in our head, sound effects  or rhythmic sounds that he moves to freely. Timing and coordination of these elements are impeccable.

At this point we are in deeper than a radio play and going for the full immersion with McBurney into the jungle to meet the Mayoruna tribe – ‘close your eyes, it’s all like a film in your head’ he says. It’s so true.  His commitment to this story and how he weaves the Mayorunan people and American photographer, Loren McIntyre’s encounter with them is nothing short of masterful!

McBurney’s magnetic characterizations and intense raw emotional dynamism are the force of this extraordinary performance. This is an abstract two hour piece grounded in physical storytelling and narration of a poignant story dramatically told with wry humor. Not to be missed.

More Information and Tickets:

Sat 8, Sun 9, Mon 10, Sun 16, Mon 17, Wed 19, Fri 21, Sat 22 Aug 7.30pm; Fri 14, Sat 15, Thu 20, Sun 23 Aug 2.30pm, Preview Fri 7 Aug 7.30pm

Location: Edinburgh International Conference Centre

+44 (0)131 473 2000

eif.co.uk/encounter


Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com  Arts & Travel Reviews

Aug 11 2015
Love0

Woolley Eyed Turtle 3D

By Jo Tomalin
above: Woolley Eyed Turtle 3D – Photo Permission: Cantankerous Theatre

 Two zany women – Wildly dynamic physical storytelling!

Review by Jo Tomalin

Maeve Bell (l) Emily Johnson (r)

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015
Highly Recommended

These two zany women perform a creatively devised show full of characters set in a community care home in Ireland. You will meet Liam and Noreen, Grace and others as the exuberant Maeve Bell and Emily Johnson take you on this journey. It’s comedic and fun, for sure, but also witty and heartfelt.

The Saint Mary Magdelene Mother of Hope Care Home’s motto is “What fills your day, prolongs your stay” so we first learn about the activities that will keep everyone not cantankerous. As the carers go about their work they discover the patrons’ life stories and take on the characters themselves, which is very entertaining – it is then that we are invited to put on our 3D glasses.

Although Bell and Johnson are nowhere near the ages of the characters they portray, they do a great job switching between several characters. Wearing dark green unitards and the same short black hair style, they become male and female characters of all ages moving easily between various accents. This is quite a feat because they don’t even add costumes – there’s no time – but their strength is in the physical aspects of telling the story, so they simply adjust their posture and facial expressions. Maeve Bell has some particularly exaggerated expressions – sometimes her eyes seem to pop out of her head, while her mouth contorts – it’s hilarious!

There’s music and movement too – Contemporary / Irish dance mash up, which add to the playful absurdist nature of Cantankerous Theatre. Both performers take turns narrating and it’s very effective, even to the back row. They also integrate objects into their storytelling such as the bit with a toy plane, which is fun.

What sets this show apart is how the performers relate to each other – they are Yin and Yang, complementing each other well. There is mischief, charm and warmth in the show coming from how Bell and Johnson interact, really listening and reacting to each other and the audience. They enjoy what they are doing and therefore, this ripples out to the audience. The story, packed full of fascinating intergenerational observations is well developed, and although some moments are probably improvised the structure is solid and they stay on track – women on a mission! Oh, the woolley eyed turtle? Well you’ll have to go and discover that for yourself – it will be worthwhile.

The PBH Free Fringe 2015 is producing a lot of theatre shows this year. Therefore, this show – Woolley Eyed Turtle 3D – is free, no tickets or reservations required!

Free     7:30pm at Cafe Camino (55 minutes), to August 29, 2015 – No Mondays at Venue 65, Little King Street, Edinburgh


Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com  Arts & Travel Reviews

This review originally published in www.FringeReview.co.uk

Aug 10 2015
Love0

Don Quixote: a review by Victor Cordell

By Victor Cordell

A Most Satisfying Quest

Who would want to try a new take on Miguel de Cervantes “Don Quixote” when the “Man from La Mancha” is one of the most successful musicals in theater history?  Playwrights who could craft a script that is a continual source of laughs would if they could find actors who could inhabit the lead parts with the highest professionalism.  Those conditions are fulfilled in Marin Shakespeare’s production of Peter Anderson and Colin Heath’s “Don Quixote”.

The premise of the play is that an old gentleman, Alonso Quijana, becomes so steeped in the literature of chivalry that he fancies himself a knight-errant.  As the self-appointed Don Quixote, The Knight of the Woeful Countenance, he sets out to conquer wrongdoers and to pursue to damsel of his dreams, Dulcinea.  In need of a squire, Quixote drafts the gullible peasant Sancho Panza with the promise of a governorship.  The pair embark on Quixote’s quest, and one misadventure after another ensues.

Ron Campbell as Don Quixote and John R. Lewis as Sancho Panza provide truly masterful depictions that would satisfy audiences on any stage.  Campbell, a master clown, creates a delusional but resolute Quixote that evokes audience empathy.  Miraculously, he maintains a deer-in-the-headlight visage throughout, whether in bluster or in reflection.  Yes, he has beady blue eyes, not large brown eyes, but if you see them, you’ll see it.  Lewis also maintains a wide-eyed countenance, conveying innocence and hope.  He’s a perfect complement to Campbell and pretty well matches his acting chops.

The acting ensemble of Cassidy Brown, Rick Eldridge, Lee Fitzpatrick, Monica Ho, and Jed Pesario perform too many roles to count.  They are the loving support system and the many antagonists along Quixote and Panza’s journey.  All five flip characterizations as fast and adeptly as a magician flips cards.

Sometimes, especially early on, it is hard to tell which ensemble actor is playing a role.  That brings us to the other star of the production, David Poznanter, who designed and hand-crafted over 25 unique commedia dell’arte masks for the actors.  The use of masks is specified by the playwrights.

Each mask creates strong characterization, whether through a bulbous nose or a grimly arched brow.  But actors’ mouths and jawlines are exposed, and the precision contouring of the masks allows full expression of the eyes.  The use of masks largely counters annoyance the audience may have in seeing multiple characters who are so obviously played by the same actor.   Masks further symbolize one of the play’s overarching themes of the thin divide between fantasy and reality.

Yet, in one of the most touching scenes, a duet with Campbell set to guitar music, Fitzpatrick appears without a mask.  But she sustains the fantasy/reality duality in a speechless scene as she artfully transforms herself from a shrouded and hunched old lady to the beautiful Dulcinea and back.

Other production values are unspectacular, but effective.  The central feature of the set is an adobe-like wall having ramps that zig and zag from top down to stage.  It serves well as a trail for Quixote’s prancing, astride his broomstick and oil can steed, Rocinante.  Props are often simple but clever.  Pillows act as sheep, so we are spared the blood letting from Quixote’s belief the sheep are soldiers.  The four windmill sails are in the form of a large cross made of pipe that actors spin like batons – or windmills.

The script of “Don Quixote” is strong overall, but the snappiness of the second act doesn’t quite meet the first.  Also, there may be too many “wink-wink” jokes.  Yet, it is a fine script with warmth and sorrow as well as humor.  Director Lesley Shisgall Currier and her artistic team and actors have taken that script and turned it into a worthy entertainment.

Aug 10 2015
Love0

Twisted Cabaret: Edinburgh Fringe

By Jo Tomalin


Highly Recommended   

Weird, Wonderful Midnight Show at Gilded Balloon!

Cabaret and Variety  (comedy, music)
Frank Olivier gathers the best and weirdest variety artists from around the globe. A clumsy juggler, a pervy magician, and a narcissistic mime, along with ballerinas, sword swallowers and more. On the night of the big show all the artists get stopped at the border. Aided only by his hunchbacked assistant, and the shadow of a woman, Olivier must do the show of his life; playing all the roles to save the cabaret. The funniest show at the fringe and the most bizarre as well. ‘The grace of a stoned rhinoceros’ (Boston Herald). ‘Wickedly funny’ (New York Times).

Review by Jo Tomalin

Frank Olivier is the ultimate show man and in Twisted Cabaret he will do pretty much anything – and everything he can do to entertain you – juggle, sword swallowing, magic, unicycling, risky stuff with fire, risqué comedy…

His fascinating, strange assistant and manager, played by Paul Nathan, has a delicious Rocky Horror Show attitude, but is helpful nonetheless. Together they make a great team. Their contrasting personalities work well together and add to the drama and comedy. Yes, there’s lots of physical comedy, often from the situations Frank gets himself (and others) in to and out of – plus  music, and maybe a song if you’re lucky. Both performers are highly skilled and perform in the USA as well as world-wide.

So if you are up for a riotous end to your day at the Fringe, go to the Twisted Cabaret at the amazing Gilded Balloon venue, right in the centre of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015.


More Information:

Tickets + Show Info for Edinburgh Fringe 2015 
Twisted Cabaret Website

  • Gilded Balloon (Venue 14)
  • Performance Time: 23:59
  • Dates: Aug 13-16, 19-23, 25-30
  • Length: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Company from United States
  • Location: Gilded Balloon, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2015
  • Venue map


Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
More Reviews by Jo Tomalin
TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com  Arts & Travel Reviews