Flora Lynn Isaacson

Beth Wilmurt (Maureen Folan) and Rod Gnapp (Pato Dooley) in Martin McDonagh’s The Beauty Queen of Leenane, directed by Mark Jackson, at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, now through June 16.

The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh is set in the Irish countryside where a woman in her forties tries to gain control of her life and destiny from her mother.  This play is a blend of black comedy, melodrama, horror and tragedy.  The story is set in the Irish village of Leenane, Connemara, in the early 1990’s. It takes place in a shabby, poorly lit kitchen and living room resulting in a claustrophobic sense of entrapment.

The play centers on the life of Maureen Folan (Beth Wilmurt), a forty year old virgin who takes care of her selfish and manipulative seventy year old mother Mag (Joy Carlin).  Maureen’s sisters have escaped into marriage and family life, but Maureen, with a history of mental illness, is trapped in a seriously dysfunctional relationship with her mother.

The Folan cottage is visited by Pato Dooley (Rod Gnapp) and his younger brother Ray (Joseph Salazar).  Pato is a middle aged construction worker fed up with having to live and work in England, disappointed by the limitations and loneliness of his life.

The glimmer of a last chance romance between Maureen and Pato sparks up in the first act and continues in the second one with a notable monologue by Pato.  The plot, full of deceptions, secrets and betrayals keeps surprising the audience. Hopes are raised only to be dashed.

In this play, much credit must also go to a flawless cast in Mark Jackson’s finely tuned production.  Beth Wilmurt is compelling as Maureen.  We are no less delighted to be in the company of Joy Carlin’s manipulative Mag. Rod Gnapp’s Pato is the most sympathetic of the four characters. His younger brother Ray is too impatient to wait to put Pato’s romantic letter into Maureen’s hands.

Martin McDonagh is an interesting and good storyteller. This production owes much to Mark Jackson’s fine direction, York Kennedy’s perfectly targeted lighting and Nina Ball’s wonderfully grungy set—and worth repeating—a superb cast!

The Beauty Queen of Leenane plays at Marin Theatre Company, May 23-June 16,2 013.  Marin Theatre Company is located at 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley. Performances are held Tuesday & Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m.; Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m. with matinees every Sunday at 2 p.m.; Saturday, June 15 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, June 6 at 1 p.m. For tickets, call the box office at 415-388-5208 or go online at marintheatre.org.

Coming up next at Marin Theatre Company will be Good People by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Tracy Young, August 22-September 15, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Frederick Lein as Charlie and Johnny DeBernard as Froggy in NTC’s The Foreigner

The opening of The Foreigner represents a long overdue homecoming to Novato because it is the first play to be performed in Novato Theater Company’s new theater space at 5420 Nave Drive and the first play of the 2012-13 season performed in Novato.  While hunting for their new home, NTC produced the other four shows at San Rafael locations.

Director Jerrie Patterson has assembled a cast that seems almost tailor-made for this production.  Charlie Baker (Frederick Lein) is a shy Englishman traveling in rural Georgia with his friend, Froggy LeSueur (Johnny DeBernard), a member of the British army. The two men visit an inn run by Froggy’s old friend, Betty Meeks (Cat Bish).  Charlie is in the midst of marital problems so Froggy decides to leave him at the inn for a few days so he can enjoy some peace and quiet, but Charlie is terrified of having to make any conversation with the inhabitants of the inn, who besides the gregarious Betty, include a crooked Reverend (Robert Nelson), his pregnant fiancé Catherine (Rachel Brogdon) and her slow-witted little brother Ellard (Parker Neely).

Froggy has an idea.  He will tell Betty that Charlie is a foreigner and speaks no English. This gives Charlie the peace he wants as well as providing excitement for the others who have never seen a “real live foreigner” before. This also leads to many hilarious situations—and eventually to a run in with the loathsome Owen Musser (John Conway) and his Ku Klux Klan boys.  But Charlie, through sheer cleverness and courage, defeats the Klan and all ends happily.

The Foreigner incorporates many accents and notions as cultures collide in the Deep South.  This play needs thick Georgia accents, one cultured British and one Cockney accent. All of the cast give flawless performances. Charlie/Frederick Lein makes up his own dialect and tells one entire story in it. He really comes into his own and steals the show in which Charlie must tell a story in his “native language.”  Johnny DeBernard does a great Cockney accent as Froggy, the cheerful British army man who teaches the use of explosives.  Cat Bish plays the lovable southern lady, Betty Meeks with the right mixture of hillbilly charm and sensitivity.

Other standout performances include Robert Nelson as Reverend David Lee, a charming villain, Parker Neely’s sympathetic portrayal of Ellard and Rachel Brogdon’s self-effacing Catherine.  Parker Neely shines in the scenes where he’s teaching Charlie to speak English.  Rachel Brogdon’s Catherine starts out as a stereotype then beautifully unfolds into something much more complicated. John Conway, one of NTC’s best actors, gives an outstanding performance as Owen Musser, a dangerous racist.  Bravo to Michael Walraven who designed and constructed the set. If you can find a seat near the front-middle of the theater, it truly does feel like you’re in the living room of a rustic lodge in rural Georgia.

Jerrie Patterson directs The Foreigner as a warm, heartfelt drama rather than a farce.  In her words, “One man is forced to act and, in the process, becomes more alive, more connected with others and more aware of him self. As he grows, so do those around him.  By putting on the mask he finds the freedom to be him self…”

The Foreigner runs at Novato Theater Company, May 24-June 16.  The new location of the Novato Theater Playhouse is 5420 Nave Drive, Suite C, Novato, CA.  Performances are held at 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday.  For tickets, call 415-883-4498 or go online at www.novatotheatercompany.org

Coming up next at NTC will be The Lion In Winter by James Goldman, August 30-September 22, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Amber Collins Crane as Ann Deever & Francis Serpa as Chris Keller in All My Sons. Photo by Robin Jackson.

On opening night of All My Sons, May 17, 2013, Set Designer Ken Rowland, was presented the Life Achievement Award by Cris Cassell, President of Ross Valley Players. His wonderful backyard set in Ross Valley Players’ current production shows that he is well deserving of his fine honor.

All My Sons, the 5th show of RVP’s 83rd season, is directed by multi-talented Caroline Altman.

All My Sons takes place in the backyard of the Keller home in the outskirts of an American town in August, 1947. This play is true to the three unities of modern drama popularized by Henrik Ibsen; time, place and action.

All My Sons tells the story of Joe Keller (Craig Christiansen), a self-made businessman who lives a comfortable life with his wife Kate (Kristine Ann Lowry) and returning war veteran son Chris (Francis Serpa), in a suburban, middle-class American neighborhood. They have only one sadness in their lives–the loss of their younger son, Larry who was reported missing in World War II. While Kate still believes Larry is coming back, Chris believes otherwise and would like her to give up that hope so he can marry Ann (Amber Collins Crane), Larry’s former fiancee and the daughter of Steve Deever, Joe’s former business partner who went to prison for selling cracked cylinder heads to the Air Force, causing 21 planes to crash. While Joe’s name is cleared, he falsely places the entire blame on Steve.

Caroline Altman makes one realize that Miller’s play is a portrait of a society as well as a flawed individual as she explores our ever-changing sense of family, social responsibility and values.

Craig Christiansen is a strong Joe Keller. He charms and jokes his neighbors and plays the beaming patriarch. Kristine Ann Lowry is no less astonishing as Joe’s wife. She is as swashed in pretense as her husband, but the difference is that she knows it. There is fine support from Francis Serpa as Chris, the impossibly idealistic surviving son and from Amber Collins Crane as Ann, the tenacious fiancee. Javier Alarcon lends weight to his performance a neighboring doctor who sacrificed his happiness. This production is blessed with a fine ensemble to give life to Miller’s well developed secondary characters. Siobhan O’Brien is particularly good as Sue Bayliss, the wife of the doctor who would rather do research than general medicine.

Caroline Altman’s highly stylized staging in many ways suits the play’s intensely melodramatic plot and makes a welcome addition to this season’s challenging line up of plays.

All My Sons plays through June 16, 2013. Performances are Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. All performances take place at the Barn Theatre, home of the Ross Valley Players, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, CA. To order tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or visit www.rossvalleyplayers.com

Coming up next at Ross Valley Players will be the Dixie Swim Club by Jessie Jones Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten and directed by Linda Dunn, July 19-August 18, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Dr. Annette Lust (1924-2013)

San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Awards for Best Play, Directors and Actors were announced Sunday, May 5 at Meadowlands Assembly Hall at Dominican University.

The first Critics Circle Award was for Best Play and the pride of 1st Place went to Roberta Palumbo for Not Death, But Love.  There was a tie for 2nd Place between Norma Anapol’s Rose Levy Learns At Last and Deanna Anderson for The Wreck.  Honorable Mention for Best Play went to Stacy Lapin and Pamela Rand, co-authors of Here’s Your Life and Gina Pandiani for The Marriage Proposal.

Next up were awards for Best Director with a 1st Place tie between Roberta Palumbo and Molly McCarthy for Not Death, But Love and Leonard Pitt for The Wreck.  2nd Place went to Jerry Ambinder for Here’s Your Life and Honorable Mention went to Gina Pandiani for The Marriage Proposal.

The 1st Place Best Actor Award went to Michael Walraven (Al) in Rose Levy Learns At Last.  2nd Place honors went to Steve North (Da Sub) in Something’s Not Wright.  There was a tie for Honorable Mention between Kris Neely (M.C.) in Here’s Your Life and Damian Square (Ivan) in The Marriage Proposal.

The last of the Critics Circle Awards went to Best Actress.  1st Place honors went to Molly McCarthy (Elizabeth Barrett Browning) in Not Death, But Love.  2nd Place went to Pamela Rand (Susannah P. Metcalf) in Here’s Your Life.  There was a tie for Honorable Mention between Deanna Anderson (herself) in The Wreck, Hilda Roe (Marina) in The 200th Day, and Sandi Weldon (Stephania Stepanovna) in The Marriage Proposal.

There were special thanks to Gina Pandiani, the new Managing Director and Pamela Rand, the new Production Manager for the Fringe.

The Awards Ceremony was followed by a celebration of Annette Lust’s life (1924-2013) with her family in attendance. The Fringe was founded by Dr. Lust nearly 20 years ago to give local writers, actors and directors a chance to try out their work in an informal setting.  Her tribute began with a memorial slide show created and narrated by Marisa Hoke, a former French student of Annette’s.  Following the slide show, six invited speakers who were close to Annette gave presentations celebrating her life. They were Flora Lynn Isaacson from the Fringe of Marin, Linda Ayres-Frederick from the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle, Steve North from the Fringe of Marin, Suzanne Birrell, former Production Manager of the Fringe of Marin, Jo Tomalin, San Francisco State Professor of Theatre Arts and Gina Pandiani, the new Managing Director of the Fringe of Marin who announced the creation of the Annette Lust Scholarship Fund for the Performing Arts at Dominican University.

A lovely outdoor reception followed the tribute at the Anne Hathaway Cottage at Dominican hosted by Annette’s daughters, Eliane and Evelyne.  All of Annette’s friends joined her family to toast Annette and to share personal and family memories.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Craig Marker and Lauren English in reasons to be pretty at SF Playhouse

reasons to be pretty, a dark comedy by Neil LaBute is the third play in his trilogy with includesThe Shape of Things  and Fat Pig, which all focus on our American obsession with physical appearance.

Greg (Craig Marker) has been living with Stephanie (Lauren English) for four years when he makes an offhand remark to Kent (Patrick Russell) that Stephanie has “a regular face” which triggers a violent outburst from Stephanie.  This scene is way “over the top” and begins at such a high pitch that the two actors have nowhere to go.  So the simple, offhand use of the word “regular” to compare a girlfriend’s face to that of a new, pretty co-worker is more than enough to warrant the explosion that follows.

Greg, a warehouse worker with an interest in classical literature is such a straightforward person that it’s hard to believe he really meant anything by his remark. He explains often enough and tries as best as he knows how, to apologize, but Steph isn’t buying it.  Neither are his co-workers Kent and Carly (Jennifer Stuckert), a married couple with issues of their own.  So, Greg is left to navigate his newly single life while remaining embroiled in the drama that continually swirls around him.

Bill English’s wonderful set is mounted on a revolving stage allowing the action of the play to flow smoothly without interruption.  Marker and Lauren English are so good they are able to bring this play to life under Susi Damilano’s clever direction (except for the opening scene). These are the two characters who show growth and are able to change.

reasons to be pretty makes for an interesting jumping off point, the examination of the importance of beauty and the power of everyday words.

reasons to be pretty runs through May 11 at the San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street (second floor of Kensington Park Hotel) b/n Powell and Mason.  Performances are Tuesday-Thursday at 7 p.m. and Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m.; also Saturday at 3 p.m. For tickets, call 415-677-9596 or go online at www.sfplayhouse.org.

Coming up next at SF Playhouse will be Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh and directed by Amy Glazer, May 21-July 6, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Tobie Windham (John) and Nicholas Pelczar (Caleb) in the Bay Area premiere of Matthew Lopez’s The Whipping Man at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley, EXTENDED – now playing through April 28.

The Whipping Man is an imaginative and compelling play by Matthew Lopez which is having its Bay Area Premiere at Marin Theatre Company in a co-production with Virginia Stage Company where MTC’s Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis directed it in March.

The drama tells the story of a wounded Confederate soldier who returns home in the days after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox in 1865.  Waiting for him are two former family slaves who survived the destruction of Richmond in the family home–a half destroyed mansion.  These two newly freed African Americans are Jewish, as is the Confederate soldier, their former master’s son who hobbles home badly wounded.  When Caleb (Nicholas Pelczar), the wounded soldier, reveals a nasty gunshot wound in the leg that is turning gangrenous, his former slave Simon (L. Peter Callender), an experienced medic’s assistant, declares the leg must be amputated.  Then, in comes John (Tobie Windham) who is about Caleb’s age and a childhood playmate of his.  Now the trio is complete and all three actors are superb!

The time is the first night of Passover.  In Act II, the three men begin the ritual of an improvised Passover Seder. The words about being freed from the bonds of slavery take on an even deeper meaning when comparing Moses leading the ancient Hebrews out of Egypt with Lincoln freeing the slaves.  There are last minute revelations but they seem to bring the play full circle.  What we learn about Caleb and John and then, Simon and Caleb brings the play’s interest home–Simon, Caleb and John are now a family both inside of, and outside of, slavery.

Marin Theatre Company’s production benefits from the expertly realized work of Set Designer Kat Conley of a half destroyed southern mansion. The shadowy lighting by Ben Wilhelm is also effective.  Brilliantly directed by Jasson Minadakis, this play is a real winner!

Due to an enthusiastic audience response, The Whipping Man is extended through April 28, 2013.  Performances are Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m.; Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday at 7 p.m. There are Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Extra performances are Saturday, April 20 and 27 at 2 p.m. and Thursday, April 11 at 1 p.m. All performances are held at Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley. For tickets, call 415-388-5208 or go online at marintheatre.org.

Coming up next at Marin Theatre Company will be The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh directed by Mark Jackson, May 23-June 16, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Pictured: L to R, Top Row:  Avila Reese as Lotty; Tweed Conrad as Rose. Seated L to R:  Anne Ripley as Mrs. Graves; Kate Fox Marcom as Lady Caroline.  Photo by: Robin Jackson

Ross Valley Players opened the 4th show of their 83rd season Friday, March 15, 2013 with Matthew Barber’s Enchanted April.  It is a wonderful romantic comedy and definitely a must see for all ages.  Mr. Barber’s lively adaptation of a charming novel by Elizabeth von Arnim called The Enchanted April, is set at a villa in Portofino in the province of Genoa, Italy which von Arnim visited during the 1920’s. There was a 1992 film version and Barber’s 2003 play won three Best Play Awards and was nominated for a Tony.

Enchanted April tells the story of four very different women in 1920’s England who leave their damp and rainy surroundings to go on a holiday to a secluded, coastal villa in Italy.  Mrs. Rose Arnott (Tweed Conrad) and Mrs. Lotty Wilton (Avila Reese) who belong to the same church but have never spoken, become acquainted after reading a newspaper advertisement for a villa in Italy that is available for rent.  They find some common ground in that both are struggling to make the best of unhappy marriages.  Having decided to seek other ladies to help share expenses, they reluctantly take on the irritable, Mrs. Graves (Anne Ripley) and the charming Lady Caroline Bramble (Kate Fox Marcom).  These four women come together at the villa and find rejuvenation in the tranquil beauty of their surroundings, rediscovering hope and love.  Enchanted April is beautifully directed by Cris Cassell and produced by Maureen O’Donoghue.

Avila Reese is funny, feisty and touching in the role of Lotty Wilton. Her scenes with Tweed Conrad who plays Rose Arnott are priceless. Tweed is perfect as the long suffering Rose who so wants to bust out but just can’t seem to do it.  Kate Fox Marcom is excellent as the beautiful socialite, Lady Caroline.  This character requires an actress with outstanding acting ability, a dancer’s grace and striking beauty. Ms. Marcom fills the bill in all these areas.  Maxine Sattizahn provides many laughs as the Italian housekeeper, Costanza.   She speaks only Italian throughout the entire show both with her voice and her body. The most riveting performance is given by Anne Ripley as Mrs. Graves. Her physicality, perfect sense of timing, and wonderful voice were so rich and full that she leaves a lasting impression.

Enchanted April not only has great roles for women but the supporting male roles are also interesting. Ross Burger is the handsome and hospitable Antony Wilding, the owner of the charming villa.  Tom Hudgens is Rose’s philandering husband Frederick Arnott who captures the complexity of his character with a multi-layered performance.  Ron Dailey turns in a fine performance as Lotty’s cold and clueless husband, Mellersh.  To Mr. Dailey belongs the funniest scene in the show when he arrives on the terrace dressed only in a bath towel and tries desperately to avoid showing any nudity.

The first act seems dreary but it is supposed to be–all the action takes place in London, in front of a dark curtain with an iron gate at the front and two sets of tables and chairs across the stage as the plot for the trip unfolds.  Thanks to Billie Cox, we hear the rain and the thunder.

When we begin Act II, as the ladies arrive for their adventure, we see an amazing set change. Scenic Designer Malcolm Rodgers’ gorgeous flower laden garden and impressive villa received a rousing applause from the audience.  Lighting Designer Ellen Brooks’ wonderful lighting makes us feel the warmth of the Italian sun and the romantic atmosphere of an Italian evening.

Costume Designer Michael A. Berg’s costumes are a visual feast. In Act I, the apparel is certainly in the 1920’s era, but the clothing is dark and heavy reflecting the feelings after World War I. In Act II, the colors and styles are bright and breezy.

Director Cris Cassell has orchestrated something truly magical in this play. Each actor is so well cast. You have until April 14, 2013 to become enchanted and charmed.

Thursday night performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. All performances are at the Barn Theatre, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross, CA.  For tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1 or go to www.rossvalleyplayers.com.

Coming up next at Ross Valley Players will be All My Sons by Arthur Miller, directed by Caroline Altman, May 17-June 16, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Shirley Nilsen Hall, Susan Zelinsky, Karen Clancy, Ashley McKenna (top row-standing); Laura J. Davies, Erin Ashe (bottom row-sitting) in Steel Magnolias.  Photographer: Mark Clark

 The Novato Theater Company currently presents Steel Magnolias, a story of love and trust among six very different women.  This 1987 play by Robert Harling has a title which suggests the female characters are as delicate as magnolias, but as tough as steel.

The action of the play centers on Truvy’s (Karen Clancy) beauty parlor in Chinquapin, Louisiana and the women who regularly gather there.  The drama begins on the morning of Shelby’s (Erin Ashe) wedding and covers events over the next three years.  We get a glimpse of the unlikely friendship between Clairee (Laura J. Davies), the mayor’s wife and Ouiser (Shirley Nilsen Hall), the town grouch; Annelle’s (Ashley McKenna) transformation from a shy, anxious newcomer in town to a good-time girl and then to a revival-tent Christian and Truvy’s relationship with a man in her family.  However, the main story line involves Shelby and her mother, M’Lynn (Susan Zelinsky).

Experienced Director Norman Hall and his wife Shirley Nilsen Hall have both been with NTC for many years.  They have teamed up again to re-mix the 1992 production they did of the same play. Twenty-one years ago, Norman directed Shirley as Truvy, she is now playing Ouiser.  Karen Clancy, now taking the role of Truvy played Annelle and Susan Zelinsky, who then played Shelby is now playing her mother, M’Lynn.

The realistic beauty parlor set is designed by Harry Reid.  Finally, this is not a production which depends on individual performances as much as the ensemble working together.  NTC’s Steel Magnolias is evidence that a thoughtful, committed production can pull magic out of a script that might otherwise seem a little bitter.

Steel Magnolias runs at Novato Theater Company through March 10, 2013.  The location is St. Vincent’s School for Boys at 1 St. Vincent Drive, San Rafael, CA. Performances are at 8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday.  For tickets, call 883-4495 or go online at www.novatotheatercompany.org

Coming up next at Novato Theater Company will be The Foreigner by Larry Shue, May 23-June 16, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Jackie (Gabriel Marin) and Veronica (Isabelle Ortega)

The current production at the SF Playhouse, The Motherf**cker with the Hat, is their fourth show by Stephen Adly Guirgis (Our Lady of 121st Street, Jesus Hopped the “A” Train, and A Den of Thieves) which makes him their most produced playwright.

This West Coast Premiere is about Jackie (Gabriel Marin), a former drug dealer who has just been released from prison to join the American workforce.  His girlfriend, Veronica (Isabelle Ortega), however still uses cocaine and other drugs.  One night, Jackie finds a hat in Veronica’s apartment. Realizing it is not his, he accuses her of cheating and then goes to his drug and parole counselor, Ralph (Carl Lumbly) for help.  Meanwhile, Ralph’s wife, Victoria (Margo Hall) has really had it with Ralph.

Next, Jackie obtains a gun.  Ralph insists that he not keep it so Jackie gives it to his cousin, Julio (Rudy Guerrero) for safe keeping.  Jackie reveals that he slept with his previous AA counselor which may be part of the reason Veronica mistrusts him.  Later, Veronica is entertaining a lover which is revealed to be Ralph.  They had slept together a handful of times when Jackie was in prison.

Meawhile, Jackie gets the gun back and returns the hat and then throws it on the floor and shoots it.  He talks about this with Victoria who is tired of Ralph’s cheating and begs Jackie to sleep with her. She reveals to him that Veronica and Ralph slept together.

Jackie shows up at Veronica’s apartment drunk, accusing her of cheating, hurt because they had been in love since 8th grade.  When he gets loud, she hits him with a bat.  Julio takes Jackie in and reveals that he’s grateful because years ago, Jackie did an unexpected kindness for him.  Jackie wants to confront Ralph and Julio is willing to stand behind him.  Jackie goes to Ralph’s apartment and the two men try to fight it out, but end up futilely wrestling on the floor. Ralph admits he slept with Veronica, but he’s through with that and would like to be friends with Jackie.  Jackie refuses to accept his friendship and returns to the apartment to pick up his things.  He has broke parole by shooting the gun and is heading off to prison for a short time.  He tries to tell Veronica he loves her, but she runs out of the room unwilling to listen.  He leaves for a few moments.  Later Veronica comes out of hiding and calls his name.

Playhouse Artistic Director Bill English gives the play energetic and powerful staging.  He gets some superb performances from his talented cast. English is also a genius at set design with his expansive and multi-level set showing two apartments side-by-side and a patio looming high above with potted plants.  Costume Designer Abra Berman designed the character-specific costumes and Lighting Designer Jordan Puckett provides the properly stark lighting.

Hat is about growing up and accepting responsibility.  Stephen Adly Guirgis tells the story of five characters struggling with addiction, friendship, love and the challenges of adulthood.  According to Bill English, the five characters, “may be locked in the vicious cycles of self sabotage but they express their yearning and their hopefulness with a fire that reminds us of our own yearnings and makes us feel along with them, profoundly alive!”

The MF with the Hat runs through March 16, 2013 at the San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post Street, San Francisco. Performances are at 7 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday. For tickets, call 415-677-9596 or go online at www.sfplayhouse.org.

There are a few productions coming up next at SF Playhouse including the San Francisco Sandbox Series’ World Premiere of Inevitable by Jordan Puckett and directed by Lauren English opening March 2, 2013 at 8 p.m.  Reasons To Be Pretty by Neil LaBute and directed by Susi Damilano opens Saturday, March 30, 2013.

Flora Lynn Isaacson