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Aug 28 2013
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Monty Python’s Spamalot by Eric Idle & John DuPrez, 6th Street Playhouse, Santa Rosa CA

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Barry Martin (left), Eric Weiss

 

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

(Photos by Eric Chazankin)

Stunningly Silly and Good For You, Too

We all know civilization needs silliness to survive. It’s essential to human life. But let’s face it – far too many people are scared to death of being silly. They need somebody else to do it for them so they can get their minimum daily requirement. The Monty Python troupe has been a premier provider of this vital nutrient for more than 40 years.  Through their landmark BBC series and films, it’s been said that they influenced comedy as much as the Beatles did music. They made sheer, unadulterated silliness the driving force behind their work. “Spamalot”, by Python veteran Eric Idle and composer John DuPrez, is their only stage musical comedy to date and one of their very best offerings, a guaranteed antidote for whatever ails us.

The original 2005 Broadway show was directed by Mike Nichols and received 3 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. During its initial run of 1575 performances it was seen by over two million people, a most definite sensation. Artistic Director Craig Miller and the crew at 6th Street rightly decided that this would be the ideal show for the kickoff of their new season “Journey With Us”.

The plot is a cheeky send-up of the already cheeky “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, a Python film from 1975, although there are jolly diversions from the original story. At its most basic, it’s a skewer-and-roast of the Arthurian legends. King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, the Lady of the Lake and the various Knights of the Round Table are on a haphazard quest for the Holy Grail. They encounter assorted mishaps along the way, snotty Frenchmen, and some characters so bizarre they defy description.

For the most part, the show is as tight as a drum with really professional bits of business, like a performer catching a hat and cane, launched from the wings, with suave assurance and not missing a beat. Sets and props are scooted on and off stage in medieval carts and baskets with nary a blink, a smooth and well-oiled machine. One small issue may be that some in the ensemble cast have not yet attained this polish. But the lead and supporting performers shine so brilliantly the reflection is shared by all.

Taylor Bartolucci DeGuilio

There are some truly outstanding musical numbers, especially “He’s Not Dead Yet” and “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life”. As Lady of the Lake, the always amazing Taylor Bartolucci DeGuilio really has a chance to belt ‘em out and be the diva she was born to be. She steals the show in “Find Your Grail” and “Diva’s Lament”.  Her cohort King Arthur, underplayed to droll perfection by Barry Martin, ably serves as the almost-straight man, a foil to the constant buffoonery. But wait – who’s that guy following close behind Arthur everywhere he goes, clip-clopping a pair of coconut shells? It’s his faithful stooge Patsy, played with great comic sincerity by young Eric Weiss. Trevor Hoffmann (Sir Robin) has Broadway flair in his truly fine singing and dancing. His real tour-de-force is “You Won’t Succeed on Broadway” performed with the ensemble cast. Another notable triple-threat player is Natalie Herman in two male parts: Not Dead Fred and Prince Herbert. She has a sweet, winsome quality and a remarkable voice.

Choreography is by the superb Alise Gerard, a Sonoma County native who is visiting from her new home in New York, where she went to try her luck on Broadway. The small orchestra’s horn section seems to dominate the proceedings, and with occasional off notes is a bit of a distraction. Maybe a slight adjustment in the sound would make a difference.

Miller keeps the faith: his savvy direction of “Spamalot” is mind-numbingly silly and high-spirited, irreverent enough to offend and inspire just about everyone. He has infused his cast and crew with the rare and elusive Pythonesque essence. It’s that special something that’s hard to describe, but you know it when you see it – a blend of surrealism, futility, courage, death and dismemberment. Oh, and silliness.

 

When: Now through September 22, 2013

8:00 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday

2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Tickets: $15 to $35

Location: GK Hardt Theater at 6th Street Playhouse

52 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa CA
Phone: 707-523-4185

Website: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

Aug 27 2013
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All’s Well That Ends Well—Shakespeare’s Problem Comedy at Marin Shakespeare

By Flora Lynn Isaacson

 

Bertram (Adam Magill) is “not that into her” and not too keen on marrying Helena (Carla Pauli) even though the King demands it in Marin Shakespeare Company’s outdoor production of “All’s Well That Ends Well.” Photo by Eric Chazankin

 

According to Director Robert Currier, in his curtain speech preceding the play, in 1895, George Bernard Shaw liked this play very much because it was not a sugar-coated comedy.  Shaw viewed this play as being like real life.

To quote Marin Shakespeare dramaturg, Cathleen Sheehan, “All’s Well That Ends Well invites us into a world strikingly different from the earlier, jubiliant, Elizabethan comedies.  So different do we find this so called comedy that some resist the label entirely and refer to the play as a “problem play.”

In this play, the characters are riddled with flaws and the ending, despite the title, is not a feel good, fairytale, happy-ever after conclusion.  The name of this play expresses the saying, “all’s well that ends well,” which means that problems don’t matter as long as the outcome is good.

This production boasts five outstanding guest artists—Lucas McClure as Lavatch, the wise fool or clown, who also composed some orginal songs for this production;  Jessica Powell as the Countess Rousillon, a great lady, as charming as old Lafeu; Scott Coopwood who is a true French gentleman; James Hiser as Parolles, companion to Bertram (Adam Magill), son of the Countess, a soldier with false bravado; and finally, Jack Powell as the King of France in an amazing performance.

In addition to these five Equity actors, we have rounding out the cast, the leading romantic couple, Bertram and Helena (Carla Pauli) who are not romantic and shouldn’t be a couple. Helena is determined in her desire to win Bertram and Bertram is not.  To escape Helena, Bertram heads off to war in Italy with Parolles in tow.  Helena then sets out to follow him and arrives in Florence in the guise of a pilgrim and lodges with a widow (Heather Cherry) whose daughter Diana (Luisa Frasconi) is the newest object of Bertram’s affection.  With Diana’s help, Helena aims to trap Bertram and there in lies the play.

Judging by Abra Berman’s wonderful Costumes and Billie Cox’s Sound Design, it would seem that Robert Currier set his play in the 1940’s.

With an entire cast of skilled Shakespearean actors, Currier stresses the comedy and doesn’t worry about the problem.  So we’re all in for an evening of fun!

All’s Well That Ends Well runs August 24 to September 28, 2013.  Performances are at Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, 890 Belle Avenue, Dominican University, San Rafael. For tickets, call 415-499-4488 or go online at:

www.marinshakespeare.org\pages\ticketorder.php

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Aug 26 2013
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‘Other Desert Cities’ probes family schisms, secrets

By Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

Family schisms and secrets are at the heart of “Other Desert Cities” a compelling modern drama by Jon Robin Baitz.

Presented by TheatreWorks in association with the Old Globe of San Diego, most of it takes place Christmas Eve 2004 at a home inPalm Springs.

Brooke Wyeth (Kate Turnbull) and her younger brother, Trip (Rod Brogan), are joining their affluent parents, Polly (Kandis Chappell) and Lyman (James Sutorius), for the holiday. Completing the family gathering is Polly’s sister, Silda Grauman (Julia Brothers), who is living with the elder Wyeths while continuing her rocky recovery from alcoholism.

Polly and Silda once co-wrote a popular movie series, while Lyman was a successful actor who became active in Republican politics. Trip produces a popular TV game show inLos Angeles.

Brooke, a writer, lives on the East Coast and hasn’t been home in six years. During that time, her marriage dissolved and she went into a deep depression.

The gathering begins amiably enough, but the differences in politics quickly become clear, with the elder Wyeths as staunch Republicans and the other three on the more liberal side.

Another sour note emerges as Brooke brings up the name of her late older brother, Henry. Like many young people in the ’70s, he rebelled against his upbringing. He fell in with a radical group that bombed a military recruiting station and inadvertently killed a janitor. Remorseful over that event, Henry apparently committed suicide.

Brooke has just completed a book — a memoir, she calls it — about her family and Henry. It has been sold to a publisher and will be printed in The New Yorker in February. After reading the manuscript, her parents beg her not to allow its publication. They say it will cause immeasurable harm to themselves and the family.

Brooke’s conflicting loyalties to her family and to her belief in her book along with her desire for independence lead to painful, intense confrontations for all.

Although the play is fraught with such emotional moments, Baitz leavens it with sharp humor, much of it coming from Trip and Silda. When Brothers exits after Silda’s first scene, for example, the audience applauds because Silda is so honest and down to earth.

Sutorius as Lyman and Brogan as Trip try to be the peacemakers as Brooke and Polly clash, but they get drawn into the fray, too.

Director Richard Seer skillfully guides the ensemble cast through shifting moods, helping to keep the audience enthralled.

The handsome set by Alexander Dodge was influenced by a 1960 Palm Springshouse called “The House of Tomorrow” as well as “The Elvis Honeymoon Hideaway.” Its modern design features a wide living room with an expansive view of bare, rugged mountains.

Lighting by Steven B. Mannshardt reflects changes in exterior light as well as shifting moods. Costumes by Charlotte Devaux help to define the characters. The sound is by Paul Peterson.

After its New Yorkpremiere in 2011, “Other Desert Cities” went on to win several honors, including finalist for the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It deserves such accolades because of  its sharply drawn characters and because it’s a riveting drama that speaks not only to family issues but also to American politics and the history of recent decades.

It will continue at the Mountain ViewCenterfor the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View, through Sept. 15. For tickets and information, call (650) 463-1960 or visit www.theatreworks.org.

 

Aug 26 2013
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OTHER DESERT CITIES a beautifully staged and acted pot-boiler at TheatreWorks.

By Kedar K. Adour

Polly (Kandis Chappell, left) reads her daughter Brooke’s new manuscript while (from l to r) Polly’s sister  Silda (Julia Brothers), Trip (Rod Brogan), Lyman (James Sutorius), and Brooke (Kate Turnbull) look on in TheatreWorks’ Regional Premiere of  OTHER DESERT CITIES by Jon Robin Baitz,  playing August 21 – September 15  at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts. Photo credit: Mark Kitaoka

OTHER DESERT CITIES: Comedy/drama by Jon Robin Baitz. Directed by Richard Seer. TheatreWorks at Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts 500 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA. (650) 463-1960 or www.theatreworks.org.

August 20 – September 15, 2013 

OTHER DESERT CITIES a beautifully staged and acted pot-boiler at TheatreWorks.

Having spent the past 10 winters in Palm Springs there was a personal interest in seeing this play that takes place in the desert. It is understandable that it is a pot-boiler and the stuff of TV sit-coms since the author honed his skills as the creator of TV’s Brother’s and Sisters and is working on another sit-com for an upcoming season. He is also a produced playwright and screenwriter. His play A Fair Country was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 1996. 

We learn early in the play the meaning of the title. As you approach the desert area from the West there is a huge sign “Palm Springs and Other Desert Cities.”  Palm Springs used to be the Mecca for Hollywood and Los Angeles glitterati and relies on its past reputation to attract tourism. Now you must go to the ‘other desert cities’ such as Indian Wells to meet the type of characters with the financial means to live in the beautiful ostentatious style home created for this play (Alexander Dodge). Overheard at intermission, “The set is the play!” That comment is only partially true since the play is skillfully constructed in the Aristotelian concept with all the action taking place within 24 hours with an epilog attached to add finality to the plot. 

The basic plot has been used before by, notably by A. R. Gurney in The Cocktail Hour (not to be confused with The Cocktail Party by T. S. Eliot) where a family member turns up with a soon to be produced play script that bares the foibles of his family. Gurney’s play is a true comedy with a touch of discomfiture.  In Other Desert Cities comedy is at a minimum allowing the engrossing dramatic details to unfold scene by scene.

The Wyeths have gathered in the family home on Christmas Eve 2004. The patriarchs are Polly (Kandis Chappell) and Lyman (James Sutorius) with their mature children Brooke (Kate Turnbull) and Trip (Rod Brogan). Living with the Wyeths is Polly’s sister Silda Grauman (Julie Brothers) a recovering alcoholic. The elder Wyeths are affluent right wing Republicans active in the desert political life and members of an elite country club.  Brooke is a liberal left-leaning successful novelist who has written a book that may be a roman a clef. It could have devastating effects on the family unearthing deeply hidden secrets that would devastate the lives of the entire family.

 Author Baitz is a master at revealing layer on layer of the tangled web leading to a terrific climax. The play is produced in association with The Old Globe, San Diego where is received rave reviews. A big reason for those raves must have been the brilliant acting of Kandis Chappell who reprieves her role in the TheatreWorks production. She is ably matched by Kate Turnbull in the demanding role of Brooke and the marvelously under played performance of James Sutorius. He is completely believable when he breaks the staunch demeanor and explodes to take control . . . if only for a brief moment since it is Polly who dominates the family.

Rod Brogan has the right touch to add the few snatches of humor while being cast as brother Trip who moderates the tension boiling between Polly and Brooke. Local favorite Julia Brothers makes the most of her secondary but at one point pivotal role as Silda who refuses to be a sounding board for domineering Polly but is fully aware of her dependence on sister’s beneficence.

Director Seer, who is a mainstay at San Jose Rep, has directed both the San Diego and Mountain View productions and does a superb job keeping the characters in balance, moving them around like chess pieces leaving the outcome in question until the final brief epilog scene that takes place 10 years after the initial confrontation. Running time about 2 hours with intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of  www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

 

Aug 26 2013
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“All’s Well That Ends (especially) Well” at Marin Shakespeare

By David Hirzel

Marin Shakespeare has taken on “All’s Well that Ends Well,” one of Shakespeare’s more challenging plays, and pulled it off well.  Deeper than a comedy, funnier than a tragedy, the Bard’s careful look at character and deception has plenty of laughs (especially as served up by James Hiser), and a generous helping of insight into the potential depths of character that (we hope) exist in all of us.  The plot, like many of Shakespeare’s has its unique convolutions that don’t lend themselves readily to synopsis in a brief review like this.  But the language, much of it in rhymed couplets, can soar in unexpected flights.  Suffice it for me to say, the cast and direction here do yeoman work to keep the audience up to speed on the machinations at hand, as female lead Helena (superbly portrayed by newcomer to Marin Shakes, Carla Pauli) deftly plots her way into the  shallow heart of the playboy Bertram (also new here, Adam Magill).

A mesmerizing performance by Jessica Powell alternates between her heartfelt maternal care for the future of her ne’er-do-well son Bertram, and the tender intimacy she shares with her handmaiden Helena, the daughter she wishes were her own. The first half fairly hums along, alternating between laugh-out-loud comedy (Lucas McClure as Lavatch, Hiser’s clowinish Parolles, and Scott Coopwood’s Lafeu) and lovelorn pathos, and the miraculous cure of a perceptibly dying King of France (Jack Powell, another talented and familiar actor).

The second half is even better.  Once the actors really get warmed up, the complex pacing slips into gear, and the show takes off when the scene moves into Florence and the Shakespearean boudoir deceptions are plotted and then executed. Heather Cherry, as a flamboyant Widow of that fair city, fairly owns the stage every second she is on it.  Parolles, at last humbled by his own web of lies, reveals a hidden soul that brought a round of applause from the audience.  And I must confess, the final scene’s emotional outburst by Luisa Frasconi as Diana brought a tear to my eye.  In the end, all these troubled souls come to the understanding that, for all their (and our) weaknesses, there always exists the possibility that “All’s Well That Ends Well.”

Through September 29, 2013.  Box Office:  (415) 499-4488

At:  Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, Dominican University of California in San Rafael

Website:  Marin Shakespeare

David Hirzel’s Website:  www.davidhirzel.net

Aug 24 2013
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The Lieutenant of Inishmore is bloody good at The Masquers Playhouse

By Kedar K. Adour

Padraic (Damien Seperi, center) searches for answers in the death of his beloved cat in the Masquers Playhouse production of “The Lieutenant pf Inishmore.” Padraic questions Joey (Alan Coyne, bottom left) and Donny (Avi Jacobson, bottom right) while under pressure from Brendan, Christy, and Joey (Jesse MacKinnon, David Stein, and Dan Kurtz). Martin McDonagh’s look inside the mind of a cat lover plays weekends August 23 – September 28 at the theater in Point Richmond. “Inishmore” is a comedy that contains graphic violence—it is not appropriate for children.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore: Satirical Comedy by Martin McDonagh. The Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, CA 94801-3922. 510-232-4031 or www.masquers.org.

August 23 – September 22, 2013

The Lieutenant of Inishmore is bloody good at The Masquers Playhouse

The ambitious Masquers Players in Point Richmond have undertaken to produce the very difficult Irish play The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh who has a perverted sense of humor along with an ear for colloquial dialog and excellent control of playwriting mechanics. More often than not he goes over-the-top with plot construction leaving the audience aghast if they do not realize he is creating outlandish fiction with a smidgen of truth that rolls inexorably to a climax.

So it is with this play that takes place on a claustrophobic one room set (Mike Maio) in a remote part of Ireland. Before the short production ends four bodies are strewn literally about the stage along with two dead cats. There are eight cast members and this reviewer will not reveal which four depart this mortal world nor in what condition they are in when they leave. Just say it is a bloody mess and I certainly would not want to be the stage manager (Vicki Zabarte) nor one of her crew members who have to clean up.

It’s those damn cats that cause one half of the problems. Cat lovers are known for their fierce attachment to their feline companions. It starts when Davey (a fine Alan Coyne), an effeminate youth with long shoulder length hair has found a dead cat when out riding his bike. He brings the cat’s body to Donny’s (Avi Jacobson a real pro actor) cottage and discovers that it is Wee Thomas, the 15 year, and only “friend” of his son Padriac (Damien Seperi) who has started an unapproved splinter group of the Irish Republican Army (IRA). Wee Thomas had been entrusted to Donny for safekeeping while his son is on the mainland bombing fish-and-chip shops. Davey and Donny hatch a plot that is an improbable scenario to replace the black Wee Thomas with purloined orange tabby using shoe polish for coloring. Their inane dialog sets the tone for gruesome comedy to follow.

Padraic (Damien Seperi, right) interrogates James (Dan Kurtz, left)

We see Padriac’s mean streak in the second scene where we find local drug dealer James (Dan Kurtz) physically ‘hanging out’ with him. That mean streak explodes when he returns home to discover the death of Wee Thomas.

Before that happens we get to meet 16 year old Tomboy Mairead (Cherie Girard-Brodigan), sister to Davey, who likes to shoot out the eyes of cows (from a distance of 50 feet no less) and is about to do harm to Davey for killing the cat (which he did not do). Enter Christy (David Stein) an IRA leader with his two henchmen Joey (Dan Kurtz in a double role) and Brendan (Jess MacKinnon).  It was they who did the dastardly deed to Wee Thomas as a sure way to get Padriac to return so they could kill him for being a renegade.

Things get more complicated when Padriac in a rage shoots the poor cat disguised as Wee Thomas. He shouldn’t have done that because that cat has an owner who loves it.

The intrepid IRA trio save Davey and Donny from Padriac and take Padriac out the door as their prisoner and are going to remove ‘the splinter’ from their group. Not so fast. Mairead and her trusty gun are out there and the tables are turned. Do not ask because this reviewer will not tell. You will have to take the trip to Point Richmond to be hysterically, humorously appalled at the outcome.

The entire cast does a creditable job even though their Irish accents fluctuate throughout the evening. This play won the Olivier Award for best comedy in 2001 and was nominated for other awards on and off Broadway. The running time is a scant two hours with intermission that is more than enough for an evening of bloody farce/comedy/satire. However, it is worth seeing.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

 

Aug 24 2013
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PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT the musical a smash hit at SHN Orpheum Theatre.

By Kedar K. Adour

(L to R) Wade McCollum as Mitzi, Scott Willis as Bernadette and Bryan West as Felicia in the number “I Love the Nightlife”

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT the musical: Book by Stephan Elliot & Allan Scott based on the Latent Image/Specific Films Motion Picture The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. Directed by Simon Phillips.(Based upon the Original New York Direction by David Hyslop).SHN Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market Street (at 8th) San Francisco, CA 94102.Call  (888) 746-1799or www.shnsf.com.

August 21 – 31, 2013

PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT the musical a smash hit at SHN Orpheum Theatre.

Priscilla, Queen of the Desert the musical based on the 1994 movie The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert arrived in San Francisco last night, rocking the rafters at the SHN Orpheum Theatre and earning a standing ovation. The entire show is an extravagant theatrical event that should not be missed. There is no need to have seen the original movie since this production takes the basic story and surrounds it with fantastic costumes, technical effects, non-stop choreography and a stellar cast creating a memorable evening.

The ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’ of the title is an aging bus that takes two drag queens Tick/Mitzi (Wade McCollum),  Adam/Felicia (Bryan West) and Bernadette (Scott Willis) an aging transsexual on an unforgettable journey from Sydney across the inland Australia desert to Alice Springs.  The red curtain has a cartoonish outline of Australia with a dotted line starting at Sydney circuitously crossing the inland and ending at Alice Springs.

Before the story begins three gorgeously dressed divas (Emily Afton, Bre Jackson, Brit West) are suspended above the stage to do their singing (“It’s Raining Men”) while Mitzi is performing on stage and when he leaves to take a call from Marion, opportunist Miss Understanding (spindly legged, Nik Alexzander) steals the stage (“What’s Love Got to do with It?”) going through an impossible series of dance contortions to start out the hilarious comedy.

Tick, because of his homosexuality is separated from has a wife Marion (Christy Faber) and their eight year old son Benji (Shane Davis or Will B) who live in Alice Springs. Marion runs a gambling Casino. She needs an act to fill an empty slot in the entertainment schedule and calls in a favor from Tick to bring his show to Alice Springs and re-unite with his son. Tick entices flippantly gay, over-the-top Adam and former lip-sync drag queen Bernadette to accompany him and the journey begins (“Go West”) Itis a hoot and a howl with more than a bit of pathos thrown in.

The pathos involves the question of what will be Benji’s reaction when he discovers Tick’s true nature and his life as a homosexual entertainer.  Then too, Australians may be a tolerant lot but homophobia is rampant in the Outback and in the Middle of Nowhere the bus is desecrated with graffiti. This doesn’t faze the intrepid Felicia who undertakes to paint Priscilla pink and add a huge slipper to the top of the bus. Would you believe that Tim Chappel & Lizzy Gardner have created costumes for the ensemble resembling huge paint brushes as they cavort about. From this point on the lighting effects become unbelievable as the entire bus becomes an ever-changing plethora of neon light. To inaugurate the new slipper addition to Priscilla there is a lip-sync opera aria “Sempre Libera” that Felicia performs with the Divas again descending from on high with the ensemble kicking up their heels surrounding the bus.

Along the way to Alice Springs, the bus breaks down and local Aussie Bob (Joe Hart) comes to the rescue. Sadly for him he has a young wife Shirley (Babs Rubenstein) who likes her drink and has ambitions to be a performer (“I Love the Night Life”). She has an act involving ping-pong balls that has the audience in hysterics.  Love blossoms between Bernadette and Bob and you can figure out the rest of the story.

The entire show is non-stop entertainment with lip-sync songs interspersed with the fine natural voices of the cast and exhausting dancing (choreography by Ross Coleman recreated by Joshua Buscher).  The costume designers won an Olivier Award in London and a Tony Awards on Broadway for their imaginative costumes.

Not being satisfied that the audience is sated with their most entertaining show, the ‘curtain-call’ is practically a summary of the action and songs that had graced the stage for nigh onto two hours (excluding intermission). Get you tickets now even though this reviewer suspects it will be back.

[PR Notes: The Broadway show used 175 tubes of lipstick, 75 pots of eye shadow, 2 pounds of glitter each month and there are 500 costumes, 150 pairs of shoes, 200 hats and headdresses. They needed 12 rolls of packing tape per week to remove glitter from lips!!)

Kedar Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

 

Aug 24 2013
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San Anselmo theater guy facing a brave new world

By Woody Weingarten

 

Terence Keane enjoys kayaking with Sarah Barker-Ball, then his fiancée, now his wife.

Terence Keane’s reinventing himself — again.

He recently moved from the East Bay to San Anselmo. He just got married. And he just started a new job as executive director of the Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma.I’d say that comprises a brave new world.His brave old worlds were scarcely humdrum. “I had a lot of wanderlust as a young man,” the 42-year-old informed me over breakfast in Hilda’s on San Anselmo Avenue, “and I took a lot of odd jobs.”

And maybe a course in understatement.He’d worked at a ranch in the Rockies (“in the insanely beautiful middle of nowhere”), a circus in New England, a village dump in the Hamptons, a hostel and organic farm in Ireland, a Fulbright teaching assistant post in Austria, a Louisiana bayou fish-and-wildlife gig, a volunteer position with the American Museum of Natural History, and an isla

nd in the Atlantic that’s a breeding colony for seabirds, “a species we brought back from the edge of extinction.He’s written — I’m not sure with wit or regret — that he’s never been a rodeo clown.

He spent years as communications director for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, spearheading a million-dollar ad campaign that proclaimed, “M.S.: It’s not a software company.”

Then came eight years at the Berkeley Rep, where, as public relations manager, he publicized 75 shows.

I’d met Terence there and learned he liked doing things in non-standard ways. No surprise he became engaged to Sarah Barker-Ball while vacationing in Iceland.

Nor did it stun me to find he planned to sport cowboy boots at their Rancho Nicasio Bar and Restaurant wedding, a throwback to his ranching.

“There were two main things we wanted for our wedding  — to have it outdoors and, since she and I met dancing, a rocking blues band. We [planned to] have both, with musicians I know from jazz school.”

Terence studied blues singing in Berkeley. He still sings, monthly, with buddies in Oakland.

Regarding his outdoorsy bent, it expanded while working at U.C. Davis. He now relishes “kayaking, seeing sea lions, camping at Point Reyes seashore.”

San Anselmo lured the ex-Long Islander when he sought roots. “We count our blessings every day this is where we get to live, like we’ve won the lottery. The area’s beautiful, calm, soothing.”

His sigh was audible.

Afterwards he elaborated: “We live close to Robson-Harrington Park, and it’s a favorite. We often stroll through on our evening walks or on our way to town. I love it when the owls are nesting in the park and you can hear them call one another.”

Sarah ferries to San Francisco, where she’s an environmental-law attorney. “Can you imagine a better way to commute?” Terence asked me rhetorically.

I couldn’t, since I did it for decades.

When queried about his first foray into theater, he replied, “Working the candy counter” in a movie house at 15.

He then cited playing “all the minor parts in ‘Sweet Charity’ — a waiter, a man with a dog in the park — lots of quick costume changes.”

Oops. “I was a smiley face in pre-school.”

In high school and at the Boston University School of Theatre, he acted, wrote plays and made short films. At Berkeley Rep, he mingled with celebrities.

A favorite? “Maurice Sendak, when we were working on ‘Brundibar.’ Having grown up with his books, it was a delight to discover he was just as mischievous off the page as on it.”

Terence’s pet recollections, though, “are about behind-the-scenes collaborations with our photographers and the folks in the costume shop and all the other unsung heroes of this business.”

He loves the challenge Cinnabar provides.

He’s emphasizing the business side — fund-raising, administration, marketing — working alongside artistic director Elly Lichenstein.

What attracted him to that non-profit theater, in its 40th year, was its “unique mix of music and theater. They do two plays, two musicals and an opera each season, and a series of concerts in a wide variety of genres — classical, jazz, country, world music. High quality.”Also, “its long history of educational programs for kids, and that they don’t turn anyone away for lack of funds. Plus, the organization has deep roots in, and a commitment to, the community.

And it’s a chance to grow.

“If they only wanted me to do what I already knew how to do, I wouldn’t want to do it.”

Obviously.

Aug 20 2013
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Cal Shakes stages elegant ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’

By Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

After hearing some gossip, an upper-class Englishwoman thinks her husband is having an affair in Oscar Wilde’s “Lady Windermere’s Fan.”

However, appearances aren’t always what they seem in California Shakespeare Theater’s elegant production of this witty satire on Victorian morality.

Lady Windermere (Emily Kitchens) is about to celebrate her 21st birthday and receives a lovely fan from her husband, Lord Windermere (Aldo Billingslea).

They’ve been happily married for two years and have a 6-month-old son. Her happiness is marred when an afternoon visitor, the Duchess of Berwick (Danny Scheie), tells her that Lord Windermere has been visiting a fallen woman, Mrs. Erlynne (Stacy Ross), and giving her large sums of money.

Confirming the outlays by ripping open his locked checkbook, Lady Windermere confronts her husband. He says that nothing improper has happened and asks to her invite Mrs. Erlynne to her birthday party that night.

When she refuses, he writes the invitation himself, resulting in even more unhappiness for his wife both then and at the party. Afterward the fan plays a large role in the conclusion, but secrets remain unrevealed, allowing illusions to continue.

Wilde subtitled his work “A Play About a Good Woman.” One would assume that the good woman is Lady Windermere, but she could also be Mrs. Erlynne, who does some great kindnesses for the unknowing Lady Windermere.

This polished Cal Shakes production is directed by Christopher Liam Moore from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

It features an elegant set by Annie Smart with complementary lighting by York Kennedy and sound by Will McCandless. The period costumes by Meg Neville reflect the rigidity of Victorian society with the women constrained by bustles and corsets under their beautiful dresses.

The cast is excellent, led by Kitchens as an increasingly upset Lady Windermere and Billingslea as her husband.

One telling aspect of their relationship becomes clear in the final scenes when he often refers to his wife as “my child,” as if he doesn’t see her as an equal partner in their marriage even though he loves her.

The first act is highlighted by the irrepressible Scheie as the Duchess of Berwick. Flouncing about with the duchess’s socially inept daughter (Rami Margron) in tow, Scheie is absolutely hilarious.

Ross skillfully portrays the conflicting emotions of Mrs. Erlynne.

Sharp characterizations come from the rest of the cast: L. Peter Callender, James Carpenter, Dan Clegg, Nick Gabriel, Tyee Tilghman and Bruce Carlton.

All of these elements add up to an enjoyable, thought-provoking theatrical experience.

“Lady Windermere’s Fan” continues in the Bruns Memorial Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Way(off Hwy. 24), Orinda, through Sept. 8. For tickets and information call (510) 548-9666 or visit www.calshakes.org.

Aug 19 2013
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LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN opens unevenly at CalShakes

By Kedar K. Adour

Stacy Ross (Mrs. Erlynne) and Emily Kitchens (Lady Windermere) in Cal Shakes’ production of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, directed by Christopher Liam Moore; photo by Kevin Berne.

Lady Windermere’s Fan, A Play About a Good Woman: Comedy/Melodrama by Oscar Wilde. Directed by Christopher Liam Moore. California Shakespeare Theater (CalShakes), Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way (formerly 100 Gateway Blvd.), Orinda, CA 94563.510.548.9666 or www.calshakes.org. August 14 – September 8, 2013

LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN opens unevenly at CalShakes

This seems to be the year for actor/director Christopher Liam Moore to add luster to his reputation as a director.  This year at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, where he is an associate artistic director he helmed a brilliant, touching production of Midsummer Night’s Dream and received accolades for his compelling staging of A Street Car Named Desire. Therefore expectations were high on entering the Bruns’ Amphitheatre where a gorgeous set (Annie Smart) awaited the entrance of the actors to give life to Oscar Wilde’s delicious/cutting/devilish/ socially incorrect lines.

The play is described as a comedy/melodrama and previously reviewed productions were a well balanced mixture of comedy and drama. In director Moore’s staging there is greater emphasis on the comedy with a touch of farce introduced by having the inimitable Danny Scheie appear in drag in a pivotal role of the Duchess and two other Grand Dames. His is a dominating performance that preempts the stage.

He is not the only performer with that innate ability to wrest accolades from the audience. Emily Kitchens as the Lady with the fateful fan turns in a splendid acting job as the 21 year old wife of Lord Windermere (Aldo Billingslea) whom she suspects of having an extramarital affair with the mysterious seductive Mrs. Erlynne (Stacy Ross). The sub-title of “A Play About a Good Woman” refers with different connotations of “good” to Lady Windermere and Mrs. Erlynne. But that is getting ahead of the story.

Written in 1862 early in Oscar Wilde’s career, rewrites were shared his producer Sir George Alexander. In this Victorian Era, social class distinction defined the different mores for woman and men and Wilde had the stunning ability to skewer both sexes with many of his infamous lines that are rampant in this play.  (http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/1897835-lady-windermere-s-fan.)

When Lady Windermere suspects her husband of infidelity she hastily decides to accept Lord Darlington’s (Nick Gabriel) proposal to take her away from it all. Doing so would be catastrophic and when Mrs. Erlynne discovers the potential disaster she takes matters into her own hands. This leads to a confrontation between the two women. Kitchens and Ross play their roles with palpable and memorable sincerity. The reasons behind Erlynne’s intervention gradually become known and the Windermeres reunite.

The initial foppish entrance by Nick Gabriel as Darlington was unimpressive and confusing but in his later scenes he rises to the level of a true lover with a touch of the rue. James Carpenter’s Lord Augustus smitten by the charms of Mrs. Erlynne is a gem of a performance. L. Peter Callender makes the most of his underwritten part of Mr. Dumby using perfect diction to enunciate Wilde’s wild lines. It is Dan Clegg, who recently gave an award winning performance as Romeo, who takes Wilde’s lines to the heights they deserve when he appropriately dominates the men in the penultimate scene. Aldo Billingslea who has given SF Bay Area Critic Award performances as Othello, the Elephant Man and others seems uncomfortable as Lord Windermere.

With the exceptions of Lord Darlington’s doubtful costume in the early scene, Meg Neville’s costume designs are stunning. A nice touch is the black and white costume she designed for Mrs. Erlynne underscoring the dichotomy of the character.

Running time 2 hours and 10 minutes including the intermission.

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com