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May 22 2015
Love0

The Empty Nesters rings true at the Thick House

By Kedar K. Adour

The Empty Nesters begins at Skywalk of the Grand Canyon

THE EMPTY NESTERS: Comedy/Drama by Garret Jon Groenveld and directed by Amy Glazer. Empty Nester Productions in association with PlayGround and Virago Theatre Company. Thick House Theatre, 1695 18th St., San Francisco, CA  (415) 401-8081 May 18 –June 14, 2025.   WORLD PREMIERE

The Empty Nesters rings true at the Thick House  [RATING:4]

During the initial scene of Garret Jon Groenveld’s tightly written two hander ordinary conversation between a husband and wife standing in line to the cantilevered Grand Canyon Skywalk brings laughter to the audience.  Then with the off-handed remark to husband Greg (John Walker) by the wife Frances (Pamela Gaye Walker), “I’m thinking of leaving you”, the course is set for the remainder of this 75 minute without intermission play that will surely be produced by community theatres across the country. The subject matter is universal and has often been depicted on the stage, in movies and on TV: What takes place when an apparently successful marriage is challenged after the children have departed and the couple is living in an “empty nest.”

Groenveld does not offer any new insights into causes of interpersonal problems that confront married couples but with his mastery of dialog and play construction he has created a believable microcosm with universal truisms. Within that framework his two characters have distinctive idiosyncrasies that allow the audience to identify with one or both. All the confrontations are civil, although with a touch of animosity that is circumscribed by understanding.

Throughout the evening the seriousness is modified by naturalistic humor found both in what is done as well as being said. The simple writing of postcards leads to a mention of the proverbial Christmas letter that recipients rarely read. The suggestive suggestion by Greg that they “take a nap” is rebuffed by Frances who just wishes to nap.

The Walkers are a real life married couple with extensive theatrical experience who bring the characters to life under Amy Glazer’s tight direction

As the male/female differences are elucidated the obvious love and dependence between the two still lingers and Groenveld has written a scene with minimal dialog that fortifies their bond giving a hopeful ending to the evening. Recommended as “a should see production.”

CAST: Frances (Pamela Gaye Walker); Greg (John Walker).

ARTISTIC CAST: Lighting Designer, Colin Johnson; Sound Designer, Josh Senick; Costume Designer, Jocelyn Leiser Herndon; Production Manager, Eli Marrs; Properties Artisan, Amy Crumpacker; Production Assistant, Marcus Marotto; Stage Manager, Gary Quinn.

 Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of  www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

 

 

May 21 2015
Love1

Lear’s Shadow at the Marsh: More than a shadow, held over until June 27

By David Hirzel

If you’re familiar with Shakespeare’s great tragedy King Lear—betrayal and heartbreak within family, betrayal and rebellion without—then you might recall the role of his jester, his Fool, his confidante, his source of wisdom to ignore.

Still nameless, the fool is now unemployed, and applying for work in his trade. This small conceit allows for an ever-blooming expansion of his place in Lear’s life. From that particular intimacy springs the fool’s taking on the roles, one by one, of the principals of Shakespeare’s original play: the daughters Goneril, Reagan, and Cordelia, and most powerfully that of the old king himself.

In a stunning solo performance Geoff Hoyle slips effortlessly from one to the other, veering away into powerful tangents of his and David Ford’s own making, keeping to one rule:  “when Lear speaks, his lines are from Shakespeare’s play.”    Stepping back, Hoyle becomes the Fool again, commenting on what he’s seen in his forty-seven years of service with the old king, reaching back to his connections with the girls as a stand-in stepmom taking them as children to the beach.

The Fool has his own connections, his own love, his own trust about to be broken, with all of these characters. He is both inside the story, and outside it, a witness, a commentator with no real force but that of observation that only he—and, lucky us, the audience—can see.

Likewise Hoyle is both inside and outside the Fool, feeling his own sense of loss and betrayal—”What about me?”—when the power shifts, and for all his shared history with that dysfunctional family, he’s about to be left behind. There are storms marauding this tortured kingdom, blows against the empire that his strives manfully to close the door against, with only small success.

The play builds slowly from a trivial-seeming introduction, but steadily gains power with each successive scene, relieved by the Fool’s comic appearance to comment and cajole the audience. In one particularly moving scene, Hoyle as the doddering, confused Lear reaches out to one of the audience, takes his hand and spreads it against its own, comparing the fingers and the miracle of humanity. In another, the Fool strikes back literally at the king, and in an intricate bit of staging delivers and receives the blow. It is not just a physical blow. Others lie in wait, tragic in the most moving sense of the word.

Well, you’re just going to have to see it for yourself. The magic of black-box in the hands of a master of the art. It helps to be familiar with the original King Lear, but even those who are not cannot fail to be moved to this Lear’s farewell to Cordelia, the most pure and precious of his daughters.

Written and performed by Geoff Hoyle, in collaboration with David Ford.

NOW EXTENDED! June 4-27, Wednesdays & Thursdays at 8pm | Saturdays at 5pm
Extended dates run Thursdays at 8pm & Saturdays at 5pm only (no Wednesdays)
80 minutes | No Intermission | 12 and up

Box Office: The Marsh

Theater:  The Marsh San Francisco.  1062 Valencia St. SF 94110       415.282.3055

Review by David Hirzel

 

May 18 2015
Love0

Trouble Cometh resembles an updated Twilight Zone TV episode.

By Kedar K. Adour

Joe (Kyle Cameron) and his boss, Dennis (Patrick Russell), struggle to come up with a bold new reality TV show against a deadline.

Trouble Cometh: Comedy/Drama by Richard Dresser. Directed by May Adrales. San Francisco Playhouse, 490 Post Street (2nd Floor of Kensington Park Hotel, San Francisco.  (415) 677-9596. www.sfplayhouse.org. May 12 – June 27, 2015  World Premiere.

Trouble Cometh resembles an updated Twilight Zone TV episode. [rating:4]

Writing a review of a play that has a completely unexpected surprise ending is a real challenge. It is unfair to discuss the story and give away that ending but it is the plot, though unoriginal, that makes the play, a continuation of San Francisco Playhouse’s 12th season, a qualified winner.  It is a world premiere of Richard Dresser’s Trouble Cometh that has had a four year journey to full production and still needs a bit more work.

The cast is superb, May Adrales’ direction is admirable and Nina Ball’s set is simplistically stunning. Consider two highly motivated TV writers who must meet an almost impossible deadline to produce a new reality TV show working in a sterile all white windowless environment. For scenes outside the office Nina Ball’s set only requires a color change of the back wall and clever shift of the conference table.  Joe (Kyle Cameron) is a relatively new hire is brainstorming with his boss Dennis (Patrick Russell) to meet that deadline. Their girl Friday, named Kelly (Liz Sklar), is an integral part of the development process.  From the standpoint of credibility their suggestions are highly improbable and at the same time macabrely humorous.

Kyle Cameron gives depth to Joe’s insecurity that gradually over the dozen or more scenes morphs into semblance self-reliance. Patrick Russell exudes dominating authority and is perfect foil for intricacies of the professional and interpersonal relationships of the trio. Liz Sklar is a joy to watch as she manipulates Joe and matches Dennis for prerogative asserting herself as a true member of the team. Her forays into sexually explicit activity are fully believable.

Then there is Susan (Marissa Keltie) who is sort of engaged to Joe although there are questions about the authenticity of the marriage proposal.  Their plans for the wedding are improbably incomplete and add a touch of humor to the evening.  Keltie’s description of Susan’s out-of-body experience after being hit by a taxi cab adds a further touch of existentialism that is a strong thread in the play. Truth, lies and fantasy are rampant.

The play seems to be written for TV with a 75 minute running time leaving 15 minutes for commercials in a one hour show. Be advised that the next line is a spoiler;

Think The Twilight Zone meets the Jim Carey movie The Truman Show.

 CAST: Kyle Cameron, Joe ; Marissa Keltie,  Susan; Patrick Russell,  Dennis; Nandita Shenoy,  Vashti; Liz Sklar,  Kelly.

CREATIVE-TEAM: Director, May Adrales;  Set Design, Nina Ball;  Casting/Artistic Associate, Lauren English;  Costume Designer, Tatjana Genser;  Sound Design, Theodore J.H. Hulsker;  Production Manager, Maggie Koch; Stage Manager, Courteney Lynn Legget;  Lighting Designer, Seth Reiser; Props Artisan, Jacquelyn Scott; Technical Theatre Manager, Zach Sigman

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Joe (Kyle Cameron) and his boss, Dennis (Patrick Russell), struggle to come up with a bold new reality TV show against a deadline.

The team pitches their idea to management. (L-R: Joe [Kyle Cameron] , Susan [Marissa Keltie], Vashti [Nandita Shenoy], Dennis [Patrick Russell], Kelly [Liz Sklar])

May 17 2015
Love0

Berkeley Rep farce makes critic ‘grin, smile, chortle and laugh’

By Woody Weingarten

[Woody’s [rating: 5]

Rubber-bodied Dan Donohue stars as Francis Henshall in “One Man, Two Guvnors.” Photo, courtesy mellopix.com.

Ron Campbell (left), Dan Donohue (center) and Danny Scheie are among the biggest laugh-getters in “One Man, Two Guvnors.” Photo, courtesy mellopix.com.

Brad Culver as wannabe actor Alan Dangle (center) is flanked by Sarah Moser as his fiancée and John-David Keller as his father in “One Man, Two Guvnors.” Photo, courtesy mellopix.com.

The new Berkeley Rep farce, “One Man, Two Guvnors,” stirs the most good feelings — by far — of any feel-good show this season.

Despite the play being a throwback to English music hall shtick (with vaudevillian antics, burlesque sight gags, a little male crotch-grabbing, the breaking of the Fourth Wall, an avalanche of alliteration, a spot of audience participation, and skiffle band/faux Fab Four music tossed in just for the fun of it).

All wrapped in a whopping, fluffy cornball.

But the entire theatrical patchwork quilt — and 15-member acting ensemble — made me grin, smile, chortle and laugh — from beginning to end.

Quite a feat considering the first act’s 90 minutes long, the second another hour.

Don Donohue recently played a somewhat serious character, Richard III, in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, and has played the villainous Scar in “The Lion King” on Broadway.

Here, as Francis Henshall, he’s what I’ll describe as a farce of nature.

He’s as skilled, exquisitely timed and rubber-bodied a clown as Pickle Family grads Bill Irwin or Geoff Hoyle, which is high praise indeed.

So easily muddled he can convince himself he’s his own alter ego, Francis fights with himself — verbally and physically. And he turns the moving of a trunk, and serving a feast while he’s starving, into pantomine works of art.

Donohue’s magnificently supported by, in particular, Ron Campbell as Alfie, a fright-wigged, off-balance geezer with a penchant for falling down stairs; Brad Culver as Alan Dangle, wannabe lover and wannabe actor always prepared to ham up his imagined lines; and Danny Scheie as Gareth, screechy-voiced food-server and scene-stealer.

Scheie, not incidentally, delivers the funniest pre-show cell-phone/exit instructions I’ve heard in eons.

The zany, simplistic plot?

The protagonist is hired separately but simultaneously by two men — Roscoe Crabbe, a dead gay mobster now being impersonated by his twin sister, Rachel, and Stanley Stubbers, a snooty criminal who’s her lover, her brother’s killer and a guy prone to such inane comments as, “I felt like a floral clock in the middle of winter.”

Francis’ main job is to flit between the two without either learning about the other.

Sounds like a farce to me.

Relying heavily on suspending belief about mistaken identities.

Since it is a farce, I’d expected dozens of slamming doors. Director David Ivers, a San Rafael, native, didn’t disappoint me.

But he manages to inject virtually everything he thought might add manifold touches of silliness — including oodles of slapstick and other visual hocus-pocus, non sequiturs, pure babble and off-center lines (such one from Rachel, who’s terrified of moving to Australia because she’d have to face “a terrible — outdoorsy — life”).

The play, written by Richard Bean, is set in 1963 Brighton. But it’s really an update of “The Servant of Two Masters,” a 1743 Italian Commedia dell’arte  style work by Carol Goldoni.

Almost 300 years old and still hilarious.

Not too long in the tooth after all.

The current South Coast Repertory co-production — which trails the show’s Broadway opening by only four years — features a quartet of lively musicians — two guitarists, a bass and a washboard player — who perform original Grant Olding tunes under the rubric “The Craze.”

Yes, it’s all unabashedly British — but there are definite overlays of rockabilly and Beatles and an estrogen trio oozing glitz.

“One Man, Two Guvnors” ends up being unadulterated joy, and doesn’t miss a comedic trick.

Well, that’s not quite true: I saw no pie in the face.

“One Man, Two Guvnors” plays at the Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley, through June 21. Night performances, 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays, 8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through Saturdays. Matinees, 2 p.m. Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Tickets: $14.50 to $89, subject to change. Information: (510) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org

Contact Woody Weingarten at voodee@sbcglobal.net or http://vitalitypress.com

May 17 2015
Love0

Non-linear play in Marin County is whimsical, tough, oddly subtle

By Woody Weingarten

[Woody’s [rating: 3.5]

Livia Demarchi (right) plays Matilde, a would-be Brazilian comedian working as a maid, and Tamar Cohn is Virginia, a neurotic housewife looking for something to do with herself in “The Clean House.” Photo by Gregg Le Blanc.

Clearly not seeing eye to eye in “The Clean House” are Sumi Narendran (foreground, left) and Sylvia Burboeck — while (background, from left) Steve Price, Livia Demarchi and Tamar Cohn look on. Photo by Gregg Le Blanc.

Sarah Ruhl tells anyone who’ll listen she hates that her plays and characters have been labeled quirky and whimsical.

She and her distorted creations are just that, of course.

Need proof? Check out the Ross Valley Players production, “The Clean House.” It’s filled with quirkiness and whimsy.

I’d actually gone there in search of those attributes.

But what I didn’t anticipate was for them to be intertwined so intricately with poignancy.

“The Clean House” is about many matters: falling in love, a search for the perfect joke, cleanliness and clutter, sibling rivalry, friendship and forgiveness, mourning, living life to the fullest.

But Act I evolves at such a slow pace, despite fitful turns, and is so surreal, so Dali-esque, I kept looking for clocks or Apple wristwatches that were melting.

I found none.

I did, however, locate an ingenious multi-leveled set, designed by David Shirk, that allowed me to easily follow characters from room to room, from New England to Alaska, from past to present, from reality to imagination.

It included a screen that projected pithy storyline and relationship summaries, translations of foreign phrases, and shots of falling snow, tossed apples and swimming fish.

True plot points.

But Ruhl, MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” winner, actually consigned her creations to “Metaphysical Connecticut,” whatever that means.

“The Clean House” is the play that put the then-31-year-old on the theatrical map in 2005, when it was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize a year after first being produced.

Ultimately, it centers on a main character being overtaken by breast cancer.

My wife, who’s been free of that affliction for 20 years, found its climactic scenes tough to watch — despite a nuanced, uplifting performance by Sumi Narendran as Ana.

So did I.

But neither of us ditched the show. Nor did anyone else. The drama part of the comedy-drama had become compelling.

Ruhl previously dealt with cancer in her work. Her father had died of it in 1994, and she purportedly wrote “Eurydice,” a 2003 play, to “have a few more conversations with him.”

“The Clean House” is adroitly directed by JoAnne Winter, co-founder of San Francisco’s Word for Word.

She notes in the playbill that “everyone is a mess, broken, needy, and frightened, even the people who seem to have it all together. We may not ever fully understand the jokes life plays on us [so] it is a joy to be reminded…to embrace the messiness of life.”

Though “The Clean House” at first seems to be about disorder, it is, in fact, about putting your house in order.

Its plotline isn’t quite linear, but the evolution of its characters is.

A Brazilian maid, Matilde, who finds feather-dusters, vacuums and other cleaning materials abhorrent, lazes around the home of her employer, Lane (an uptight doctor married to a breast surgeon).

Lane’s sister, Virginia, is a compulsive-obsessive housewife seeking something to do with her life, so she offers to assume Matilde’s cleaning responsibilities and free her to work out “the perfect joke” in Portuguese.

Livia Demarchi makes Matilde believable in spite of the character’s being grounded somewhere in mid-air.

Tamar Cohn appropriately portrays Virginia as ditzy, childlike (innocent and primal) and desperately hungering to be helpful.

And Sylvia Burboeck effortlessly converts Lane into the kind of arrogant, stressed-out doc we all know (“I didn’t go to medical school to clean my own house”).

The sole male in the equation, Lane’s husband Charles, abandons Lane after being smitten by Ana, a patient.

But that ends up nowhere near as unloving as it portends.

Not incidentally, Steve Price runs a beguiling gamut as Charles — from abominable snowman-like seeker of a Yew tree and operatic/choreographic physician to compassionate human being hurt by not being able to heal.

I’m sure I wasn’t meant to immediately get some ruminations within the play.

Or ever.

Some enlightenment might have been expected to arrive hours — or days later. After all, Ruhl originally wanted to be a poet, and much poetry is initially unfathomable or mysterious, right?

Like an elongated Portuguese joke never translated.

I surely wasn’t sure what I thought of the whole eccentric, moving enchilada while watching it, nor instantly after exiting. Yet the next morning I recognized it had a deliciously subtle, flavorful aftertaste.

One that absolutely left me looking forward to the Bay Area’s next show by Ruhl.

“The Clean House” plays at The Barn Theatre, Marin Art & Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, through June 14. Performances: Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Thursdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees, 2 p.m. Tickets: $14 to $29. Information: (415) 456-9555 or www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

Contact Woody Weingarten at http://vitalitypress.com or voodee@sbcglobal.net

May 17 2015
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Berkeley Rep has fun with ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’

By Judy Richter

The zany “One Man, Two Guvnors” at Berkeley Repertory Theatre traces its roots back to commedia dell’arte in the 18th century with its stock character and often improbable situations.

Richard Bean based “One Man, Two Guvnors” on one of the best known works of that time, 1743’s “The Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni.

In Berkeley Rep’s production, co-produced with South Coast Repertory, the “one man” is Dan Donohue, familiar to fans of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival since 1994. His roles have ranged from the dramatic, like Hamlet and Richard III, to the comedic, especially the unflappable steward in Tom Stoppard’s “Rough Crossing” in 1997.

This time he plays the impecunious Francis Henshall, who finds himself working for two “guvnors” in Brighton, England, in 1963.

He believes one to be Roscoe, who’s actually the murdered gangster twin brother of Rachel (Helen Sadler). She has assumed her brother’s identity to protect his killer, Stanley (William Connell), her boyfriend.

Unbeknownst to her,Stanleyis Francis’s other guvnor. Moreover, Francis doesn’t want anyone to know he’s serving them both. Other plot details are convoluted, but all turns out well.

Donohue first displays his unrivaled comedic skills in trying to move Stanley’s large trunk. Another comic highlight comes later in the first act when the starving Francis is supposed to serve meals to his two masters, each in a different room in a pub. His ways of helping himself to the food are hilarious.

However, this scene could be trimmed as Donohue tends to get carried away in some respects. Both scenes have some audience involvement.

Still, this pub scene also involves some comic pratfalls by Ron Campbell as Alfie, a tottering waiter in his 80s. Alfie is overseen by Danny Scheie as Gareth, the pretentious head waiter.

Everyone in this cast directed by David Ivers contributes to the fun in some way. They include Sarah Moser as the proverbial dumb blonde, Pauline; Brad Culver as her volatile boyfriend, Alan; Robert Sicular as Charlie Clench, her father; and Claire Warden as Dolly, his bookkeeper.

Entertaining the audience before the show and during scene changes is a four-member skiffle band playing songs by Grant Olding, with musical direction by Gregg Coffin. Musical staging is by dance captain Gerry McIntyre, who also plays Lloyd Boateng, a Clench family friend.

The whimsical sets are by Hugh Landwehr with ’60s costumes by Meg Neville, lighting by Alexander V. Nichols and sound by Lindsay Jones.

Despite some comic scenes that go on too long — the show runs more than two and a half hours with one intermission — the overall production is a lighthearted romp made especially delightful by Donohue.

“One Man, Two Guvnors” will continue in Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley, through June 21. For tickets and information, call (510) 647-2949 or visit www.berkeleyrep.org.

May 17 2015
Love0

One Man, Two Guvnors a smash hit at Berkeley Rep

By Kedar K. Adour

One Man, Two Guvnors: Farce written by Richard Bean and based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni, with songs by Grant Olding and directed by David Ivers.  Berkeley Repertory  Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 647-2949. www.berkeleyrep.org.

May 15 – June 21, 2015.

One Man, Two Guvnors a smash hit at Berkeley Rep [rating:5]

Berkeley Rep in a co-production with South Coast Repertory Theatre closes out their 2014-2015 season with an unqualified hit of Richard Bean’s adaptation of Carlo Goldini’s 17th century masterful farce The Servant of Two Masters. Every creative aspect of what makes theatre great is on display starting with the four piece skiffle band, named The Craze that entertains the audience before the many shenanigans begin, for scene changes.

That marvelous skiffle band includes Casey Hurt (guitar and vocals and band leader), Andrew Niven (drummer), Marcus Högsta (bassist), and Mike McGraw (guitarist) who remain on stage for the entire performance and occasionally mingle with the cast who step out of their assigned roles to do a solo turn in front of the proscenium arch curtain decorated with red, white and blue British flags (scenic design Hugh Landwehr). The original songs created by the talented Grant Olding are flawlessly integrated into the evening by musical director Gregg Coffin and staged by Gerry McIntyre who also takes his turn as one of the actors.

Every one of those actors earn accolades along with the star of the show Dan Donohue whose mobile body, expressive face and perfect comedic timing are hilarious and a joy to watch. It is certain that parts of those routines are aided by the fantastic direction of David Ivers keeping the nonstop action in sync with the hysterical entrance and exits needed for farce with the obligatory slamming of doors and pratfalls.

Author Bean has updated the farcical plot to 1960s Brighton Beach starting with the engagement party for Alan (Brad Culver) and Pauline (Sarah Mosher), the children of two gangster families. Disruption begins when the always hungry Francis Henshall (Dan Donohue), the “one man” of the title, enters as the servant of his guvnor Roscoe.  Roscoe actually is Rachel (Helen Sadler), the twin sister in disguise. Along comes Rachael’s lover, the handsome self-absorbed Stanley (William Connell) who has killed Roscoe (don’t ask why). Stanley becomes the second guvnor with Francis as his servant. The title is now complete, so let the fun begin.

It begins with a side-splitting routine of Donohue attempting to move a trunk and he ventures into the audience bringing two men up on the stage to aid him. This is the first venture of audience participation so be warned not to sit in the front rows. Not only is there audience participation, the characters often break the fourth wall addressing and often going in the audience.  You will have to attend to show to learn the rest of the story that follows Goldini’s original plot that fits in with Bean’s brilliant re-imagination.

Each of the major characters has their turn in the spotlight with an added attraction of the Ron
Campbell playing Alfie the hard of hearing waiter with a pacemaker and a wild head of hair. He has been assigned the requisite pratfalls but be assured with his professionalism no bones are broken.

The running time of two hours and 30 minutes with an intermission races by proving Alfred Lord Whitehead’s definition of relative time. Highly recommended.

CAST: Ron Campbell (Alfie); William Connell (Stanley Stubbers); Brad Culver (Alan); Dan Donohue (Francis Henshall); John-David Keller (Harry Dangle); Becca Lustgarten (Ensemble); Gerry McIntyre (Lloyd Boateng); Sarah Moser (PaulineClench); Todd Pivetti (Ensemble); Daniel Redmond (Ensemble); Helen Sadler (Rachel/Roscoe); Danny Scheie (Gareth); Steven Shear (Ensemble); Robert Sicular (Charlie Clench); and Claire Warden (Dolly).

CREATIVE TEAM: Hugh Landwehr (scenic designer); Meg Neville (costume designer); Alexander V. Nichols (lighting designer); Lindsay Jones (sound designer); and Gregg Coffin (music director).  Onstage band: Casey Hurt (guitar and vocals and band leader), Andrew Niven (drummer),  Marcus Högsta (bassist), and Mike McGraw (guitarist).

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

At Berkeley Rep, Dan Donohue stars as Francis Henshall, a failed skiffle player who finds himself juggling two masters, in Richard Bean’s One Man, Two Guvnors, a delicious mash-up of splendid comedy, British pantomime, and music-hall revues. Photo courtesy of mellopix.com

May 17 2015
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Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco: Eight Plays in 24 Hours–try it, you’ll LOVE it!

By David Hirzel, Uncategorized

“Time is just nature’s way of keeping everything from happening all at once.”

In case of the talents producing the 24 Hour Play Festival at the Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco, who needs time anyway? Twenty-four hours is such a small slice of it, here-and-gone before you know it.

Picture this: a little over twenty-four hours ago, starting at precisely 8:00 p.m. Friday night, the names of eight of the Center’s gang of playwrights were drawn out of a hat. Literally, out of a silk topper. Those eight were assigned a theme, unknown to any of them before that moment: “The Devil Made Me Do It!” Now each of the playwrights pulls the name of a director from that hat. Now each director draws the names of actors from. . . .

Deadline for script delivery: 6:00 a.m. Saturday morning.

No matter if the genders, ages, or other physical attributes of the actors drawn matched the requirements of the scripts. The assignments are whatever they are, and the challenge is for everyone involved to pull it off. Rehearsals begin about 9:00 a.m. Saturday. Curtain is 8:00 p.m. Saturday night, the Tides Theater in SF, one of four in the Shelton Theater building on Sutter St.

The Tides is a black box, so what curtains there are conceal the narrow space backstage. Lights. Showtime!

Now, you might think, “How can any of this be any good, given the ridiculously brief 24 hour between assignment of playwrights and the theme they are to write to?” Do not underestimate the power of theater. Although some of the participants must have day jobs, the level of professionalism on display here is truly astounding.

Eight plays making one hell-of-a-festival, each of them so memorable in its own write that it is a disservice to everyone involved to name even so much as a favorite. Here follows a bullet-point list of names. Everyone deserves a standing ovation.

  • “Are We There Yet?” by Lorraine Midanik, directed by Paula Barrish. Actors: Emily Marie Grant and Jason Thompson.
  • “The Loss Temple” by Sara Judge, directed by Charley Lerrigo. Actors: Chris Nguyen, Karly Schackne, Stephanie Whigham, Preeti Mann.
  • “The Lab” by Gaetana Caldwell Smith (my friend who introduced me to this marvelous evening of one-act plays), directed by Sinouhui Hinojosa. Actors: Miyoko Sakatani, Jerren V. Jones, Edith Reiner.
  • “Audition from Hell” by Mary Blackfore, directed by Tatiana Gelfland. Actors: John Ferreiro, Genevieve Purdue, Richard S. Sargent, Lee-Ron.

[Intermission]

  • “The Latest Small Triumph of Levia Stand: by Vonn Scott Bair, directed by Ted Zoldan. Actors: Merri Gordon, Lisa Klein, Chris Maltby.
  • “Brothers in Arms” by Jeffrey Blaze, directed by Kris Neely. Actors: J. D. Scalzo, Alesander Delgadillo.
  • “Barbie Pink, Barbie Yellow. . .” by Elizabeth A. Rosenberg, directed by Nathanael Card. Actors: Roberta J. Morris, Sara Leight.
  • “The Dance Card” by Jacqueline E. Luckett, directed by Don Hardwick. Actors Louel Senores, Katrina Kroetch.

The offerings ranged from the farcial through insightful into truly amazing. The genuine laughs were frequent, the surprising turns of events many. If I mention “The Lab” for its black-humored look at the real problems facing coming generations, or “Brothers in Arms” for its subtle reworking of dominance in a family, it is not to diminish the amazing contributions of all the other artists at work in this phenomenal all-in-a-day work of theatrical production.

That day, for this event, has already closed. A capsule review such as this is pointless, unless it calls your attention to the next such 24-hour festival, and brings you down to witness theatrical art at one of its many highest levels.

Website: Playwrights’ Center of San Francisco

Review by David Hirzel: www.davidhirzel.net

May 11 2015
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Fringe of Marin One-Act Play Festival Celebrates 25 Years!

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

Fringe of Marin One-Act Play Festival Celebrates 25 Years!

The Fringe of Marin is one of the oldest Fringe Festivals in the country and the oldest in the San Francisco Bay Area.  The Fringe of Marin is now celebrating its 25th season with some of the most innovative work of San Francisco Bay Area playwrights, directors, and actors.

Established by Dr. Annette Lust in 1985, who was a professor at Dominican University and who continued to run the festival until her death two years ago in late February.  At this time, Gina Pandiani, Dominican alum who graduated in 1985, stepped up to the plate as Managing Director to make sure that the show will continue to go on at the Fringe of Marin.

This review is centered on Program B which consists of four plays and one monologue.  Program B was presented on Saturday, May 2, and Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 10 at 2:00 p.m. at Angelico Hall at Dominican University.  

Program B opened with Chill, written and directed by Nathan Day.  In Chill, a bickering young couple, Suzy (Iris Mallgren) and Bobby (Nick Coelius) are dressed in bathing suits and sitting in beach chairs.  It is supposed to be warm, but they’re freezing to death.  They wrap their beach towels around themselves.  Bobby’s towel is very patriotic – like the American flag.  Chill was well cast with a good contrast in character.  It was well directed with a lot of laughs from the audience.

That light satirical play was followed by Wii, written and directed by Gary Green.  Stacey Anderson plays Sharon, a transgender (who was Liam’s father but is now Liam’s mother).  Nico Canivet, a child actor plays Liam, who was trying to make a difficult adjustment.  Director Gary Green should have moved the important scene on the couch forward toward the audience instead of at the back.  Nico Canivet is wonderful as Liam in a challenging role.

The last play before intermission was Alby and Me, written, directed, and acted by veteran Fringe favorite, Steve North.  Steve North is a real pro, who has performed stand-up comedy at the Marsh in Berkeley.  Steve has a great sense of comic timing, and he had the audience roaring with laughter as an aging actor trying to remember his lines.  He carries a script as a prop.  “Alby,” in the title, comes from the albatross which he drags in at the end from the Rime of the Ancient Mariner.  Steve North has the skill to keep the audience in the palm of his hand.

The second half of Program B opened with Sheroe by Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko and directed by Sydney Painter.  In this play, Jasmine Williams plays Cheryl, who is visited by the ghost of her dead Mother, skillfully played by Paige L. Mayes.  This play was beautifully acted and directed.

The final play of Program B was Safe House written and directed by Fringe Festival veteran Charley Lerrigo.  In Safe House, a hurricane drives the Sheriff John Hurlbut, solidly performed by Bruce Carlton to the safe house of Hattie Peterson, a long-time friend, seductively portrayed by Sanna Cook.  She offers the sheriff something warm to drink and sets about to seduce him.

Program A was performed on Friday, May 1, Saturday, May 2, and Saturday May 9 at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday May 2, at 2:00 p.m., at Angelico Hall.

At the end of the Festival program, Gina Pandiani announced the 2015 Fringe of Marin winners.  All of the winners were from Program B, except for the Best Ensemble, called Pizza Man from Program A.  These are the results:

Best Director: Sidney Painter
Runner-Up: Gary Green

Best Male Performance: Nico Canivet
Runner-Up: Nick Coelius

Best Female Performance: Jasmine Williams and Paige L. Mayes
Runner-Up: Iris Mallgren

Best Ensemble: the cast of Pizza Man

Best Play: Sheroe
Runner-Up: Chill

 

What a wealth of talent I witnessed in Program B, of directors, actors, and playwrights!  

Congratulations to Gina Pandiani for keeping the show going on!

 Flora Lynn Isaacson

May 11 2015
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Missteps hurt Hillbarn’s ‘Curtains’

By Judy Richter

“Curtains,” the musical being presented by Hillbarn Theatre, is by John Kander and Fred Ebb, the team behind the great “Cabaret” and “Chicago.”

It was the last collaboration between composer Kander and lyricist Ebb, who died in 2004 before its completion. Rupert Holmes, who wrote the book based on a concept by the late Peter Stone, stepped in to write the final lyrics in conjunction with Kander.

The show opened on Broadway in 2007 and received eight Tony nominations even though it wasn’t up to the standards of  “Cabaret” and “Chicago.”

Hillbarn’s production has some echoes of the show’s less-than-ideal genesis. At least it did on opening night, when a program insert listed substitutes for two minor characters and a key member of the creative team.

Whether those changes reflect inherent problems or just unforeseen circumstances isn’t known. What is known is that opening night had some troublesome design issues and a sense that more rehearsal time might have helped this show directed by Nancy Fitzgerald-Metzler, who also co-designed the lighting

“Curtains” is a whodunit as well as a tribute to show people. It’s set in 1959 in a Boston theater where a new musical comedy, “Robbin’ Hood of the Old West,” is being staged prior to moving to New York.

“Robbin’ Hood’s” leading lady, Jessica Cranshaw (Deborah Rosengaus), can’t sing, act or dance, but while the cast is taking its bows, she faints and is taken to a hospital. Shortly thereafter, the cast learns that she had died of poisoning.

Police Lt. Frank Cioffi (overly low-key Ross Neuenfeldt) orders everyone to stay in the theater because they’re all possible suspects. During his investigation, he becomes attracted to an actress, Niki Harris (Brandy Collazo). In addition, he soon has two more murders to investigate.

Although he makes his living as a cop, he’s a musical theater buff who begins suggesting ways to improve the show.

A subplot involves the show’s composer, Aaron Fox (Christopher M. Nelson), who’s unhappy that his longtime lyricist and lover, Georgia Hendricks (Katherine Stein), has become involved with one of the actors.

Other key characters are brassy producer Carmen Bernstein (Sasha Motalygo); her performer daughter, Bambi Bernet (Jessica Maxey); and director Christopher Belling (Raymond Mendonca, the cast’s only Equity actor).

Most of the singing is at least adequate, but Motalygo as Carmen, especially in “It’s a Business”; and Stein as Georgia, as in “Thataway!” are the standouts. The latter song, which closes Act 1, is the most evocative of the familiar Kander-Ebb style.

One of the more poignant songs is “I Miss the Music,” sung by Nelson as Aaron. In it the composer sings about missing his collaborations with Georgia, but it’s believed to be Kander’s tribute to Ebb, his late lyricist.

Choreography by Jayne Zaban is highlighted by the terrific “Kansasland” routine with its pas de deux for Charlie Fields as Bobby and the unbelievably agile Maxey as Bambi.

The serviceable set is by Andrew J. Diggins with colorful costumes by Valerie Emmi. Musical direction is by Tony Asaro, but the orchestral accompaniment is recorded.

Sometimes that accompaniment overwhelms the singers in the sound design by Jesse Scarborough, who apparently stepped in for Alan Chang at the last minute.

The most egregious technical glitches on opening night were in the lighting co-designed by Fitzgerald-Metzler and Stephanie Dittbern. It appeared that several cues were missed, leaving some scenes — and the audience — in the dark, especially for the third of the three murders.

Despite the shortcomings, the show has its merits thanks to some fine performances and a plot that keeps people wondering whodunit until nearly the final curtain.

“Curtains” will continue at Hillbarn Theatre, 1285 E. Hillsdale Blvd., Foster City, through May 31. For tickets and information, call (650) 349-6411 or visit www.hillbarntheatre.org.