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May 24 2021
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Test Review May 24, 2021

By Carol Benet, Go See

Manual Cinema performs Frankenstein as part of Cal Performances at Home, streaming premiere Thursday, October 29 at 7pm PDT; Performance will be available on demand until January 27th, 2021. Pictured: Sarah Fornace
(credit: Drew Dir)

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Apr 13 2021
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The Waste Land: a review by Victor Cordell

By Victor Cordell

Lisa Ramirez. Photo by Carson French.

“April is the cruelest month…..”  This famous line opens T. S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” generally regarded as one of the finest pieces of modern literature.  At its best, this 434-line epic poem oozes symbolism and begs never-ending analysis of its trenchant insights.  Yet, like its opening line, “The Waste Land” contains endless contradictions and ambiguities.  Indeed, Eliot provided lengthy annotations of the poem in its original publication, though some of those confuse rather than illuminate.  Detractors would submit that his episodic narrative with leaps in time, and changes in speakers and narrative style lacks cohesion.  But perhaps that reflected the way he saw the new world around him.  Further, Eliot’s frequent allusions to other literary works and use of untranslated foreign languages may seem to impress rather than inform.

John Wilkens has adapted “The Waste Land” to the stage as a vehicle for a solo performer.  Oakland Theater Project has produced the staging, starring the multi-talented Lisa Ramirez and directed by Michael Socrates Moran.  This production is the first live performance with a live audience sanctioned by Actors Equity in the state of California since the start of the pandemic.  But to accomplish the approval, the performance is outdoors, and the audience remain in their cars.  The good news with this arrangement is that the cars are parked one-deep, so that sight lines are great and the audience is close to the performer.  The audio comes through FM on the car radio.  The bad news, for the company, is that audience size is seriously limited.

Because the poem tells stories in different voices and perspectives, it is conducive to dramatic staging.  For those who wish to expand their intellectual horizons but can’t muster the motivation to read Eliot’s masterpiece, Ramirez’s recitation with interpretive movement, variation of voicing, affect, and intensity captures the viewer’s attention in a manner that few readers would self-engender.  And the performance offers a fine dose of high-brow culture in well less than an hour.  As a fine actor, she does emote effectively, although her voice is not long on the gravitas often associated with poetry reading.

This production offers the added dimension of projected images to enhance the lyrics and acting.  A video preface to the live performance of brief clips covers the history from when the poem was written to current day – a reminiscence of iconic snippets embracing everything from pop culture to war.  In the absence of a printed program, I am unable to credit the creator.  Few props appear on the earthen parking-lot “stage.”  One used to pleasant effect is a strummed mandolin, which accompanies Ramirez as she delivers the words of the blind, Greek prophet, Tiresias, in a manner like an opera recitative.

The poet doesn’t refer explicitly to a waste land, so what is the poem about?  The dominant received wisdom is that it concerns loss.  Published in 1922, American-born Eliot had lived for a decade in England, which had just suffered through World War I, and concurrently, the (inappropriately named!) Spanish Flu epidemic.  Sensing that the massive loss of life and destruction of property had permanently displaced pre-war society, Eliot foresaw a bleak future.  The poem is written in five distinct sections.  The first, “The Burial of the Dead” establishes the overriding motif, and the speaker, Marie, evidences loss of station and things when she leaves childhood behind.  The most direct reference to the uncertainty ahead appears in the final section, “What the Thunder Said,” with an expressed reference to the nursery rhyme “London Bridge is Falling Down” providing the analogy to failed civilization.

“The Waste Land” particularly resonates as a corollary to our time.   The impact of Covid-19 in the United States now approaches that of the Spanish Flu, though worldwide, the latter was 15 times more deadly than Covid-19 has been to date.  And while a devastating military war loomed in Eliot’s consciousness, this country now faces a cultural war that increasingly cleaves us into two disparate camps with little common ground between us, and in which, tragically, a large segment of the population representing one of those camps even refuses to accept empirical facts that disconfirm what they wish to believe.

“The Waste Land” is written by T. S. Eliot, adapted by John Wilkens, and produced by Oakland Theater Project.  It plays in live performance drive-in theater format at the company’s home, Flax art + design, 1501 Martin Luther King, Jr. Parkway, Oakland, CA through May 16, 2021.

Oct 25 2020
Love0

“Art” streamed at SF Playhouse

By Test Review

“Art” at SF Playhouse

Carol Benet

The SF Playhouse is presenting Yasmina Reza’s ”Art” translated from the French by Christopher Hampton.  It is streamed on-demand through November 7.  This is an unusual project, a filmed version of a fully staged play that is then streamed to an audience.  This could be a game-changer in the world of theater arts, a method devised for the current COVID-19 pandemic when all the performing arts are shut down for safety’s sake.

The production of “Art” was created as any play with actors performing on a stage with a set, costumes,  lights and sound.  This is one of the first stage filming in the country and  the it is completely successful. and enjoyable.  This is one of the best uses of the internet for theatrical performances but then the play with its small cast is perfect and little action where the dialogues are the most important parts. 

“Art” was an immediate hit when it opened in Paris in 1994.  When translated it played in London and on Broadway.  Reza also wrote the hit play “The God of Carnage” and she is a  French novelist and  actress. 

“Art” has three actors, male friends who discuss Serge’s (Johnny Moreno) recent purchase of   a modern painting that is completely white with no figuration what so ever. Mark (Jomar Tagatac), an engineer with no artistic imagination or appreciation, is aghast because his friend paid $200, 000 for it.  Yes Serge is a dermatologist who can afford it but still.  A third friend Yvon (Bobak Bakhtiari) also weighs in on the conversation but he swings back and forth between accepting or denying the worthiness of the purchase.

The three men squabble about the object, the white painting that appears to Serge to have more than just the blank whiteness but in which he sees gradations of subtle colors (like the minimalist works of the time).  The others disagree. They see only a white rectangle. But the conversation goes deeper than the merits or not of the painting.  Mark asks Serge if the purchase made him happy and Mark retorts “Read Seneca”, an ancient author who wrote about happiness. Then their friendships come under inspection.

Yvon has had  many jobs and was once source of amusement for them, a joker.  But now all is changed now that he is soon to be married.  They loved him because he was their eccentric and absurd friend.  The other two could depend on this and this made him enduring to them. His change is hard to take. Yvon  comes late for meeting them to go out to dinner.  He is very agitated because all the step-mothers involved in his marriage (his, hers) want to be included on the invitation to the wedding. He also reveals that he has been talking about his friends with his psychiatrist whom he has been seeing for six years.  They are furious. 

They jab at each other over the merits of the painting and bring up the piece of “motel art” belonging to Yvon but this a sore spot because it was painted by Yvon’s father.  Serge also disparages the mundane landscape of Carcassonne in Mark’s living room.  In moments of verbal crisis Serge not only talks about Seneca but he brings up deconstruction, a literary criticism term bandied around the arts in the time. Mark takes this as an offense saying that Serge is off-standish and condescending with comments like this.  Serge accuses Mark for his smug and snickering insinuations.

They spar on hurts of the past, on personality quirks and they get to a point  of questioning why they are friends in the first place asking each other “what binds them”. They even have .a heated discussion about where they should have dinner, at what restaurant (“not the one with the greasy food”). Even Serge’s inability to stay married comes into the discussion. It becomes a free-for-all and one based on the purchase of a $200,000 minimalist painting that may or may not make Serge happy (read Seneca on this).  

“Art” is a wonderful play, suited to this on stage filming, with a very simple set and only three well-defined  and excellent actors.  Bill English does a brilliant job of direction.   It runs on demand through November 7 and tickets may be purchased at sfplayhouse.org 

Jun 03 2020
Love0

Test-3

By Peter Robinson

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Mar 10 2020
Love0

“Lend Me a Tenor”, a comedy by Ken Ludwig, presented by Avon Players, Rochester MI

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Avon Players

Jonathan Farrell, Erica Gunaca

“Tenor” Promises a Good Time

Avon Players is serving up a crowd-pleasing show, “Lend Me a Tenor”, a classic farce in every sense. First created by renowned playwright Ken Ludwig (“Murder on the Orient Express”, “Fox on the Fairway”), it premiered on London’s West End in 1986 with Andrew Lloyd Webber as producer. It went on to Broadway in 1989, garnering nine Tony nominations, winning two awards.

As the story opens, the folks at the Cleveland Grand Opera Company couldn’t be more excited. For tonight only, world-famous Italian tenor Tito Merelli has agreed to sing the lead role in their presentation of Pagliacci. Everybody loves Tito, especially his female fans, and he loves them right back, much to the perpetual chagrin of his wife, Maria.

The opera company’s stressed-out manager, Henry Saunders, is played by Joe Colosi in a solid performance. Nick Frederick, pleasantly dorky as Henry’s hapless young assistant Max, really comes into his own when he dons the clown hat. Max is in love with Henry’s pretty young daughter Maggie, delivered as a goofy airhead by Kimme Suchyta.  Max’s problem: Maggie has a long-standing obsession with – you guessed it – Tito Merelli. Jonathan Farrell as Tito has a nice stage presence and a fine tenor voice when he’s called upon to use it.

Jonathan Farrell, Johanna Steinbrecher-Booker

By far the standout is Johanna Steinbrecher-Booker (so good in Avon’s recent hits “Company” and “Mamma Mia”). As Tito’s bombastic wife Maria, she owns the stage whenever she’s on. Second in the scenery-chewing department is Erica Gunaca as Diana, an aspiring ingenue soprano who’s willing to do anything with anyone to get ahead. Rounding out the enjoyable cast is Joy Oetjens as the grandiose opera guild chair Julia (who, Henry says, looks like the Chrysler Building), and Bodi Johnson as the crazed fanboy bellhop, a source of many over-the-top disruptions.

No spoilers here, but one of the priceless sight gags – indeed, the main point of this farce – is two identical Pagliaccis running around, romancing women who can’t tell them apart, and making mayhem. At one point they lean on a wall directly opposite each other, and it’s supposed to be a mirror image. In this show, one of the guys is quite a bit taller and the ladies would have to be blind not to notice. This really diminishes the potential comic impact.

The play’s 1930s setting gives costume designer Anne Curtis the chance to dress the cast in some pretty spiffy duds. The single set by Brad Holoday and Mark Misch, representing a fancy hotel room with a dividing wall, offers plenty of room to throw hissy fits, slam doors, drink champagne, flirt shamelessly and make mad whoopee, all in the course of one wild day.

Deirdre Ward-Beck is a relatively new director at Avon, making her debut in 2018. Her guidance is capable, but farce is challenging, especially for community theatre companies. To make farce really work well, a refresher course in the special theatrical techniques used in voice and movement might be helpful. Nevertheless, even though the show gets off to a slow start, the momentum that’s built into the script brings everything together in the second act, with the audience really enjoying themselves in a recent sold-out matinee performance.

An interesting note: As originally written by Ludwig, the opera being staged in the story was Othello, with the lead role performed by an actor wearing the blackface makeup that leads to mistaken identity and farcical madcap high jinks. This became problematic in recent years, as blackface drew increasing criticism. In response, the opera in the story was updated to the more acceptable (and relevant) Pagliacci, with the lead role performed in whiteface clown makeup, hat and costume. Anyway, aren’t crazy clowns more fun? But clowns or not, nothing beats a good farce to lift your spirits and let you laugh at yourself, and maybe even the whole human race.

Now through March 21, 2020

Tickets $16-$18

Avon Playhouse

1185 Washington Rd

Rochester, MI 48306

(248) 608-9077

 www.avonplayers.org

Feb 06 2020
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“Working” at Meadow Brook Theatre, Rochester Hills MI

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Meadow Brook Theatre

Working Cast

The Extraordinary Dreams of Ordinary People

You may just see yourself, or recognize someone you know, working onstage at Meadow Brook Theatre.

“Working” is an enduringly likeable musical based on Studs Terkel’s 1974 book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do.  A celebrated radio personality from the 1950s through the 1990s, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and oral historian, Terkel interviewed dozens of ordinary people all over the country from all walks of life for his book, which offers insight into the often-overlooked “everyday American”.

A few years later, in 1977, Working was adapted for the musical stage, with the book by noted American composer Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell”, “Pippin”, “Wicked”) and writer/director Nina Faso (“Rocky Horror Show”, “Godspell”). Based on the stories of real people and their jobs, it moves through a series of 14 short vignettes revealing the deeply personal feelings people have about their means of livelihood. It also celebrates the joy of meaningful work, although that joy is dished out in small portions.

It premiered in Chicago in December 1977, then on to Broadway in May 1978 where it garnered several Tony nominations and two Drama Desk awards. It had multiple revisions over the years, gaining contributions by many popular songwriters like James Taylor and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The version presented at Meadow Brook is the 2012 revision which has six main performers – three women (Emily Hadick, Yemie Sonuga, Kim Rachelle Harris) and three men (Cory Cunningham, Gregory Rodriguez, Ron Williams). Their characters have no names other than number designations (Woman 1, Man 3, etc). Rounding out the cast are Katie Akers and Tyler Bolda, identified simply as Ensemble.

“Working” is a nice tribute to the working class – the “salt of the earth”. They share their views on the meaning of life and work, from the mundane to the profound. “Brother Trucker” by James Taylor is a folksy, funky number, performed by Cory Cunningham, that stays in your head long after the show is over. “Delivery” by Lin-Manuel Miranda has a lively, Latin-pop beat. Fine vocals by Gregory Rodriguez and company make this one of the best songs in the show.

Gregory Rodriguez (on bike) and cast

Craig Carnelia’s “Just a Housewife”, is a stark reminder that after all these years, being a stay-at-home mom is still a thankless job. It’s performed with great feeling by the amazing Yemie Sonuga and the three other ladies in the cast. Yet another highlight is “It’s an Art”, where a waitress (played with sassy sparkle by Kim Rachelle Harris) shares her trade secrets for providing top-notch service. Another notable story-song by James Taylor is “Millwork”, featuring Emily Hadick and the other ladies.

“Joe” is arguably the most touching number by Carnelia. In a powerfully poignant turn by Ron Williams, a retired elderly gentleman finds himself trying to fill his too-long days, struggling to stay relevant to his shrinking world, and ultimately failing.

Even though the musical numbers and individual stories have no real connection to each other, director Travis Walter manages to find a common thread through the incandescent energy of the multi-talented ensemble cast. Starting off as a single unit, they break off into their individual characters, then merge once again to sing the anthems of the American worker with one voice.

This musical was created over 40 years ago, before the internet, computers and social media transformed the workplace. But despite some dated material, the central message of “Working” is timeless and underscores the sometime uncomfortable truth: Work can define who you are and your place in society, for good or bad, and the lack of it can make you feel isolated, useless and irrelevant. But work can also inspire you to dream of a better life.

Emily Hadick, Yemie Sonuga, Katie Akers, Kim Rachelle Harris

When: Now through March 8, 2020

Tickets $36 to $46

Where: Meadow Brook Theatre at Wilson Hall

Oakland University

378 Meadow Brook Rd

Rochester Hills, MI 48309

(248) 377-3300

 www.mbtheatre.com

Meadow Brook Theatre is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kresge Foundation, the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, the Shubert Foundation and the Meadow Brook Theatre Guild.

Jan 06 2020
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Noel Coward’s “Blithe Spirit” at Meadow Brook Theatre, Rochester Hills MI

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle), and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Meadow Brook Theatre

Blithe Spirit Cast

High-Spirited High Jinks

Laughter is the best medicine, and for good reason. It helps us mere mortals cope with the unpleasant and scary things in life. Scariest of them all is the “undiscovered country” that Hamlet talks about in his famous soliloquy, the place from which no one ever returns. Or do they? From Abbott and Costello to Ghostbusters and countless others, the comedy doctors have been busy making death funny.

During especially scary times, in the summer of 1941, Sir Noel Coward’s ghostly comedy “Blithe Spirit” premiered in Manchester and London, to wild acclaim and smashing box office success. Coward served as both playwright and director. It went on to a successful run on Broadway later in 1941, just before the U.S. entered the war. Coward was, and is, one of the most influential and prolific of British talents. Playwright, author, actor, songwriter and performer, he achieved success in nearly every endeavor. “Blithe Spirit” continues to be one of the most enduring and popular plays in his repertoire.

Coward said he purposely crafted the characters in “Blithe Spirit” as unrelatable and cartoonish, all the easier for his grief-stricken and fearful wartime audiences to laugh at them and their predicaments. But there’s substance amid the ectoplasm: Disguised as light comedy, this is really a dark farce, challenging our notions about love, trust and eternity.

At Meadow Brook Theatre, under director Travis Walter’s skilled guidance, the 1940s-era characters are vividly rendered by the actors, with a warm affection and earnestness that makes this such an enjoyable comedy. Fueled by Coward’s sparkling dialogue and crisp action, the time flies.

Timothy Goodwin stars as popular writer Charles Condomine, who‘s looking for inspiration for his next book. He invites a local medium to conduct a séance in his home and ends up with more material than he ever could have imagined. Goodwin’s considerable gifts for witty dialogue and physical comedy are on display, as his glib and nonchalant character gradually descends into frenzy, then acceptance. The medium, Madame Arcati, is played by Lynnae Lehfeldt with a grim eccentricity that builds in volume over the play’s three acts.

Elvira and Charles

Spoiler alert: Charles’ two wives, Ruth (Dani Cochrane) and Elvira (Leslie Ann Handelman), make excellent sparring partners, both in this world and the next. Charles’ first wife, the moody and flamboyant Elvira, has been dead for seven years. Courtesy of Madame Arcati, she appears among the living once again, but is seen and heard only by Charles. None too pleased that Charles has married again, she does her best to sabotage his happiness with Ruth.  Some of the funniest moments onstage are watching Charles trying to talk with the invisible Elvira and Ruth thinking her poor husband has gone bonkers. Cochrane has arguably the more difficult role as Ruth, deftly transitioning from loving wife to skeptic to firm believer with great panache. The showstopper, however, has to be Handelman as Elvira. In her gray makeup and filmy gray gown, she swoops across the stage, terrorizing and teasing one and all. Her performance is a little more one-dimensional (pun intended), but she’s great fun to watch.

Rounding out the excellent cast is Katie Akers as the Condomine’s goofy housekeeper Edith, and Phil Powers and Stephanie Nichols as their friends the Bradmans. Almost like another character, the sweet old Irving Berlin ballad “Always” drifts in and out of the story as a reminder of what was, and what may be.

Lighting by Phillip Hall and costumes by Corey Collins help create a semi-supernatural mood. The simple but lovely set by Kristen Gribbin represents the kind of house you’d feel at home in, even if you’re a ghost. The little blast of music and dancing at the end makes a fun and surprising finish for this very entertaining show.

When: Now through February 2, 2020

Tickets $36 to $46

Where: Meadow Brook Theatre at Wilson Hall

Oakland University

378 Meadow Brook Rd

Rochester Hills, MI 48309

(248) 377-3300

 www.mbtheatre.com

 

Meadow Brook Theatre is supported in part by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Kresge Foundation, the Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation, the Shubert Foundation and the Meadow Brook Theatre Guild.

 

Dec 02 2019
Love0

“Forever Christmas” at Avon Players, Rochester MI

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle) and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos Courtesy of Avon Players

 

 

Forever Christmas Singers – Sherri Angelotti, Clayton Hargrave, Kirsten Renas, Matt Cason, Lori Smith

Comfort Food for the Soul

 

Just like getting together with old friends and family at this time of year, “Forever Christmas” is joyfully familiar and comes with surprises. This sweet and gentle musical revue – an Avon Players original – offers songs, comedy sketches and inspired storytelling that is not unlike a holiday party with some very talented guests.

Recorded music, along with dreamy video projections of snow falling and outdoor Christmas scenes, provides the cast of five singers and four actors a cheerful backdrop. A special appearance by legendary broadcast personality Chuck Daugherty lends a magical touch with his spellbinding narratives of the history of the Christmas tree and the origin of “O Little Town of Bethlehem”. His melodious speaking voice, honed through his many decades on the radio, makes you clearly see the people and places he talks about, and yearn for more.

Chuck Daugherty

Five outstanding singers (Sherri Angelotti, Matt Cason, Clayton Hargrave, Kirsten Renas and Lori Smith), each of whom could have their own career in cabaret, blend their voices in beautiful harmonies and vibrant solos. Most of the singers were featured in last season’s spectacular “Hunchback of Notre Dame”. This show is a nostalgia trip for sure: A couple of numbers by the three lady singers recall the Lennon Sisters of the long-ago Lawrence Welk days, and some songs could have been sung by Bing Crosby or Perry Como. Granted, there are some modern twists to old standards, but by and large, this show takes you back to mellower times. Standout numbers include the sparkling “Jing A Ling” and lovely “Breath of Life”, arguably the best in the show.

Forever Christmas Actors – Anthony Sherman (Santa), Bodi Johnson, Katie Jostock, Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker

Bodi Johnson, Katie Jostock, Anthony Sherman and Johannah Steinbrecher-Booker, the four actors doing comedy sketches sprinkled between musical numbers, give their all to the zany mix. There’s funny bits about co-worker crazies, a frenzied visit with Santa, a crabby TV hostess and a brutally frank dysfunctional family.

One critique would be the blocking – the singers have a chorus-line look at times, with minimal choreography. Breaking them up into small groups more often would give the musical numbers more depth and movement between sketches.

Projection design by Bryan Clifford gives just the right effect, as does lighting and set design by the show’s director, JD Deierlein. He’s also spot-on as the vocal director. Deierlein first conceived this show 27 years ago, over the years evolving the cast, music and stories so that now it’s a holiday tradition at Avon Players.

So sit back and relax. All you need to do is enjoy. But just one thing…

As of this writing, all but one of the remaining performances is sold out, but you can call or drop by the box office for cancellations. Or if you’re really lucky, they may decide to add some more shows. Then again, there’s always next year.

Now through December 14, 2019

Tickets $22

Avon Playhouse

1185 Washington Rd

Rochester, MI 48306

(248) 608-9077

 www.avonplayers.org

Nov 11 2019
Love0

“Noises Off” Presented by Stagecrafters at Baldwin Theater, Royal Oak MI

By Greg & Suzanne Angeo

Reviewed by Suzanne Angeo (member, American Theatre Critics Association; Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle) and Greg Angeo (Member Emeritus, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle)

Photos courtesy of Stagecrafters

Noises Off Cast

Funny Business at the Baldwin

 

If your idea of a good time is watching gentlemen cavort onstage with their trousers around their ankles, ladies clad only in their (very pretty) underwear and seeing eight different doors slam at regular intervals, then “Noises Off” is for you.

You may have guessed that this show is intended to be a farce, but it is more than that. In its West End and Broadway beginnings in the early 1980s, it was a broadly-textured sophisticated comic spectacle that was acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. On the Baldwin main stage, it’s a pleasant-enough comedy that, as one audience member put it, “has its moments”.

“Noises Off”, by English playwright Michael Frayn, uses the popular play-within-a-play theme. It tells the story of a less-than-competent troupe of actors who are struggling through the final dress rehearsal of a British sex farce called “Nothing On”. Opening night descends upon them in less than 24 hours’ time and it’s not going well. Lines are dropped, errant plates of sardines (yes, sardines) go AWOL and tempers flare between director and cast. Secret romances and wardrobe malfunctions abound.

There is a cast of nine, with six playing the actors in “Nothing On”. The others play the director (Jason Dilly), stage manager (Casey Coulter), and assistant stage manager (Brooklyn Nicole). Stagecrafters veteran Dilly delivers an intense and memorable performance as the wise-cracking, world-weary director Lloyd Dallas, who, as it turns out, has quite the active love life. Making a show-stopping entrance is Jeff Weiner as the eccentric senior actor Selsdon Mowbray, who also happens to be playing the Burglar in “Nothing On”. The rest of the cast is enjoyable in their dual roles, including Julie Fuller, Scott Welborn, Tara Makar, Kenyada Davis and Erica Gunaca.

Noises Off Backstage Set

The flexible set by Obie Burch is a marvel of moving parts. With some simple stagecraft maneuvering, It transforms from the audience-facing set of “Nothing On” to the backstage view of the same set, so we can observe the shenanigans from behind the scenes.

A key source of laughs is, or should be, watching the “Nothing On” actors swing wildly back and forth between  exaggerated histrionics during their rehearsal of the farce, and a more typical comic style when they are dealing with “real life” as they move in and out of character. This much-needed contrast seems to be missing much of the time, although most of the cast has a good grasp of basic comedy and carries it off well.

Director Vince DeRita and his assistant Tony Battle have made this show a simple comedy of errors and nonsensical silly bits, which is a lot of fun as it is. But it could have been more.

 

Stagecrafters is proud to partner with Gilda’s Club of Metro Detroit for the production of Noises Off. Gilda’s Club provides an environment of free support for men, women, teens and children living with cancer as well as their families and friends. Stagecrafters is collecting donations for Gilda’s Club throughout the run of Noises Off.

 

When: Through November 24, 2019

Tickets $23-$27

Where: Baldwin Theatre, Main Stage

415 S. Lafayette

Royal Oak, MI 48067

(248) 541-6430

www.stagecrafters.org