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Nov 04 2013
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Falstaff — San Francisco Opera Performance Review

By Joe Cillo

Falstaff

San Francisco Opera Performance

November 2, 2013

 

 

Every time I go to the opera I am struck by how conservative it is.  It has to be the most conservative art form in its philosophical and social outlook.  Falstaff exemplifies this beneath a rollicking, lighthearted surface.  It is a fast moving, involved plot line.  It is harder to follow on paper than in the stage realization.  If you just read the synopsis, it seems complicated, because there are so many characters and relationships to keep straight, but when you see it, everything is clear and natural.

The production is excellent.  The cast and orchestra are all of special merit.  The sets were not particularly imaginative or noteworthy, but they were effective and satisfactory.  Falstaff is the weighty center of the story.   His dominating presence carries the performance, very effectively portrayed by Bryn Terfel.  In contrast to The Flying Dutchman, which is a static, repetitious, psychological drama where almost nothing happens, Falstaff is nonstop action with a minimum of theorizing.  But it is not at all clear what the message is, or if there is one.  It seems rather confused and mixed up.

Falstaff is presented as an aging rogue, hopelessly deluded about himself, pursing younger (married) women whom he has no chance of winning.  The women take exception to his misguided interest and spend the whole play making sport of it and taking cruel, sadistic vengeance upon him.  It suggests the mean spirited side of Halloween.  Beneath the playful pretense, there is sharp-edged animosity.  Men are presented as bumbling fools (except for Fenton), Falstaff as delusionally grandiose, Ford as delusionally jealous.  Women are manipulative, conniving, controlling, and cruel, while superficially presenting as virtuous and innocent.  It is very simplistic and simpleminded.

I liked way the sadism and cruelty were emphasized in the third act.  During the scene at Herne’s Oak the fairies and goblins appear in white costumes with pointed hats reminiscent of the Ku Klux Klan and carrying a cross to boot.  They then proceed to pepper Falstaff with all manner of abuse as he is lying helplessly on the ground.  It was rather excessively sadistic, I thought.  I was wondering if they were going to set that cross on fire.  I’m not one to insist on political correctness, but this was a rather odd sight to see in San Francisco:  the Ku Klux Klan torturing a helpless victim underneath a tree with the presumption of moral rectitude on the side of the torturers.  It was another graphic representation of the persecution of male desire that is so rampant in this society.  The whole community gangs up on old Falstaff just because he wants to have an affair with a miserably married woman whose jealous, possessive husband imagines her having affairs behind his back at every opportunity and regards marriage as the bane of his life.  It doesn’t really make sense, because if Falstaff is such a ridiculous figure who is not to be taken seriously, then why is it so necessary to mobilize the entire community to reign down this excessive punishment on him?  Maybe Falstaff is more of a threat than he is given credit for.  It is supposed to be comic and funny, but there really isn’t anything to laugh at.  Maybe my sense of humor has been poisoned by modern life.

In the end all is forgiven and we see the triumph of marriage after its being under withering attack throughout the whole drama.  This is what I mean by conservatism.  Traditional (Catholic Christian) values always seem to triumph in these operas.   Dissenters are vilified and punished and things are left pretty much the way they were at the outset.  If you like things the way they are, and have a generally cynical attitude toward life, you might go for this.

 

 

Nov 03 2013
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FGHT FOR THE FINISH

By Joe Cillo

THE CLEAN PLATE CLUB

Life is uncertain;
Eat dessert first.
Ernestine Ulmer

Peter Svacha was halfway through eating his chocolate pudding, when the restaurant where he was eating told him it was closing time.  He was furious.  He left the place, got a chain saw, sliced a hole in the establishment’s door and crawled back to the table to finish his pudding.

I know exactly how he felt.  I too would obliterate anything that kept me from finishing my dessert.  I blame this determination on my mother.

My mother’s forte was creating yummy desserts.  She had one number that she always served after spaghetti dinner that was amazingly beautiful and absolutely luscious.  She would bake an angel food cake from scratch (my mother would have sooner danced nude on a fire hydrant than use a cake mix).  The finished product was so light she needed to weight it down to stay on the plate.  She whipped up a custard of eggs, milk, vanilla, sugar and pineapple juice and frosted her cake with it.  She decorated the entire production with pineapple slices, maraschino cherries and strawberries and served it with a lots of whipped cream and a flourish.

BUT there was a catch.  My mother never allowed us to touch dessert until we cleaned up everything she put on our dinner plates. Before we could tuck into her pineapple delight, we had to demolish spaghetti with meatballs, broccoli in a cheese sauce, a green salad and garlic bread. We suffered for that cake.  Indeed we suffered. We endured tummy aches, stomach spasms and guilt…but we managed to down it  and when we did, we finished it down to the last bit of pineapple.

My mother’s chocolate cake was the eighth wonder of the world.  It was made with six eggs, a ton of butter and enough chocolate to keep a candy store supplied for ten years. She topped it with a mint chocolate frosting to die for and set it in the middle of the dining room table so we could see what we had to look forward to at the end of the meal.

But first, we had to finish dinner. Remember?   She would serve us a huge slab of steak, potatoes with cheddar cheese, asparagus hollandaise, a tossed salad and wait until we cleaned our plates before we could touch that cake. I still feel the pain of forcing that cake into my packed middle but I know that even if my stomach burst, I would let absolutely nothing interfere with my demolishing that wonderfully melt in your mouth cake.

All I can say, is “go for it Peter Svacha. “ Finish that pudding and never count the cost.  For what is dinner without a sweet finish?? It is nothing more than duty with no reward, a rose with no fragrance, sex without climax. Life is to be lived, of course, but if it is to be savored, we must have dessert.

 

 

Nov 02 2013
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Unforgettable story told in ‘Pianist of Willesden Lane’

By Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

Music is the international language, and it speaks most eloquently in “The Pianist of Willesden Lane,” presented by Berkeley Repertory Theatre.

This 90-minute, one-woman music-drama features concert pianist Mona Golabek as her mother, Lisa Jura, a young Austrian pianist who survived the horrors of World War II, thanks to her musical talent as well as her courage and grit. Jura went on to become a concert pianist and to give piano lessons to her two daughters in theUnited States.

In partnership with Lee Cohen, Golabek told her mother’s remarkable story in a book, “The Children of Willesden Lane.” In turn, it was adapted as a play by Hershey Felder, who also directs. BRT audiences will recall Felder’s recent memorable performance in his own one-man show, “George Gershwin Alone.”

The story begins inViennain 1938 when Lisa learned that her piano teacher could no longer teach the 14-year-old Jewish girl because the Nazis had forbidden such interactions. With the Nazis becoming ever more menacing against Jews, Lisa’s father secured the document necessary to send one of his three daughters to relative safety inEngland in 1940. Lisa was chosen to take part in Kindertransport, an operation that rescued thousands of children, most of them Jewish, and sent them from the Continent to foster families, hostels, group homes or farms throughout England.

Lisa was sent to an estate outside of London, but when she was told that the piano there was only for show, not for making music, she ran away to London. There she wound up in a Willesden Lane hostel that was home to more than two dozen children. She was put to work in a factory sewing military uniforms, but she continued to play piano, enchanting her friends and the staff at the hostel. All the while, she had no idea what had happened to her parents and sisters back inVienna.

The tale goes on to relate how she survived the Blitzkrieg, including a direct hit on the hostel, managed to find another piano teacher and eventually had a chance to audition for a scholarship at London’s Royal Academy of Music. She also got a job playing for soldiers on leave in a swank hotel, where she met her future husband.

As Golabek relates her mother’s story, she intersperses it with virtuoso playing of musical greats like Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin, Bach and others. The unifying work is Grieg’s challenging Piano Concerto in A minor, with the first movement opening the performance, the second movement coming in the middle and the third movement providing the dramatic climax.

Her narrative is illustrated by photos and newsreel clips assembled by Andrew Wilder and Greg Sowizdrzal and projected onto the four gilded picture frames suspended over the set designed by Felder and Trevor Hay. Lighting by Christopher Rynne and sound by Erik Carstensen add to the drama. Golabek’s simple black dress is by Jaclyn Maduff.

Several excellent articles in the program provide relevant information about the events surrounding World War II.

Although Golabek is a musician first and an actress second, her story is so compelling and moving and her performance so brilliant that one is quickly captivated. It’s a truly unforgettable theatrical experience.

“The Pianist of Willesden Lane” will continue through Dec. 8 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. For tickets and information, call (510) 647-2949 or visit www.berkeleyrep.org.

 

Nov 02 2013
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DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER a four door farce at CenterREP

By Kedar K. Adour

DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER: Sexual Farce by Marc Camoletti, adapted by Robin Hawdon and directed by Michael Butler. Center REPertory Company 1601 Civic Drive in downtown Walnut Creek. 925-943-7469, or  www.CenterREP.org. . October 29 – November 23, 2013

DON’T DRESS FOR DINNER a four door farce at CenterREP  [rating:4] (5/5 Stars)

Don’t Dress for Dinner is being pedaled as “brilliant sequel to REP’s hilarious and stylish sold-out hit, Boeing-Boeing.” Unfortunately this reviewer did not see that show or any other production so this review is strictly based on what transpired on the stage on Halloween Night. It is a classic farce with the obligatory minimum of four doors and is directed at breakneck speed with more than sufficient physical shtick to supplement the hilarious misunderstandings that build and build until even the actors may be confused about who is doing what to whom.

Amongst his many other laudable directorial attributes Michael Butler is a master at directing farce. He has taken a mediocre convoluted play, populated it with a superb cast and added directorial conceits to create a laugh filled evening.  The popularity of Don’t Dress For Dinner is attested by the fact that after a two year run in France Camoletti’s play was adapted for the English stage and had a six year run in London. The only connection to Boeing,-Boeing are the male leads Bernard (Liam Vincent) and his best friend Jack (Cassidy Brown).  

The time has shifted from 1960 to 1970 both the miscreants are still up to their nefarious ways. Bernard is married to a hot bodied Italian Gabriella (Nika Ericson) and they live in a converted chic modern French farm house (terrific set by Eric Flatmo) and he has a mistress Suzanne (Brittany Danielle).  In the original play the wife was French named Jacqueline and one can assume that director Butler could pump more energy into the play with a more volatile wife and he does.

Gabriella is about to go visit her mother. While she is away the sneaky Bernard has planned a birthday party for Suzanne. Robert has been invited to the party. A Cordon Blue chef named Suzette (Lyndsy Kail) has been hired from an agency to prepare the dinner. This will cause great confusion when both Suzanne and Suzette respond to the diminutive “Suzi.” Confusion will be compounded when Gabriella intercepts telephone call discovering that Robert is coming. She, come hell or high water, is not about to go visit dear mama because Robert is her lover.

When Suzette arrives Robert assumes she is Suzanne and in short order she is conned (for two 100 franc notes) to go along with the charade. When dumb blonde sexy Suzanne shows up, [wearing a very expensive coat that is integral to the plot] she has to pretend to be the cook but she is more of a short order cook rather than a Cordon blue chef.

There are the obligatory four doors needed before a play can be a farce. The country house is actually a converted barn with the two spare bed rooms that were formerly a cow stall and piggery. That detail gets a lot of guffaws when decisions must be made as to who will sleep with whom and where.

Cassidy Brown*, Lyndsy Kail*

Liam Vincent creates a marvelous priggish Machiavellian Bernard who gradually uses all those around him to cover up his misdeeds. Nika Ericson’s incendiary Italian has perfect control hiding her own peccadillo with consummate composure and controls the stage when it is time to play the “wronged wife.” Amongst the female roles, Lyndsy Kail is the audience favorite morphing from an ordinary girl to a seductive model, to niece actress or to whatever is needed for the cover-up earning every franc proffered by the two timing men. The audience burst into applause when she is stripped of her maid costume to play the role of mistress.  Brittany Danielle is completely believable as the not too bright sexy Suzanne.

The major accolades belong to Cassidy Brown with his mobile face, elastic body that would get him a job in Comedie del Arte, and his superb double takes.  Khary L. Moye adds a touch of class with his underplayed depiction of a possibly wronged husband and can be considered a deus ex mechina.  No further explanation will be given.

A brilliant directorial touch involves a large, low fuzzy white ottoman downstage center where Butler gives every member of the cast time to cavort.  Although he uses broad comedy just short of slapstick there is directorial sophistication and intricate timing to obtain maximum humor from the script. Running time two hours with intermission.

(From Top to Bottom)Lyndsy Kail*, Nika Ericson* Brittany Danielle*, Khary Moye,

Production Crew: Set Design by Erik Flatmo, Lighting Design by Ray Oppenheimer, Costume Design by Maggie Morgan, Sound Design by Matt Stines, Stage Manager Kathleen J. Parsons*

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Nika Ericson*,Lyndsy Kail*, Khary Moye, Brittany Danielle*

 

Cassidy Brown*, Lyndsy Kail*

Nov 02 2013
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“Social Security” in Pacifica Spindrift’s new black box

By David Hirzel

The Spindrift Theater (the building, not the troupe) in Pacifica suffered a structural near-catastrophe in August—a major ceiling beam was about to give way, and the stage was closed.  Nothing daunted, the troupe put on their production of Noises Off on a borrowed stage, but tonight’s opening of Social Security proved they are HOME AGAIN!.

I knew this new production would be staged in the Muriel Watkins Gallery, an auxiliary room of the theater building.  I know this room, I thought.  How are they going to pull this off?

The answer is, with an unmitigated, unqualified, HUGE SUCCESS!  To start with, the unsung backstage hands transformed this smallish room into an intimate and beautifully designed black box.  It seats about 30—reserve early, Andrew Bergman’s wildly funny Social Security is sure to be a hit. Spindrift has  added two shows to their normal season, but this probably won’t be enough the sellout crowds expected for this wonderfully hilarious performance.

The intimate black-box setting brings each of us right into the apartment living room of NY art dealers David and Barbara (real-life husband-and-wife Gary and Joanie Pugh Newman), just as Barbara’s uptight sister Trudy (Joy Eaton) and her nerdy husband Martin (Harry Sellenthin) come to call with some bad news.  This first act taken on its own is hilarious.  Keep an eye on Trudy—to me this character is the heart of the show, and Ms. Eaton’s subtle performance makes everything else in the play work.

And work it does. There are many, many laughs in this show, and they only gather strength as it moves along.  One of the unintended consequences of this newly created black box is the contagion of laughter.  We are all in the living room with these souls and their problems and reactions become our own as only such an intimate setting can permit.

If you thought the first act was funny, wait until you see the second. Now Jackie Blue as mother and mother-in-law Sophie starts to steal the show, even moreso when new love interest Maurice (Jim Sousa) shows up to light her fire.  You’ll just have to see it.

Act three brings home some of the sublter lessons we’re all going to have to learn about how to deal with aging, with aging parents, with the loss of our illusions and the changes that time can bring to our lives.  With a whole lot of laughs.  As it should be.

Special kudos to director John Tranchitella, for putting the whole package together, and to the crew for creating this marvelously intimate stage in the  Muriel Watkins Gallery.

Don’t miss it!  Limited engagement and seating.

Through November 24, 2013 at Spindrift Players Theater at 1050 Crespi Dr., Pacifica CA

Box Office:  650-359-8002

Website: pacificaspindriftplayers.org

Review by David Hirzel  www.davidhirzel.net

Nov 01 2013
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Mystery in ‘Underneath the Lintel’ goes around the world

By Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

Checking books that have been returned overnight, an unassuming Dutch librarian found an annotated travel guide that was 113 years overdue.

Curious about who had had it all that time, he set off on a quest that took him to far off places in “Underneath the Lintel” by Glen Berger. Presented by American Conservatory Theater and directed by its artistic director, Carey Perloff, this one-man, one-act, 90-minute play features David Strathairn as the character known only as the Librarian.

As the play begins in the here and now, the somewhat rumpled Librarian (costume by Jessie Amoroso) apparently is in an old theater (versatile set by Nina Ball) giving a lecture about his discoveries. One by one he reveals the bits of evidence that led him on his trail of discovery, starting in 1986.

In the book, for example, was a 1913 receipt from a London dry cleaner. Other places from around the world cropped up. Slides and projections by Alexander V. Nichols, who also designed the lighting, help to illustrate some of his points. Sound by Jake Rodriguez also enhances the production.

Along the line, he began to suspect that his elusive subject is none other than the legendary Wandering Jew. After losing his library job because he was gone so long on his travels, he’s become rootless, similar to the Wandering Jew, albeit for a different reason.

Despite the elements of mystery in this tale, it tends to drag. Perhaps it needs cutting. Perhaps Strathairn needs to add depth to his performance or be directed to pace it differently.

The end result is a moderately interesting evening of theater.

“Underneath the Lintel” has been extended through Nov. 23 at ACT’s Geary Theater, 415 Geary St., San Francisco. For tickets and information, call (415) 749-2228 or visit www.act-sf.org..

Nov 01 2013
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THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE earns a standing ovation at Berkeley Rep

By Kedar K. Adour

In her one-woman show The Pianist of Willesden Lane, piano virtuoso Mona Golabek chronicles her mother’s escape from the Holocaust. Photo courtesy of mellopix.com

THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE: Solo Performance.  Based on the book “The Children of Willesden Lane” by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen. Directed and adapted by Hershey Felder. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Thrust Theatre, 2015 Addison Street @ Shattuck, Berkeley, CA 94704. (510) 647-2949 or  www.berkeleyrep.org. EXTENDED THROUGH January 5, 2014

THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE earns a standing ovation at Berkeley Rep

 [rating:5] (5/5 stars)

Just four months ago Berkeley Rep mounted a highly successful and critically acclaimed solo performance of George Gershwin Alone written and performed by the author who has set his sights on demonstrating that music can and does sooth the savage beast. This time around he has directed and adapted a true story based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Mona Golabek & Lee Cohn proving “music has the power to help us survive.”

 The primary survivor in the book is 14 year old Lisa Jura a fledging pianist studying with a master teacher in 1938 Vienna. When the Nazis issued laws preventing her teacher from giving Jews lessons her dreams of a concert debut of Grieg’s Piano Concerto in Vienna are dashed but not crushed and her resiliency is dramatized in words, projections and stunning piano music.

Mona Golabek, an accomplished pianist is the daughter of Lisa Jura and she gives a heart wrenching performance without histrionics often allowing the piano music do the speaking. Grieg’s haunting A Minor concerto frequently weaves in and out of the narrative reminding the audience of Lisa’s heartbreak.

After the devastating crystelnach (the night of the broken glass) seats on the kindertransport train were in great demand as families were vying for passage to a safe haven in England for their children. The one ticket available to the Jura family was given to the middle daughter Lisa because of her potential as a classical pianist.

After being unable to live with a relative she was assigned to a beautiful county estate called Peacock Manor where she was assigned household chores. When she was denied the privilege of playing the piano and told that the piano was for show and not to be played, she returned alone to London alone and assigned to the house on Willesden Lane packed with children. A piano became her salvation and that of the adults as well as the children.

During the Blitzkrieg the museums were stripped of their art and the famous pianist Myra Hess convinced the authorities to allow her and fellow musicians to use the museums as concert halls. Every week a single masterpiece painting was hung in the hall. The music continued even during the Blitz.

Lisa’s talent was recognized and she was given an audition for a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. Golabek gives a charming description of that audition both in words and brief cords of classical music with snippets from Bach, Beethoven and Chopin.

Mona Golabek is a master at the piano both in interpretation and body language. All the interludes are played without sheet music and include Beethoven, Debussy, Chopin, Grieg, Bach Rachmaninoff and Gershwin.

Mona Golabek as Lisa Jura

Her brilliant piano interludes and quiet dialog are enriched with slide and video projections on four gilt edged frames hung above the lone piano elevated on center stage.  Lisa Jura’s resiliency, bravery and the power of music played dazzlingly by her daughter Mona Golabek is an evening not to be missed.  Just when you thought the show was over and applause erupted from the appreciative audience, many with tears in their eyes, Lisa Jura returned to the stage to give her much delayed concert debut with Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A Minor, opus 18; third movement.

Running time an unforgettable 90 minutes without intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

 

Oct 31 2013
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UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL an intellectual bemusement at A.C.T.

By Kedar K. Adour

UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL: Solo Drama by Glen Berger. Performed by David Strathairn. Directed by Carey Perloff.  American Conservatory Theater (ACT), 415 Geary St., San Francisco, CA. (415) 749-2228 or www.act-sf.org. October 23 – November 17, 2013.

UNDERNEATH THE LINTEL an intellectual bemusement at A.C.T. [rating:3](5/5stars)

With a title of Underneath the Lintel one might expect that a “Lintel” is a tree and we may be in for an evening of romantic endeavor or pithy philosophizing. We do get a bit of unrequited romance and some mundane philosophy before the stage lights black out, but it seems to be an afterthought in Glen Berger’s solo drama that began as a one night theatrical piece performed by the author in 1999 at the Yale Cabaret.  There have been many revisions since the first professional performances began in 2001. Since then it has been staged throughout the world with the first local production at the Live Oak Theater in Berkeley in July 2013. It received good reviews.

Those good reviews may be related to the production being mounted in a 99 seat theater with minimal props and a fine local non-equity actor (Mike Mize) giving a big performance to a small intellectual bemusement. However, as often happens at A.C.T, one of the premiere acting companies in the nation, there has been a propensity to over-produce a less worthy script. So it is again with Under the Lintel pretentiously subtitled An Impressive Presentation of Lovely Evidences.

Director Carey Peroff has wisely selected award winning/nominated David Strathairn to play the of an obscure, introverted yet obsessive librarian to deliver Glen Berger’s well researched, sometimes obtuse and other times imaginative lines. However, the play is not the thing but Strathairn’s acting carries the evening as he rambles around on Nina Ball’s cluttered set.

That set is integral to the story. Strathairn, playing the unnamed Dutch librarian, has rented a second-rate music hall theatre to deliver a lecture to a small audience about his “evidences” proving a certain biblical myth is an actuality.  On stage right there is a large chalk board that is used to aid in listing “his evidences” that he produces one by one, appropriately tagged and numbered, from his non-descript suitcase. That suitcase has been with him on a world-wide quest as he finds “evidences” that have convinced him that the myth of the Wandering Jew is reality. To illustrate his “evidences’ he also uses a slide projector and a tape player.

Although the story of the Wandering Jew has numerous variations, depending on the country or the era in which it is told, Berger elected to use the storyline of a Jewish shoemaker whose shop was along the route Jesus was forced to take to the site of His crucifixion. The shoemaker while standing “underneath the lintel” (the supporting beam of his window) refused to offer Jesus assistance when He collapsed on the doorstep. Jesus was said to say, “I will see you again when I return.” That return is the second coming of Christ and is yet to happen and the Jew is forced to live in perpetuity and never resting.

The Librarian’s quest began with his fascination and obsession with the late return of a dog-eared Baedeker’s Travel Guide. That book is 113 YEARS late and there are notations in the margins as well as a claim check for cleaning a pair of trousers. The cleaning establishment is still operating in London no less. Our intrepid Librarian heads off to London. Thus the journey begins. With each “evidence” uncovered another is found, has been duly numbered and presented to the audience as proof of his theorem. 

His has been fired from his job (without a pension) and is now free to roam. One wonders where he got the money for travel but remembering this is a mythical tale . . . maybe, we must suspend disbelief.  He travels, in order of his “evidences’ from: 1. Hoofddorp, Netherlands,  2. London, England, 3. Bonn, Germany, 4. Derby, England, 5. Dingtao, China, 6. New York City, New York, 7. Brisbane, Australia, 8. Acropolis, Greece, 9. Paris, France, 10. The coast of Norway, 11. Juneau, Alaska, 2.Uxmal, Mexico, 13.Stamford, Connecticut, 14. Easter Island.

David Strathairn as The Librarian showing the map of his travels

His journey is liberally illustrated with his slides and Perloff moves him about in a hectic manner probably conveying his restlessness. Near the end of his lecture, the librarian frantically shows photos of inscriptions “I was here” to prove his points and even invokes the memory of the ubiquitous “Kilroy was here!” Yes there is humor but the stretches between laughs are a bit tedious.  Running time 90 minutes without intermission.

Creative Team: Nina Ball (scenic design), Jessie Amoroso (costume design), Alexander V. Nichols (lighting design), and Jake Rodriguez (sound design).

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworlditernetmagazine.com

Oct 28 2013
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Opposites attract in ‘Next Fall’

By Judy Richter

Despite some significant obstacles, two gay men fall in love and manage to stay together for some five years before a crisis intervenes.

In Geoffrey Nauffts’ “Next Fall,” presented by San Jose Repertory Theatre, one obstacle is that the 40ish Adam (Danny Scheie) is about 20 years older than Luke (Adam Shonkwiler). A greater obstacle is that Adam is a nonbeliever while Luke is a fundamentalist Christian. The age difference results mainly in lighthearted teasing, but the religious difference is tougher.

And there’s one more problem: Luke hasn’t come out to his divorced parents. Therefore, when Luke is hit by a taxi and hospitalized, they can’t understand why Adam is so insistent on seeing Luke.

It may be that Luke’s fundamentalist, bigoted father, Butch (James Carpenter), could have an inkling that Luke is gay, but he won’t acknowledge it, not even to himself. Having been a free spirit in her younger days, Luke’s mother, Arlene (Rachel Harker), probably would be more accepting if she knew.

The action shifts between the present in the hospital and the past, starting with the night that Luke and Adam met and continuing at various times in their relationship. One constant in their lives is Holly, a straight friend who owns the candle shop where they have worked. As portrayed by Lindsey Gates, Holly is funny, supportive and straightforward, a kind of rock for them.

The play’s sixth character is Brandon (Ryan Tasker), Luke’s Christian friend who’s even less accepting of his own homosexuality.

Director Kirsten Brandt guides the talented cast with a sensitive hand, allowing the humor to come through and stressing poignancy rather than pathos. Playing Adam, Scheie, a veteran Bay Area actor who often plays over-the-top characters, shows deeper emotions here while allowing some of his comedic skills to come through.

Shonkwiler’s Luke is a fun guy most of the time, but as a believer in heaven and hell, he’s worried about Adam’s fate. He’s also worried about coming out to his father. When Butch says he’s coming toNew York from his Florida home, Luke tries to “de-gay” the apartment he shares with Adam and asks Adam to leave for a few hours. This leads to one of the play’s best scenes when Luke goes out on an errand and Butch arrives early, leading to an uncomfortable first meeting between him and Adam. Carpenter, another veteran Bay Area actor, plays well off Scheie in this scene and others.

More fine acting comes from Harker as Arlene, especially when she tells Adam about how she tried to reach out to a young Luke after being absent from most of his life.

Scenic designer Annie Smart’s set easily adapts to shifting scenes, as do Cathleen Edwards’ costumes. Lighting by Dawn Chiang and sound by Steve Schoenbeck enhance this Bay Area premiere of the Tony-nominated play.

“Next Fall” will continue at San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, through Nov. 10. For tickets and information, call (408) 367-7255 or visit www.sanjoserep.com.

Oct 28 2013
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Two-legged park critters creating all sorts of things

By Woody Weingarten

Sterling Johnson blows bubbles on White House lawn.

Salvi Durango and guitar. Photo: Tim Bonnici.

Tylor Norwood (left) and Dylan Hurley check monitor on Robson-Harrington shoot.

Students concentrate at Michael Feldman’s art camp in Creek Park.

 

An escapee from San Quentin, an obsessive-compulsive San Anselmo writer and a tipsy five-legged giraffe strut into a bar.

There’s no joke there, no punchline.

I just wanted your attention.

I was afraid if I told you this column’s about creative two-legged critters encountered in Ross Valley parks, you might stop reading.

Please don’t.

Those folks are almost as compelling as the above trio.

Let’s try it this way: A filmmaker, a singing cowboy and a guy who plays second fiddle to his own bubbles operate fruitfully in local parks.

Why?

Because the parks, and their tranquility, spur creativity.

Tylor Norwood’s a San Anselmo resident I met in Robson-Harrington. He was directing two actors under a white canopy.

One actress exclaiming “my vagina” hooked me even before I spied the surrounding equipment.

Only later did I learn he was polishing a comedic scene for his new full-length feature. Tylor also swims in deeply creative TV waters: The BBC and HBO are commercial clients for his SkyDojo production company.

The 2007 San Francisco State film school grad subsequently informed me about the technological revolution, life on the road (“always hectic, so it’s a comfort to come back here”), and a crew in West Marin attacked by yellow jackets (causing eight adults to run “screaming into this little farmhouse to hide”).

No one fled during the re-shoot.

Sterling Johnson, 67, has been toying with bubbles since discovering them during a high-school science project. Nowadays he can be found with them in Fairfax’s Bolinas Park, near his home.

“It’s a great way to connect with people,” he said.

He’s good enough to make a living with his inventiveness, at least part-time. He’s even been asked to perform twice in Tokyo and once at the White House.

Heady stuff.

But more touching for him was the day “an autistic girl blew bubbles at a Formica-topped table I was working at and just lit up.”

Salvi Durango is a longhaired, white-bearded ex-Sleepy Hollow resident recently encountered in Bolinas Park while writing “Old Singing Cowboys Never Die.”

It’s well constructed, easy on the ears.

Salvi told me he’s been penning songs 33 years, and “playing in small bars and taverns all along the West Coast.”

He’s been name-dropping that long, too — with good reason: He’s been befriended by Willie Nelson (who backs him on a patriotic YouTube ditty, “Bankin’ on the Red, White and Blue”), Johnny Cash, Pete Seeger, Merle Haggard and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott.

He remembers chatting on a San Francisco street with John Lennon, who autographed his birth certificate, the only paper Salvi had on him.

He never sought fame but “never gave up on my dream — just singing for people, like I did for you in the park.”

Michael Feldman, who traded in ad-agency billing pads for a diminutive San Anselmo gallery, uses park benches and tables in Creek Park to facilitate his art camp students spreading their materials and smiles.

He encourages them to “explore different mediums and feel good about themselves through art, rather than copying the masters or doing what teachers demand.”

His prime hope? “That some of these kids will use art in their lives forever.”

Daniel Ezell also utilizes Creek Park’s facilities for classes — for Golden Gate Tutoring Center, which the San Anselmo resident founded with his wife, Celeste. They accentuate geometry, comic art and inventions.

“I get the greatest pleasure from instilling a curiosity in my students,” he told me.

Several weeks ago, for instance, students made an old-style diddly guitar from scratch. Result?  ”A lot of noisy music, a lot of fun.”

Michael Grossman lives in San Rafael but also has started to create music in Creek Park.

A professional classical violinist, he began writing pop songs on guitar “as a catharsis, a result of my wife dying.” He’s completed five so far, and declares he will “share my work in any way that’s share-able.”

He sees “the public park as a sanctuary right down the middle of town.”

I concur.

And the range of park creativity has inspired me to ponder where I put one word after another.

I normally create at a cluttered desk at home. Maybe I’ll venture out, park myself in a park and craft a column in the sunlight.