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Oct 03 2012
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HAMLET performed in a swimming pool?

By Kedar K. Adour

Cast for Hamlet at California Shakespeare. Set by Clint Ramos. Photo by Kevin Burn.

HAMLET by William Shakespeare directed by Liesl Tommy. California Shakespeare Theatre, Bruns Amphitheater, 100 California Shakespeare Theater Way, (formerly 100 Gateway Blvd), Orinda, CA 94563. (just off Highway 24 at the California Shakespeare Theater Way/Wilder Rd. exit, one mile east of the Caldecott Tunnel. 510.548.9666 or Visit www.calshakes.org. EXTENDED THROUGH -OCTOBER 21, 2012

HAMLET performed in a swimming pool??

Concept productions of Shakespeare’s play are de rigueur and California Shakespeare Company (CalShakes) has embraced the obligatory fashion in all of their productions that this reviewer has attended. In 2006 in their staging of The Merchant of Venice, Shylock’s home was a metal dumpster, really.  Would you believe that for this production of Hamlet, famed director Liesl Tommy, whose direction of  Ruined at Berkeley Rep garnered rave reviews, places the action in a swimming pool and its environs, really?

Yes, it is a swimming pool thankfully devoid of water, surrounded by a plethora of objects that don’t make sense until you read the program notes. Tommy envisions the play of a “family [that] is by turns poetic, absurd, romantic, violent and sad.” Decay is everywhere and with a brief stretch of the imagination seem odoriferous thus making the objects strewn about the stage as (with apologies to Proust) remembrance of things past.  An explanation was given during intermission.

The explanation, and it needs one, was that this is an elegant Miami mansion that has been devastated by a hurricane and the “the structure has outlived its inhabitants and is now a haunted place.”  OK, we’ve got it, now what about the play?

The story line is very clear although a purist will object to some of the cutting and rearranging of scenes. The major cut is the removing Prince Fortinbras  of  Norway who is to become the eventual King since Claudius has been killed and Hamlet is dying in the arms of Horatio. The beautiful soliloquy is cut and Horatio’s line, “Good night sweet Prince” is truncated as the 1960s song “Unchained Melody” wafts from the loudspeakers into the balmy autumn night. Really.

The saviors of the perfect evening for an outdoor performance are the actors playing most of the major characters.  As Polonius observes Hamlet’s feigned madness with an aside to the audience “Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t”,

LeRoy McClain as Hamlet

LeRoy McClain’s physicality and dominance creates an unforgettable Hamlet but his venture in to madness needs honing.  Dan Hiatt gives a strong performance as Polonius and when he doubles as a Grave Digger. Beautiful Julie Eccles transforms herself into Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, matching McClain line for line in their epic verbal battle regarding her possible infamy for marrying Claudius and being implicated in her husband’s murder. Adrian Roberts as Claudius gives an adequate but unimpressive performance and as the Ghost, with his speech’s electronically echoed,  looks like a character in a Charles Addams’ cartoon.

Nicholas Pelczar as Laertes displays his talents with believable handling of mood changes demanded by the script. The pivotal role of Ophelia by Zainab Jah defies description since director Tommy has her being physically manhandled by McClain and later in her madness being trapped in an aquarium on upper stage right.  It’s seems a bit too much.

With all the perceived defects this production should not be missed because you will never see a Hamlet as performed by LeRoy McClain. Running time a long three hours and 10 minutes.

A Medical Note: If the poison placed in the Kings ear is to be affective there must be a perforation in his ear drum in order to be absorbed by the mucosa. Really.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Sep 30 2012
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We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! Cinnabar Theater, Petaluma CA

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

From left: Liz Jahren, Samson Hood, Nathan Cummings, Gary Grossman, Sarah McKereghan

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Photos by Eric Chazankin

Food for Thought – and Laughs

It starts with a trip to the grocery store.  It ends with populist upheaval.  In between are bits of zany slapstick and broad satire straight from the golden days of television – think I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners meet Mack Sennett, Italian-style. It’s social protest swathed in broad comedy, rage against the machine presented as Commedia dell’Arte.

We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! by Italian playwright and anarchist Dario Fo was written in 1974 for the Italian stage. In 1997, Mr Fo was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, for “scourging authority and upholding the dignity of the downtrodden”.  Incredibly,  Fo had at one time been banned from the U.S. under the McCarran Act, a McCarthy-era law designed to keep out “subversives”. We Won’t Pay! was first translated into English in 1975 by Lino Pertile, with a newer adaptation by R.G Davis for his 1980 off-Broadway premiere of the show at the Chelsea Theater  Center. Davis is noted for founding the San Francisco Mime Troupe in 1959, and for his “divergent theatrical concepts”.   Then came the 1999 translation, by Fo’s friend and collaborator Ron Jenkins, for his premiere that same year at the American Repertory Theatre in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It’s the Jenkins version being presented at Cinnabar. It contains only the very subtlest contemporary references. But even without these updates, there is plenty for modern audiences to identify with.

Liz Jahren, Sarah McKereghan, Nathan Cummings

The story opens with the poverty-stricken but feisty Antonia and her friend Margherita realizing they are in big trouble when they come home from a shopper’s revolt against high food prices at their local grocery store. Their frantic efforts to hide some contraband food from their husbands (and the police!) are beyond hilarious. False pregnancies, wayward olives and not-quite-dead cops propel the madness to dizzying heights. The audience would be on the edge of their seats if they weren’t rolling in the aisles. This play is hysterically funny – hysterical, in every sense of the word.  These ladies and their husbands are pretty excitable folks.

Antonia is played with delightfully manic energy by Liz Jahren (Always Patsy Cline, Dirty Blonde, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?). She’s the rocket fuel that keeps this show soaring, with her high-decibel voice and animated mugging.  Nathan Cummings (She Loves Me, Crimes of the Heart) is her Giovanni, solid as a rock. Cummings presents a warm and nicely textured performance as the blue-collar hero with high ideals and a charming stubborn streak – he sulks in the closet when he doesn’t get his way.

Antonia’s adorable sidekick Margherita is played by Sarah McKereghan (Crimes of the Heart). Her reactions to her friend and the growing chaos around her are absolutely priceless. She makes good use of her huge eyes and pantomime skills. Margherita’s husband Luigi, a gentle, plodding clown played by Samson Hood (Born Yesterday, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof), has some of the funniest scenes in the show, drawing howls of laughter.

Gary Grossman, Liz Jahren

Multiple roles by master transformer Gary Grossman (Taming of the Shrew, 6th Street Improv, Born Yesterday) include a “utopian subversive” cop, a state trooper, a grandpa, and a gay undertaker.  He draws upon his vast improvisational talents and impeccable timing, bringing a special nuance to each character.

Gabe Sacher and Harley Hubbard provide support in a couple of small roles as police back-ups. Sacher is especially memorable as a truck driver (miming his truck, no less), whizzing across the stage, blithely puffing on a cigarette, gone in a flash.

Director Laura Jorgensen wisely relies on the talents of her cast, keeping the staging simple and letting the actors shape the storytelling, ideal for this type of satirical farce. The set design includes some vintage appliances and decidedly modest furnishings.

The oddball ending moves us from raucous comedy to passionate polemic almost in the blink of an eye. Is it too rough of a landing? Can this transition be a little smoother? Possibly. But Mr Fo’s intent is to stir things up, turn convention on its pointy little head, and then make you laugh about it. In this regard, We Won’t Pay! We Won’t Pay! at Cinnabar is a roaring success.

When: Now through October 7, 2012

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

2 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $15 to $25

Location: Cinnabar Theater

3333 Petaluma Blvd North, Petaluma CA Phone: 707-763-8920

Website: www.cinnabartheater.org

Sep 29 2012
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A Timely Classical Hamlet at Cal ShakesTheatre

By Guest Review

A Timely Classical Hamlet at California Shakespeare Theatre
California Shakespeare’s final play this season offers a spirited and meaningful Hamlet that takes hold of spectators from beginning to the tragic end of what probably is Shakespeare’s most emotionally charged and morally challenging work.

Cal Shakes’ Hamlet depicts a rich number of emotional states such as betrayal, treachery, deception, tyranny, political ambition, injustice, dementia, sexual desire and motherly and parental love. All of these emotional states are over ridden by Hamlet’s drive for revenge for his father’s unjust death. This version (directed by Liesl Tommy) centering upon a son’s avenging a father unjustly killed progresses briskly and elegantly through five acts as though happening in the twenty first century.

In Act One, after we learn of the death of King Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears to Hamlet to inform him he was poisoned by his brother Claudius (performed with authority by Adrian Roberts) in order to replace him as king and marry his widow Gertrude (interpreted by Julie Eccles with maternal grace and dignity).

In Act Two, Hamlet hesitates to kill his uncle and then thinks of a plan to confirm his uncle’s guilt by requesting actors to play a scene of the poisoning of a king before him. The actors’ scene, played as a farce, is somewhat overextended.

In Act Three, a guilty Claudius sends Hamlet to England with a plan to have him killed that fails. Hamlet meets with his mother and in one of the plays’ most stirring scenes rebukes her for marrying so rapidly after his father’s death. At one point when he hears Polonius (Dan Hiatt) hiding behind a tapestry, thinking it is his uncle eavesdropping, Hamlet stabs Ophelia’s father.

In Act Four, Ophelia goes mad after the loss of her father and Hamlet in a powerfully dramatic scene a bit overplayed by Zainab Jah.
Act Five contains philosophically deep reflections on mortality as a gravedigger (Dan Hiatt in a strong character role creation) digging Ophelia’s grave speaks about death as he pulls out skeleton heads from the earth. At the end of this act Hamlet duels with Ophelia’s brother Laertes (performed by Nicholas Pelczar ) for having argued with Hamlet about his sister’s death being a suicide.
In the play’s tragic end the duel is accomplished with a poisoned sword that Laertes prepared to kill Hamlet and wine containing poison meant for Hamlet that Hamlet’s mother accidentally drinks. Hamlet’s dying words are to Horatio (Nick Gabriel) requesting he tell Hamlet’s story.

California Shakespeare’s Hamlet is as philosophically and morally rich as it is dramatically and lyrically moving. It offers a blend of classicism, through the use of Shakespeare’s text, combined with semi stylized 20th century movement, and a performance in modern dress and on unadorned sets (Clint Ramos) that harmoniously bring human relationships and the dramatic action into our present century.
California Shakespeare Theater’s Hamlet plays until October 21. For information call 510.548.9666 or visit www.calshakes.org
Annette Lust

Sep 28 2012
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Ionesco’s Rhinocéros: Physical Theatre

By Jo Tomalin

Cast of Rhinocéros
(Photo Credit: Jean Louis Fernandez)

Opening night of Eugène Ionesco’s absurdist metaphoric play “Rhinocéros” on September 27th at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall for Cal Performances was an intense evening of theatre, inventively directed by Emmanuel Demarcy-Mota.

Demarcy-Mota brings this boldly staged production on its debut tour of three US cities – Los Angeles, Berkeley and Ann Arbor, which originated in Paris at the illustrious Théâtre de la Ville.

Ionesco’s play foreshadows fascism and conformity in Europe and this production is a vibrant physically acted philosophical debate of the consequences.

The play takes place in a small village in France on a Sunday morning when a villager turns into a rhinoceros without warning – followed by others. Whether one knows the background of the author’s intent or not when watching it, the audience experiences something very powerful by the end of this one hour forty five minute production, in French with English supertitles and no intermission.

Serge Maggiani plays Berenger, the everyman character of the story. He is inebriated for the first part of the play, hapless, workshy and seemingly unaffected by the effects of conforming to the crowd. As the play progresses, he shows his human emotions and is endearing as the audience empathizes with his situation. Maggiani’s Berenger gets under your skin slowly and brilliantly – his last speech at the end of the play is riveting.

Hugues Quester as Berenger’s friend, Jean is outstanding in his tour de force scene with Maggiani, which is one of the most poignant moments of the play. The cast of thirteen actors features Valérie Dashwood as Daisy, Philippe Demarle as Dudard, and Gérald Maillet as The Logician.

Cast of Rhinocéros (Photo Credit: Jean Louis Fernandez)

Cast of Rhinocéros (Photo Credit: Jean Louis Fernandez)

 

Cast of Rhinocéros (Photo Credit: Jean Louis Fernandez)

Cast of Rhinocéros (Photo Credit: Jean Louis Fernande

 

 

Demarcy-Mota directed his cast to develop and incorporate physical theatre choices such as the contrast between the physical fluidity of Berenger and the slow movement of background characters or sharper movement and gestures of some of the villagers as they fervently discuss logic…

…choreographed sways and twists of the ensemble across the stage…

…chairs held exaggeratedly high in the air to protect themselves; the unison outstretched physical reactions of the ensemble in the office (see top photo), and the wonderfully illogical yet metaphorically appropriate stylized movement in the scene when suspended office workers are cleverly entangled and connected to each other’s arms and legs to avoid falling – or worse.

Cast of Rhinocéros (Photo Credit: Jean Louis Fernandez)

Superb artistic design from the creative team supports the director’s fresh look vision resulting in a unified strength and completeness.

Set and Lighting Design by Yves Collet was dramatic, moody and kept surprising the audience when what seemed like a simple set of a bar suggested by twenty chairs and several background panels transformed to reveal a building of sterile flats which also became an office on the upper level. These slick visual changes provided points of rhythm change for the play as the story unfolded – and the stakes increased.

Music by Jefferson Lembeye ranged from wonderfully disturbing violin and cello sounds, ominous  pressure-like pulsations, sharp electric sounds – to the earth-shaking rumbling of a rhinoceros.

Corinne Baudelot’s costumes for the ensemble became more stylized as the physical theatre style developed in the office scenes, where everyone wore black suits, white shirts and red ties. Jean’s black leather coat for his transformation scene was an eerie and inspired choice.

This is a first class production and is well worth seeing.

Rhinocéros plays at Zellerbach Hall, Cal Performances – September 27th to 29th 2012.

For more information and tickets:
Cal Performances, Berkeley
Théâtre de la Ville, Paris

Jo Tomalin Ph.D.
Critics World
Forallevents.com

Sep 26 2012
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SLEEPWALK WITH ME

By Joe Cillo

SLEEPWALK WITH ME

Directed by Mike Birbiglia

Starring Mike Birbiglia and Lauren Ambrose

 

Being in a relationship is a full time job

So don’t apply if you’re not ready

Unknown

I am a stand up comic.  I have been fighting to succeed in this very challenging profession for eight years and I am finally seeing hope.  So much of this movie rang true that it was actually painful to see.  Matt (Mike Birbiglia) wants to do stand up comedy because he can’t seem to succeed at anything else.  He has two big problems:  He has lousy material and he isn’t funny.  One would think that would be enough to discourage him from pursuing this very low paying often thankless job….but no…as his agent (Sondra James) tells him, “You don’t have to be funny…you just have to get booked.”

 

And she is right.  One of the most telling lines in the play and the most real is the “veteran” comedian(Marc Maron) who tells Matt (Mike Birbiglia) how disgusted he is that comedians who have no jokes and never get laughs are rising to the top, while he is struggling to get at least some gigs that pay.  This couldn’t be a more accurate description of this very difficult profession.

 

No one realizes how difficult it is to make a group of strangers laugh at something you think is hilarious.  When you are on that stage, the audience judges every word and all too often comedians simply do not listen to the response they get.  They refuse to admit that no one laughed at any of their jokes and indeed some people actually fell asleep.  Matt is one of those comedians. One laugh in the midst of 20 minutes of silence,  is all he needs to keep him plugging away at his new found career.  And somehow, some way, he manages to get paying gigs to sustain him.

 

Even as his comedy is improving (but not by much) he is overwhelmed with doubt about committing to an 8 year relationship with the adorable and very sweet Lauren Ambrose.  Just before he is about to break up with her, he reminds the audience in the ongoing narrative that holds the shaky plot together, “Before I tell you this part of the story, I want to remind you that you’re on my side.”

 

Perhaps some of us are.  Birbiglia’s persona is irresistible and his plight is acerbated by the severe sleeping disorder that he ignores.   He acts out his night mares and until the night he crashes through a window of his hotel room, he refuses to do anything to help himself.    His father’s (James Rebhorn) determination to get him properly diagnosed was a bit overbearing to me and his ditzy mother (Carol Kane) did not convince me that she was real.  Birbiglia and Ambrose carry the film and it is their charm that keeps our interest until the all too predictable end.

 

This is a very lightweight film, but there is something so real about the characters that the action holds our attention.   I thought it was charming, but then I too am fighting to become a recognized stand-up comedian and I know how all-consuming that can be.   I am not so sure it would hold together for someone not so involved in the field.

 

 

 

 

Sep 26 2012
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“Chorus Line” still relevant after all these years

By Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

It’s a tribute to the genius of the late Michael Bennett and his artistic colleagues that “A Chorus Line” is still impressive and relevant 37 years after it opened on Broadway. The latest evidence of its power is the Broadway By the Bay production now playing at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City.

It’s relevant because — like the dancers auditioning for a Broadway show — most people still have to put themselves on the line to get a job, especially one in a profession they’re passionate about. It’s impressive because the story, characters, staging, music, choreography and sets all make for a classic of the American musical theater.

The setting (from Cabrillo Stage) is simple — a bare stage where more than 20 dancers, and then 17, are auditioning for eight chorus parts in the show. But for some of the featured numbers, the black back panels revolve to reveal full-length mirrors on the other side, allowing the auditioners to see themselves and allowing the audience to experience a heightened effect from dancers dancing in unison.

The crux of the story by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, though, comes through the director, Zach (Tim Reynolds), who wants them to do more than sing and dance. He wants them to talk about themselves and how they came to be dancers. Thus the individual tales unfold, leading to such memorable songs as “At the Ballet,” “One” and “What I Did for Love” — all by Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by Edward Kleban.

Although the performers in BBB’s non-Equity production seem to have been chosen more for their dancing than for their singing, a few stand out. Chief among them are Michelle Cabinian as Diana, who’s featured in “Nothing” and “What I Did for Love”; and Mary Theresa Capriles as Cassie, who sings and dances in the show-stopping “The Music and Mirror.” Brian Conway is touching as Paul, who got his start in show biz by performing in a drag show when he was 16. Mary Kalita’s Val is spunky in “…And…” and “Dance: 10; Looks: Three,” informally known as the T&A song.

Unlike the original production, which garnered multiple Tony Awards and a Pulitzer Prize, this one has an intermission. Otherwise, the set, costumes (from The Theatre Company) and lighting by Michael Ramsaur are based on the original. The sound design by Delicate is inconsistent, with some performers more audible and comprehensible than others. (Diction is part of this problem.)

Bennett conceived and originally directed and choreographed the show. BBB’s Robyn Tribuzi recreates his choreography, with some additional choreography by Alex Acevedo, who also plays Mike, for “I Can Do That.” Likewise Jeffrey Bracco’s direction is inspired by the original. Musical director Sean Kana directs the excellent orchestra.

BBB has made the Fox Theatre its home while its former venue, the San Mateo Performing Arts Center, is being renovated. The Fox is a vintage 1929 movie house right in the middle of downtown Redwood City. It had fallen on hard times in the past, but the new owners, Eric and Lori Lochtefeld, and BBB are making some welcome improvements, such as new seats in the lower balcony. More new seats are in the offing.

In the meantime, the BBB production of “A Chorus Line” is most enjoyable. It continues through Oct. 7. For tickets and information call (650) 369-7770 or visit www.broadwaybythebay.org.

Sep 26 2012
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Hot on the Trail of a Tropical Treat

By Guest Review

Hot on the Trail of a Tropical Treat

By Judith M. Wilson

It was hot, just two days before the first day of summer in the southern hemisphere, and although it was mid-December and well into the countdown to Christmas, chocolate was the last thing on our minds. The tropical temperatures would have made it a gooey mess in our bags, and água-de-coco – coconut water — was far more refreshing in the heat. Besides, Brazil is more famous for bikinis, the slinky rhythm of samba-swaying hips, strong coffee and exotic animals than it is for chocolate, so it really wasn’t a consideration — until the very end of the trip, when we discovered Kopenhagen, a distinctly Brazilian confeitaria despite its European name.
The wait in São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport was a long one. My travelling companion Armelle and I had killed a fair amount of time indulging in one last snack of Brazilian pastel and fresh juice before our departure and admiring each larger-than-life Papai Noel (Santa Claus) mannequin we encountered. Now, we were down to the stores. We spotted Kopenhagen with its distinctive red storefront and gold lettering and decided that stocking up on some chocolate for the holidays was a good plan.
With unfamiliar choices galore in a crowded shop, it was difficult to choose, but I finally settled on some bars of dark chocolate that were sturdy and would be easy to tuck into the tiny space left in my carry-on. Armelle was a little more daring and declared that we needed a treat. And so she picked a large confection, sight unseen but carefully wrapped in paper, and her selection was probably because she’s French, and the presentation appealed to her Gallic sensibilities. I took note of the name, Nhá Benta Maracujá — maracujá is Portuguese for passion fruit and always gets my attention. It was our last purchase before checking in for our flight to the United States.
By the time we were airborne, it was after 10 p.m., and we were hungry, so somewhere over the interior of Brazil we decided to break out the chocolate. “You do it,” said Armelle, instructing me to split it into two. I carefully unwrapped what turned out to be a conical confection and did the honors, then, after handing over half, I shamelessly started to lick my sticky fingers so as not to lose a single bit.
Now, while it might place below fine chocolate on my index of taste favorites, passion fruit is right up there near the top, so pairing the two flavors struck me as brilliant, a taste sensation to be sure. The chocolate shell was silky milk chocolate, not the dark variety that we usually opt for, and inside, on top of a thin wafer, was a fluffy marshmallow filling delicately flavored with passion fruit. Wow! It had the taste buds tingling. This was one marvelous creation. We both gasped in dismay. We’d bought just one solitary chocolate to share. All we wanted to do was turn around and go back to get more.
Shorty after arriving home, I headed to the computer to find Kopenhagen’s website. After all, we can order just about anything online, right? The word “disponível” appeared next to Nhá Benta Maracujá. Unavailable. My heart sank.
I did eventually find a recipe for something similar on the Internet, but it required passion fruit-flavored gelatin, which seemed to be a mysterious and unattainable item in North America. Experimentation with frozen passion fruit pulp and concentrated juice yielded recipes for a wonderful passion fruit chiffon cake, cookies and delicious ice cream, all of which lend themselves well to pairing with chocolate of any kind, but nothing close to the elusive Nhá Benta Maracujá.
It was more than three years before I returned to Brazil, and the memory lingered. The first thing I did after checking into my hotel in Rio de Janeiro was to seek the location of the nearest Kopenhagen. With a wave of her hand toward the side door, the desk clerk said that the closest shop was down the street, just a couple of blocks from the beach in Copacabana. In fact, Kopenhagen, which Latvian immigrants Anna and David Kopenhagen founded in 1928, has been keeping sweet-toothed Brazilians happy with quality chocolate products for three generations and has 283 shops in 60 cities, so it’s fairly easy to find one.
On my first visit to the store, I learned that Nhá Benta, Kopenhagen’s signature chocolate, comes in several flavors, and although my personal favorite is maracujá, friends on this trip swore by coconut. Tradicional (vanilla), moranga (strawberry), chocolate and canela (cinnamon) are other options. This time, with lots of space in my bag, I returned home with a variety of chocolates for everyone and treated myself to one individual chocolate as well — passion fruit, of course — savoring it with gratitude for Mother Nature’s wisdom in giving us fabulous flavors and the skill of chocolate aficionados in using them creatively.
Finally, for good measure, I visited the local supermarket, Pão de Açucar, to stock up on passion fruit-flavored gelatin. I’ve decided not to try to replicate Nhá Benta though, suspecting that trying to match something that’s already perfect is doomed to disappointment. Instead, a vision of handmade passion fruit marshmallows dipped in rich, dark chocolate has taken shape in my mind, and I might just try making such a confection now that I have the requisite ingredients in my own kitchen. As for the treasured Nhá Benta, I’ll reserve it for another trip to Brazil.

Sep 24 2012
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Director’s reimagination goes astray in “Hamlet”

By Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

The motto of California Shakespeare Theater is “Reimagining the classics.” With its production of “Hamlet,” however, director Liesl Tommy may be stretching the reimagination a bit too far with her concept. If one doesn’t read the program notes, one might not realize that she sees it as a memory play in which “the structure (Elsinore Castle) has outlived its inhabitants and is now a haunted place.”

Likewise, it might take a while for an observer to realize that the main part of the set by Clint Ramos (who also designed the modern-day costumes) is an empty swimming pool, strewn as it is with all sorts of clutter and set pieces. And as some directors are wont to do with William Shakespeare, Tommy eliminates characters — most notably Fortinbras — and rearranges scenes. Thus Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy is not a soliloquy but rather a rumination as Ophelia lies in his arms.

The essence of the story is intact, however, as Hamlet (Leroy McClain) is horrified that just two months after the death of his father, king of Denmark, his mother, Gertrude (Julie Eccles), has married his father’s brother, Claudius (Adrian Roberts). In those days, such a marriage was considered incestuous, let alone unduly hasty. As if this weren’t enough, Hamlet encounters the ghost of his father (Roberts again), who says that Claudius murdered him and that Hamlet must avenge the death. Thus begins Hamlet’s equivocation.

In short order, he feigns madness, shuns Ophelia (Zainab Jah), accidentally murders Ophelia’s father, Polonius (Dan Hiatt), leading to Ophelia’s madness and another string of tragedies that leave the stage littered with bodies at the end. If this “Hamlet” is a memory play, then perhaps it plays out in the memories of Hamlet’s steadfast friend, Horatio (Nick Gabriel), who witnesses nearly every scene even when the script doesn’t require him to be onstage. He’s the only major character who survives.

Despite some questionable directoral choices, the cast is solid, especially Eccles, Gabriel, Hiatt and Nicholas Pelczar as Laertes. Ably filling lesser roles are Danny Scheie as Osric and the Player King, Mia Tagano as the Player Queen and a doctor, Jessica Kitchens as Rosencrantz, Brian Rivera as Guildenstern and others, and Joseph Salazar as Marcellus.

As for McClain as Hamlet, he is directed to become too emotional, while Roberts is a too monster-like as the ghost of Hamlet’s father. And Jah’s Ophelia goes way over the top in her insanity.

Peter West’s lighting is effective, as is Jake Rodriguez’s sound, which includes some hit tunes from the 1960s. Dave Maier is the fight director.

No doubt because “Hamlet” is one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays — the source of many familiar lines and expressions — it has been extended for a week due to strong demand for tickets. Audiences won’t exactly be disappointed, but they won’t be seeing the best example of this classic.

“Hamlet” continues through Oct. 21. For tickets and information, call (510) 548-9666 or visit www.calshakes.org.

Sep 24 2012
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“The Other Place” examines mysteries of dementia

By Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

Confident, well groomed and well spoken, an eminent research scientist is in the Virgin Islands lecturing a group doctors about a product she developed that could be a breakthrough in the treatment of dementia. Although the word “Alzheimer’s” is never used, it’s clearly a focus in “The Other Place,” the Sharr White drama receiving its West Coast premiere at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre.

The speaker is 52-year-old Juliana Smithton (Henny Russell), who finds herself more and more distracted by a young woman in a yellow bikini in the back row. From there the mystery heightens and the action shifts among several settings and time periods as well as between reality and Juliana’s imagination — or perhaps hallucinations. What she tells a neurobiologist, Dr. Cindy Teller (Carrie Paff, who’s listed as The Woman in the program), differs from what is said by her husband, Ian Smithton (Donald Sage Mackay), an oncologist.

Perhaps the problems started 10 years ago when Laurel (Paff), the 15-year-old daughter of Juliana and Ian, disappeared one night and never was seen again. She may or may not have run off with or been abducted by Richard Sillner (Patrick Russell, listed as The Man in the program), Juliana’s post-doc assistant at the time.

“The Other Place” may have two meanings. One is literal — the Smithtons’ cottage on Cape Cod. The other is figurative — wherever Juliana’s mind goes as some sort of dementia sets in. Juliana calls it “the great darkness.” White skillfully takes the audience between them as more truths emerge.

Director Loretta Greco, the Magic’s producing artistic director, and her talented cast carefully navigate this difficult emotional journey. Henny Russell is riveting as her Juliana tries to make sense of what’s happening and tries to convince others around her that her perceptions are real. She’s well balanced by Mackay as her supportive husband, Ian, who can be seen as the truth-teller. Paff makes Dr. Teller a competent professional. She’s also makes a convincing transition as a woman who’s outraged to find Juliana in the cottage but who soon perceives what might be happening and kindly appeases Juliana in the play’s most touching scene.

Although the set by Myung Hee Cho, who also designed the costumes, works for the first half of the intermissionless play, it has problems in the second half. That’s when a white screen across the stage opens to reveal the cottage. Unfortunately, though, the cottage’s side walls block the view of people seated on the right and left sides of the stage. Consequently, — unless they have access to the script — they have no idea what is happening in the very last scene. Otherwise, Eric Southern’s lighting, Brandon Wolcott’s sound and composition, and Hana Sooyeon Kim’s video design complement the production.

“The Other Place” is scheduled for a Broadway production by the Manhattan Theatre Club at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in December. If the Magic production is any indication, it should be a success as it examines the toll of dementia as well as the mysteries of a decade-old family tragedy.

The Magic Theatre production will continue through Oct. 7. For tickets and information, call (415) 441-8822 or visit www.magictheatre.org.

Sep 23 2012
Love0

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers-6th St.Playhouse-SantaRosa CA

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

From left: Clint Campbell, Jake Flatto, Trevor Hoffmann, Rebekah Patti

 Photos by Eric Chazankin

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo
(Saturday, August 25, 2012 evening performance)

Disappointing Launch for 6th Street’s New Season

For its season kickoff last year, 6th Street Playhouse’s GK Hardt Theatre enjoyed a stunning triumph with “Kiss Me Kate”, and kept the momentum going with a string of standing-room only hits like “A Christmas Story”, “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”, “The Marvelous Wonderettes” and “The Producers”.  There were also a number of remarkable shows at 6th Street’s Studio Theatre. These successes raised the bar not only for local theatre overall, but for 6th Street itself.  Whether their newest production “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” can meet last season’s formidable challenge is far from certain.

As its 2012-2013 season opener, “Seven Brides” is a surprising choice for award-winning 6th Street Playhouse. This lavish MGM movie musical from 1954 was a great success, with stars like Howard Keel and Jane Powell, and an outstanding supporting cast. But the stage adaptation by Gene de Paul, Johnny Mercer, Al Kasha and Joel Hirschhorn was not much of a crowd-pleaser when it first appeared on Broadway in 1982. Actually, it was a flop – it closed after only five performances, and didn’t do much better when it opened in London’s West End a few years later. It saw more success on tour in the U.S. and in revivals, but was never what you’d call a popular hit.

The story is simple and the premise is flimsy. In 1850 Oregon, rugged mountaineer Adam decides it’s time to get him a wife, so he descends from his remote mountain cabin into town. There he manages to charm the naïve but lovely Milly into marrying him, over the strong suspicions of the townsfolk. When she arrives back at the cabin with her bumptious hubby, she discovers they are not alone. His six uncouth, unwashed and unmarried brothers are living there with him. When these wild boys get the idea they’d like to be married too, they end up kidnapping six girls from town. All heck breaks loose, with a happy ending guaranteed. But the show at 6th Street has problems.

To begin with, there’s the casting. While they do have good singing voices, it’s an understatement to say that most of the brothers do not look like outdoorsy types. It’s hard to believe these guys are supposed to be rough-hewn mountain men – felling trees, splitting logs and killing grizzlies with their bare hands. They’d look much more at home on the sofa, munching pizza and watching TV. Case in point: one especially embarrassing number has all six of Adam’s brothers surrendering their underwear to Milly for washing, and they end up doing a lively dance together shirtless, not a pretty sight. This is where unfortunate casting choices are painfully apparent. Some of the brothers display a little too much bouncing flesh in the process. If this is supposed to be funny, it doesn’t work.

In all fairness, there are a few standouts among the brothers: the acrobatic Trevor Hoffman as Benjamin, and Clint Campbell (so compelling as Brick in last season’s “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”) as Caleb, not only look their parts but are also convincing as powerful, independent guys that still long for love and acceptance. Probably the best of the boys is Joey Abrego as the youngest brother Gideon. He shows both strength and sensitivity, and has a truly wonderful voice. It’s easy to see how a young lady might find him appealing and sympathetic.

As for the brides, there were some really good performances by Kate Kitchens as Alice, and Vanessa Bautista as Martha. And even though she plays a supporting role in this show, the delightful April Krautner as Dorcas steals every scene she’s in. She’s always funny and charming in her leading roles (witness last season’s “The 39 Steps” and “The Producers”), and she’s also tops at singing and dancing.

Rebekah Patti, Ben Knoll

Ben Knoll as Adam needs to be bold and daring – a force of nature – but instead comes off as just an ordinary, likeable guy. Despite having a pleasant enough singing voice and demeanor, he lacks the rugged physicality of a man who takes long hikes in the mountains, a quality needed in this role to make it effective and believable. The excellent Rebekah Patti as Milly carries the show as best she can with her beautiful voice and engaging stage presence, with the help of just a few good supporting cast members playing townsfolk. Alan Kafton as the Preacher and Laura Davis as Mrs Hoallum are a pleasure to watch whenever they happen onto the stage. The chorus offers good, strong harmonies offset by only occasional pitch problems.

Fledgling director Patrick Varner’s staging is inconsistent. The fight scenes are a bit awkward and some of the group scenes are disorganized, like traffic jams onstage. There are some impressive bits of acrobatics and tumbling, and some good dance numbers (by choreographer Alexandra Cummins). The best part of the show: a brief, inspired shadow-puppet chase sequence that includes some creative wagon wheel-rolling and pantomime, involving nearly the entire cast. But with only a few bright spots like these, the end results are less than uneven. Set design by Vincent Mothersbaugh and costumes by Erika Hauptman are merely acceptable, but the 10-piece orchestra more than holds its own under the always capable direction of Janis Dunson Wilson.

To support such a lightweight musical show and bring it across to the audience, you need the assurance of blazing triple-threat performers combined with excellent casting, directing, set design and choreography. Without the help of this talent, a weak story stays weak, and just limps along. “Seven Brides” at 6th Street could use a crutch, maybe two.

When:  Now through September 16, 2012
8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays
2 p.m. Sundays
2 p.m. Saturday September 15
Tickets:  $15 to $35
Location:  6th Street Playhouse – GK Hardt Theatre, 52 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa CA
Phone:  707-523-4185
Website:  www.6thstreetplayhouse.com