Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

Shoppin’ and Boppin’ – This Horror Rocks

Andrews Hall is located inside the Sonoma Community Center, a beautiful, century-old Greek Revival building in downtown Sonoma. It’s a lovely drive from Santa Rosa down picturesque Highway 12, through bucolic scenes of vineyard and farmland. This serene landscape does little to prepare you for what’s in store, however, if you’re planning to see Little Shop of Horrors, presented at Andrews Hall by the Narrow Way Stage Company in its second season with the Sonoma Theatre Alliance.

This perky yet darkly comic rock-and-roll musical is based on Roger Corman’s 1960 film of the same name. It was adapted for the stage and first opened off-Broadway in 1982 and ultimately ran for five years. It garnered numerous awards, due in large part to the catchy songs by Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, who drew heavily from early Motown and other pop music from the early 60s. This ambitious production by Narrow Way is a fun and lively show, a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or evening. The best efforts of cast and crew are only partly hampered by the lack of space, which presents a challenge in shows of this kind. Especially if there’s a large, funky flesh-eating plant that takes up most of the stage.

The setting is a failing Skid Row flower shop.  Harry Duke as the schlumpy shopkeeper Mr Mushnik displays good instincts in presenting his character, who’s fallen on hard times. Duke seems to be channeling Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. His perfect Russian Jewish accent pays off handsomely and his soft baritone lends a nice quality to the show.

Mushnik’s sad sack shop assistant Seymour (Matlock Zumsteg) finds an odd little plant one day during an eclipse, and brings it back to the shop. He soon discovers it needs more than just water and sunshine…it needs human blood in order to thrive. Seymour does his best to oblige, and the plant not only grows large and menacing, but develops a bellowing voice, demanding (in raucous song) even more from its hapless caretaker. Seymour makes a Faustian bargain with the beastly plant – success in return for human sacrifice. A perfect setup for laughs and rollicking rock and roll music, right?

Zumsteg gives Seymour a shy, nerdy likeability that goes beyond his comic strip confines.  His voice is well suited for the score, strong and steady. Seymour has an unrequited crush on shop girl Audrey (Nora Summers) who in turn has a weakness for no-goodnicks. Case in point: her current boyfriend, the sadistic biker-dentist Orin (Dallas Munger) who keeps her in black eyes and ace bandages. Summers plays Audrey as sort of a trashy-sweet innocent kid, not easy to pull off, but she does it and she’s the heart of the show. Munger, as Orin, comes off like a crazed hipster in black leather who just happens to carry a small can of nitrous oxide for a quick blast wherever he goes. Munger hams it up with mad abandon, but not-so-divine justice is waiting just around the corner for Orin.

The events in the story give theatre companies ample opportunity to explore their creativity in crafting puppets to represent the ever-growing ghoulish vampire plant, and Narrow Way gets to show their stuff in this regard. Music and voiceover artist Butch Engle gives the ferocious fern plenty of Wolfman Jack soul and campy attitude. He’s quite simply the best thing in the show and worth the price of admission. Engle is discreetly tucked away upstage on scaffolding above the action, along with the Skid Row Band, which is equally fabulous under the able direction of Justin Pyne. The score is simply infectious, and it’s almost impossible to resist the urge to jump up and dance on your chair. Songs like the rockin’ “Skid Row” performed by the company, Munger’s anthem “Dentist!” and the lovely, wistful “Somewhere That’s Green” sung by Audrey. Even perched on high way back upstage, you can still see the band, and at times Engle is more fun to watch than the plant.

Regie Padua, Alexis Long and Laura Levin as Ronette, Crystal and Chiffon – three street urchins that form a sort of doo-wop girl group Greek chorus – interpret the action onstage for the audience throughout the show. As characters, they provide a great bridge between scenes. As singers, they are only adequate; pitchiness and lack of sustained vocal quality create an uneven feel to the show.

Choreographer Alise Girard, so splendid in shows with large casts and elaborate dance numbers, isn’t as challenged with the small cast and stage this time, but does a commendable job nonetheless. Director Christopher Ginesi makes good choices and takes some creative risks that work most of the time. It takes ingenuity to fit a big show into a small space and have it work this well. With all its imperfections, this Little Shop is really entertaining and well worth a visit.

When: Now through May 4, 2014

8:00 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays

2:00 p.m. Sundays

Tickets $20 to $30

 

Andrews Hall at Sonoma Community Center

276 East Napa Street

Sonoma, CA 95476

(707) 938-4626

www.sonomatheatrealliance.org

 

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

Photo by Eric Chazankin

Dirty Rotten Good Time

By definition, art and magic both involve use of the imagination to create something real that can be seen and felt. Director Craig Miller and the cast of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels are artists with the kind of imagination that makes musical comedy magic happen onstage at 6^th Street Playhouse. It’s a  jolly, rollicking show that will lift your spirits and stay with you long after you walk out of the theater. That’s about as real, and as magical, as you can get these days.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is based on the 1988 film of the same name, which was itself a remake of Bedtime Story, a film from 1964 about a pair of enterprising gigolos on the French Riviera. It was adapted for the stage by Jeffrey Lane and David Yazbeck, and opened on Broadway in early 2005, receiving an impressive ten Tony nominations. Since then, it has been performed all over the world from Tokyo to Reykjavik, and finally arrived at London’s West End – and 6^th Street Playhouse – just this year.

The story is about master trickster Lawrence Jameson (Barry Martin), who has been using his charms for years to gain the trust (and money) of lonely, wealthy ladies who wander onto his turf – a ritzy casino-hotel on the French Riviera. Martin displays a genius for silly sophistication, especially in his masquerade as Dr Shuffhausen, where he really gets to chew some scenery, and with a German accent to boot.  At the same time he gives authentic depth to the character Jameson in what may be his best performance. In his role as Jameson’s right-hand man Andre, the always-excellent Larry Williams plays his character like the love child of Edward Everett Horton and Peter Sellers. One of Jameson’s many admirers is the long-suffering Muriel, played by the gifted Kim Williams, who later finds true love in an unexpected place.

Jameson pretty much rules the roost until young hustler Freddy Benson (Rob Broadhurst) shows up one day and rocks everybody’s world. Broadhurst as the uncouth but clever Freddy  brings fabulous vocals, charisma and comic timing to his role. His performance of “Great Big Stuff” is one of the best in the show. Freddy has the aspirations, but not the experience, to operate at Jameson’s level. Out of dire necessity Jameson finally agrees to take Freddy under his wing. He soon comes to regret this decision which is hilariously evident in Martin’s performance with Broadhurst in “Ruff Housin’ Mit Shuffhausen”.

Amy Webber  as Jameson’s would-be bride Jolene Oakes, the rowdy big-oil heiress from Oklahoma, is a real showstopper doing cartwheels and drawing cheers from the audience during her number “Oklahoma” (no, not the song from that other musical). Taylor Bartolucci DeGuilio makes a grand entrance upon her arrival at the casino hotel as “The American Soap Queen” Christine Colgate. She immediately proves to be irresistible to both Jameson and Freddy as she sings “Here I Am”. Christine has everyone convinced that she’s a grown-up Shirley Temple (complete with the curls), but there’s something wild lurking underneath that soft, lovable exterior.

It’s obvious that the exuberant cast is having as good a time as the audience. Director Craig Miller fills the stage with brilliant comic touches and bits of business; an accordion player strolls onstage from time to time, a flower girl scampers by with her basket. There are wordless vignettes with sweetly subtle visual humor, in vivid contrast to the raunchy insanity of musical numbers like “All About Ruprecht”.  It’s true that in one of the show’s early performances, the orchestra was a bit off-key during the overture and opening numbers which in turn seemed to throw the singers off at first, but everyone soon recovered. Kudos for great choreography by Alise Gerard, visiting back home again from New York. Sets feature glitter-sprayed cutouts which lend a cartoonish air to the stage. An ensemble cast and director performing at the top of their game, combined with catchy musical numbers, make this one heckuva sexy, fun show.

 

When: Now through April 13, 2014

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

2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Tickets: $23 to $35

Location: GK Hardt Theater at 6^th Street Playhouse

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

Website: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

Of Mice and Matthew  – a Pair of Must-See Dazzlers

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC)

Photos by Eric Chazankin

It’s been said that man can’t live by bread alone. Faith, love, flights of fancy and friendship all make life worth living. If you’re still not convinced, there are two important plays being presented at North Bay theaters that address these themes with great power, beauty and even humor, and they should not be missed.

Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck wrote gritty and poetic stories about simple people facing common struggles in Depression-era America. Perhaps his most heart-wrenching and tender work, Of Mice and Men, is being presented at Cinnabar Theater. First published as a novella in 1937, it centers on the relationship between two drifters and has been called “an American masterpiece”. It was adapted for the stage by Steinbeck later that same year and had its world premiere in San Francisco.

The title was taken from a line in a poem by Robert Burns, “The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry…”. They do, indeed. Brilliantly crafted characterizations are offered by Keith Baker and Samson Hood in the lead roles. Hood was born to play the simple-minded Lennie with his endearing, childlike innocence and large frame. Baker completely transforms himself yet again as George, a rough-hewn yet caring vagabond who dreams of a better life for himself and his vulnerable friend. Especially compelling performances as ranch hands by Tim Kniffin (Slim) and Dorian Lockett (Crooks) bring great depth to the story. If you have never seen Of Mice and Men in either its stage or film versions, be prepared – the story has some racially-charged moments and a shockingly tragic ending that’s impossible to forget.

Sharp yet sensitive direction is by the wondrous Sheri Lee Miller, who had great success with her recent works: Cinnabar’s productions of Arthur Miller’s “The Price” and the smash hit“ La Cage aux Folles”, and “Annie Get Your Gun” at Spreckels Theatre Company. She employs a sense of urgency and naturalistic, overlapping dialogue which draws you into the action onstage. The shows have been selling out and the run was just extended, so be sure you make it down to Cinnabar.

Returning to the stage at Spreckels Theatre Company is  a brilliant comic drama, The Book of Matthew (Liebowitz), where we meet another type of dreamer – the snarky writer Matthew. First produced in 2009, this newest incarnation at Spreckels may be playwright/director Gene Abravaya’s best work yet and draws on his many years as a stage manager of hit TV sitcoms.

Featuring an outstanding ensemble cast, the exuberant storytelling plays it mostly for laughs with vivid, well-drawn characters. in the title role, Jeff Cote rages against the disappointments of his life armed with a quiver full of wisecracks that he slings at anyone within range. Tim Setzer as his gaily flamboyant upstairs neighbor Vincent lights up the stage in one of his finest performances. An electrifying scene where he recalls the painful memory of a boyhood relationship holds the audience spellbound. Norman A Hall as Matthew’s father Howard, coping with the ravages of old age, has some of the most powerful, funny and tragic moments in the show.

The Book of Matthew is uproariously funny, heartwarming and moving by turns, with well-placed bits of magic. It’s fast-paced except for possibly one or two monologues that may drag on a bit. Every scene is thoughtful, centered and strongly defined right to the bittersweet ending. Direction by Abravaya is clear and sure – he knows these people well.

After all is said and done, Matthew makes a life-changing, joyful discovery. Like in that old Nat King Cole song, he finds “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.”

Of Mice and Men at Cinnabar Theater

When: Now through April 13, 2014

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

 

The Book of Matthew (Liebowitz) at Spreckels Theater Company

When: Now through April 13, 2013

7:30 p.m. Thursdays April 3 and April 10

8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

2:00 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $22 to $26

Location: Bette Condiotti Theater at Spreckels Performing Arts Center

5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park CA
Phone: 707-588-3400

Website: www.spreckelsonline.com

 

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

Photos Courtesy of MTC

It’s a Wonder, But Lasso of Truth Sends a Mixed Message

 

There’s much to like about Lasso of Truth, a flashy multi-media presentation with lots of wit and pizzazz. This kinky, noisy comic book come to life lands first at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley in its rolling world premiere for the National New Play Network, moving on to productions in Atlanta and Kansas City. MTC co-commissioned this original work in 2010 from Minnesota playwright Carson Kreitzer, best known for her strong, provocative scripts and controversial subject matter. In this regard, Lasso of Truth does not disappoint.

Lasso explores the quirky origins of the Wonder Woman comic book character at the dawn of World War II, created by one William Moulton Marston. He had a PhD in psychology from Harvard, wrote numerous scholarly essays, invented the polygraph machine, and was a bondage enthusiast and polyamorist.  Inspired by his wife Elizabeth and their live-in partner Olive Byrne, he decided to combine his diverse talents into a single enterprise: to create a comic strip character based upon the women he loved, and then use it to sell his unconventional ideas for a better world to young readers.

In a letter to his publisher Marston said “This..is the one truly great contribution of my Wonder Woman strip to moral education of the young. The only hope for peace is to teach people who are full of pep and unbound force to enjoy being bound…”.  Making the case for bondage became his mission in life, and starting in December 1941 until his death in 1947, he teamed up with illustrator Harry Peter to fill his comic strips with images of bondage and playful domination. Whenever she wasn’t bound in chains herself, Wonder Woman used her super-human strength to vanquish the bad guys and her magic “lasso of truth” to tie them up and force them to reveal their secrets. On her wrists were heavy silver slave manacles that deflected bullets. She was truly an Amazon, a feminine superhero, committed to curing evil with womanly strength and love. For Marston, art imitated life.

Lasso’s  story involves two sets of characters, each with their own timeline, never quite intersecting each other’s realms. In the contemporary timeline of the 1990s we find The Girl (Lauren English) on a quest for a rare comic book that first featured her childhood heroine, Wonder Woman, and The Guy (John Riedlinger) who owns the comic. She’s brash and assertive, eager to see what he has. He’s nerdy, elusive and coy, unwilling to show his immensely valuable prize until he can reveal the story behind its creation. Meanwhile, in another part of town (and about 50 years earlier), there’s that odd little household: The Inventor, Marston (Nicholas Rose); The Wife, Elizabeth (Jessa Brie Moreno)and The Amazon, Olive (Liz Sklar). There are superficial glimpses of their daily life: moments of inspiration, talk of careers, passionate murmurings, babies being born, and through it all, lots and lots of sexy cuddling with ropes and chains being the toys of choice. The story unfolds as scenes flash back and forth in time with a little help from vivid projected comic-book panels and wildly inventive sound effects.

The entire cast delivers first-rate performances within the limitations imposed by their characters. English, a two-time winner of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award, makes a strong impression as the ultimate Wonder Woman fan. Riedlinger allows his cryptic character to slowly unfold at the same pace as his revelation of the strange truth about the comic book’s origins. These two interact on a more natural level and bring perspective to the show. On the other hand, the Marston family seems to be drawn like caricatures of real people, and as such it’s a challenge to fully identify with them. Even so, Mr Rose brings the lively enthusiasm of a carnival barker to his role. Sklar faced similar challenges, but was able to convey a certain controlled sultriness. Probably the most difficult part falls to Moreno, whose reactions and choices are at the heart of the story. She maintains a kind of brilliant grace and acceptance of her life.

The “lasso of truth” carried by Wonder Woman is a symbol of bondage and may be an allegory for Marston’s polygraph machine. This, in fact, was the catalyst that led Kreitzer to write the play. However, according to director Jasson Minadakis, Lasso “has a lot to say about…how far we’ve come towards equality and how much further we have to go.” But if the play is about equality and not sexual peccadilloes, then the relationship between Marston and the women in his life should be dialed back just a bit and treated more matter-of-factly, with a more balanced focus on the women’s accomplishments.  Instead, there’s a titillating, voyeuristic theme running throughout the show that distracts and seems contrived; the characters lack depth and genuine warmth.  The story doesn’t seem to do justice to the real-life family, who by all accounts were very loving, happy and stable There is much more to learn from these women than what we see in Lasso. That leads to the question: What is the real message here? Whatever it is, it’s unclear.

Nonetheless, there’s still the exceptional performances by the cast, clever direction and staging, terrific set design (Annie Smart), cartoon graphics (Jacob Stoltz), moving images (Kwame Braun) and sound effects (Cliff Caruthers) that all work together to make the show fun and very entertaining. There are amazing machines with flashing lights, and video clips of the frenzied scratchings of the lie detector in blood-red ink, like earthquakes being recorded. Even a delightfully digitized Gloria Steinem weighs in on the proceedings. It does try for some eroticism, but the artificial nature of the characters makes the effort seem eerily one-dimensional. One of these scenes is noteworthy, however, if for nothing more than the truly gorgeous staging, lighting effects (Jim French) and negligees (Callie Floor).

Wonder Woman became an iconic symbol of women’s liberation in the 1970s. Even though women have made great strides in being accepted in positions of leadership, there’s that backlash phenomenon. They continue to be objectified as purely sexual beings in popular culture, and Lasso does little to add value to this discussion; it only pays lip service to women’s issues.

Marston believed that if women ruled the world, it would be a better place and there would be no more wars. It’s too bad we couldn’t see more of that utopian vision in Lasso.

 

When: now through March 16, 2014

8 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

7:30 p.m. Wednesdays

2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays

2 p.m. Saturday, March 15

1 p.m. Thursday, March 6

Tickets: $37 to $58

Location: Marin Theatre Company

397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley CA 94941
Phone: 415-388-5208

Website: www.marintheatre.org

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle

Photos by Eric Chazankin

Annie Got Her Guy

Considered by many to be one of the best musicals of all time, Annie Get Your Gun premiered on Broadway in 1946 to rave reviews, starring Ethel Merman as the brassy backwoods “little sure-shot” Annie Oakley.  One reviewer of the time said, “No use trying to pick a hit tune…all the tunes are hits.” It was produced by the legendary team of Rogers and Hammerstein with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, arguably the greatest and most prolific of American composers. The show being presented at Spreckels is based on the successful 1999 revival starring Bernadette Peters, which netted Tony Awards for best lead actress (musical) and best revival. A notable difference between the 1946 and 1999 shows is the removal of three  songs: “Colonel Buffalo Bill”, “I’m a Bad, Bad Man” and “I’m an Indian Too”.  By 1999, it was felt that the songs were insensitive to Native Americans and women; times had changed.

Besides packing fewer tunes, the Annie revival was rewritten into a “show within a show” concept, with the story more firmly centered on the romance between the real-life Annie and her husband Frank Butler. The wider context is the famed Buffalo Bill’s Wild West spectacles of the 1880s. These traveling circus extravaganzas dazzled audiences with their re-enactments of cavalry charges, Indian raids on wagon trains and cowboys out on the range. They featured hundreds of performers on horseback along with stampeding herds of cattle and buffalo. Performed nationwide and before the crowned heads of Europe for decades, Buffalo Bill and his Wild West shows helped shape the nation’s idea of life in the West for generations to come. Sharpshooting daredevils Annie and Frank were two of Buffalo Bill’s best-known and most beloved performers.

In Annie Get Your Gun at Spreckels, Buffalo Bill (the always-wonderful Dwayne Stincelli) has left his buffalos at home. Also missing are the sights and sounds of galloping horses and whooping cowboys, and much of the excitement. The scaled down, intimate feel seems at odds with the Big-Top scope of a show like this. While it’s true the intent is to focus on the love story between Annie (Denise Elia-Yen)  and Frank (Zachary Hasbany), what makes them  so special – the Wild West show – lurks mostly on the sidelines.

Elia-Yen shines like the blazing sun as the rough-and-tumble but tenderhearted Annie, with a truly unique and thrilling vocal quality. She is radiant in a part that calls for her to be crude and funny, mellow and sensitive, and everything in between.  Of all the wonderful songs in the show, there is one number in particular where star, cast, crew, director and orchestra all combine in sheer perfection: “Moonshine Lullaby” with the Cowboy Trio. This number could be bottled and sold as an elixir, it’s that good. Other standout performances are the iconic “No Business Like Show Business” and the happy-go-lucky ”I Got the Sun in the Morning”. Hasbany is a towering presence onstage, and not just because of his impressive height. He is magnetic in the role of Butler with a warm, mellow baritone and just the right amount of swagger to sweep Annie off her feet. (Makeup suggestion: A mustache would lend maturity to his very young face.) Hasbany skillfully shows how love transforms Butler’s life. He opens the show with a slow but soaring a cappella version of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” and his sweet dueling duet with Elia-Yen, ”Anything You Can Do”, is a sheer delight.

There’s the requisite secondary romance, a standard in classic musicals, between bright-eyed youngsters Winnie (Brittany Law) and Tommy (Anthony Guzman). Winnie’s vindictive and scheming sister Dolly is played by that powerhouse of versatility, Liz Jahren. Solid performances by Dan Monez as Chief Sitting Bull and Tim Setzer as Charlie Davenport round out the cast.

Choreographer and performer Michella Snyder has staged some very good dance numbers, but at times they lack a certain energy and bounce, and also seem too formal in a few places. A free-wheeling style may be more in keeping with the setting. An inspired burst of tap-dancing, done really well, was a treat to see and drew appreciative applause. Perfect period costumes, especially the ball gowns, were beautifully done by Pamela Enz. Musical Director Janis Wilson did a solid job conducting, and the 17-piece orchestra was in excellent form with a lushly jaunty sound.

Staging and direction is by Sheri Lee Miller in her Spreckels debut. Best known to North Bay audiences for her brilliant, sensitive realization of intimate shows, she has ventured into the realm of stage musicals recently with the hugely successful La Cage Aux Folles at Cinnabar. Annie is a pleasure to watch with a talented cast and unforgettable music, but it needs just a few more nods to its setting within the Wild West shows. After all, the setting is what makes Annie and Frank’s love story so uniquely entertaining.  This could be accomplished with stronger use of sound effects and images alluding to the hundreds of livestock and performers, including Native Americans, and the vast roaring crowds reacting to them.  And while we are supposed to be seeing a show within a show, there are only a couple of places where this is effectively conveyed. Elizabeth Bazzano’s flexible sets served the story well, but more of Spreckels’ marvelous Paradyne projector system could have been used to enhance certain scenes without losing any period authenticity – for example, one scene on a train. And even though the show overall could also use more lively pacing, it’s like a glass of day-old champagne: some of the sparkle may be missing, but it’s still tasty.

 

Annie Get Your Gun presented by Spreckels Theatre Company

When: Now through February 23, 2014

7:30 p.m. Thursdays

8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

2:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Tickets: $22 to $26 (reserved seating)

Location: Codding Theater, Spreckels Performing Arts Center

5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park CA
Phone: 707-588-3400

Website: www.spreckelsonline.com

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Members, San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle (SFBATCC)

 Photos by Elizabeth Craven, Main Stage West

 

The Truth is Out There

With more than 30 plays under his belt, acclaimed contemporary playwright Steven Dietz has seen his work performed in regional theaters all over the country and the world. Dietz specializes in tense psychological dramas with political and social themes. His dark thriller Yankee Tavern was first performed at the ACT Theatre in Seattle, WA in 2007, and is now being presented as the 2014 season opener at Sebastopol’s Main Stage West.

Set in a tavern near the ruins of the World Trade Center a few years after the 9/11 attacks, the play seeks to raise questions about the “official” explanation of events surrounding the attacks and the towers’ destruction.  The central character Ray (John Craven) is as fond of mysteries as he is of booze. Over the years he’s fallen under the feverish spell of every conspiracy theory and urban legend known to man, endlessly expounding to whoever is within earshot, including talk radio hosts.

His favorite hangout is the Yankee Tavern. It’s just blocks from Ground Zero and it’s a run-down wreck. On the floors above it are empty, decrepit apartments abandoned by all but the rats, and the ghosts, and Ray, who lives there. Adam (Tyler Costin), the twenty-something proprietor and son of the tavern’s late owner, is trying to sell it and get on with his life. Ray was his father’s best friend, but he’s getting on Adam’s nerves with his crazy stories and mooching of drinks. The final straw comes when Adam’s fiancée Janet (Ilana Niernberger) finds out that Ray has invited scores of dead friends to their wedding. Ray insists that the ghosts will all be there in spirit, wishing them well. Costin, fresh from a starring role in Brigadoon at Spreckels, gives a strong and lively rendering of Adam. Niernberger, who displayed considerable talent performing with Craven in last year’s Mauritius at MSW, was left with not much to do in the role of Janet.

Yankee Tavern is an odd, spotty patchwork of sly humor, suspense and paranoia. The real pleasure of the show is watching Craven tear the place up in a tour-de-force performance as the unkempt, fidgety Ray.  Craven keeps the audience mesmerized; even the smallest gesture is touched with nuance and meaning. At first, Ray seems to be on an earnest quest for the truth. We come to realize it’s the allure, the belief that things “are not as they seem” that keeps Ray hooked.  Until one day.

The tavern has seen tough times since the attacks, with few customers, but there’s one regular. An enigmatic and much-too-quiet fellow, Palmer  (Anthony Abate) suddenly reveals some frightening insider knowledge about the 9/11 attacks that implicates young Adam.  At this point the story’s center of gravity makes a head-spinning shift that could have come straight from the X-Files.

Direction by MSW Artistic Director Elizabeth Craven is brisk and energized, allowing realistic emotional reactions to show through the dialogue. There’s only one scene, in the second act, where perhaps  more tension would have helped. The set design by local legend Paul Gilger is a compact marvel of clean lines and atmospheric backdrops, representing the eerie skeletal remains of the Twin Towers. He said he wanted to convey an otherworldly quality to the tavern and its denizens, and in this he succeeds beautifully.

Even though the ending is a bit muddled and falls off a short cliff with no clear resolution, the story still has its rewards. Yankee Tavern’s appeal lies in the fact that people have always wanted to feel they are part of an exclusive group with special access to the truth. Maybe the truth is never revealed, but that’s almost beside the point. It’s the journey in pursuit of truth that keeps them going, and it’s the fuel that propels the entertaining intrigue of Yankee Tavern.

                Now you know it’s a meaningless question

                To ask if these stories are right

                ‘Cause what matters most is the feeling you get

                 When you’re hypnotized

                                                (from “Hypnotized” by Bob Welch/Fleetwood Mac, 1973)

 

When: Now through February 23, 2014

8:00 p.m Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays

5:00 p.m. Sundays

Tickets $15 to $25

Main Stage West

104 North Main Street

Sebastopol, CA 95472

(707) 823-0177

www.mainstagewest.com

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Photos by Eric Chazankin

Love by Any Other Name Would Still Be Hilarious

During the Weimar era of the 1920s and early 1930s, before Hitler came to power and crashed the party, Berlin was an incubator for expressionistic film and theatre. Creativity and originality flourished like orchids in a hothouse. It was here that Marlene Dietrich developed her iconic cabaret style. Daring, visionary films like The Blue Angel, Nosferatu and Metropolis were created.  From this heady environment sprang the gender-bending musical comedy film Viktor und Viktoria.

Fast-forward to 1982. Filmmaker Blake Edwards decided the story would be a perfect vehicle for his wife, singing star Julie Andrews. In a month he had a new screenplay, with fabulous new songs by Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse. His film Victor Victoria was a smash hit, garnering an Oscar for best original musical score. In 1995 Edwards adapted  his film into the Broadway sensation Victor/Victoria with additional songs and over 700 performances. There was a Tony Award for Andrews, which she famously declined because she felt the rest of the cast had been overlooked.

The premise involves a down-and-out British penny-opera singer named Victoria Grant who finds herself in Paris and out of work. Gay cabaret performer Toddy comes to her rescue with a brilliant idea: why not present her to Paris’ top talent agent as a male impersonator? Sure enough,  almost overnight “Victor” is the number-one must-see act in all of Gay Paree.  Dignitaries and underworld figures alike flock to his/her shows, including a Chicagoland nightclub owner and rum-runner named King Marchan. After seeing Victoria perform, Marchan is not at all convinced that “she” is really a “he”.  Of course the two fall madly in love, and the most delightful complications arise.

Napa Valley Playhouse Artistic Director Michael Ross directs the current production at 6^th Street Playhouse. It packs an entertainment wallop with a cast chock-full of top local talent. Taylor Bartolucci DeGuilio (Spamalot, Great American Trailer Park Musical) in the title role is a commanding presence and nails both the part and the English accent, hitting all those glass-shattering high notes with ease. She’s nearly pitch-perfect, especially in her duets and ensemble numbers, although warbling a bit in her solos.  Tim Setzer (Scrooge, Young Frankenstein) sparkles in the role of Toddy, delivering a deliciously arch performance and strong vocals. At first Anthony Guzman seemed a bit young for such a seasoned tough-guy mobster like Marchan, but he eases into the role and maintains a sturdy, romantic support for DeGuilio.

A very pleasant surprise is Abbey Lee as Marchan’s “moll”, the dim-bulb chorus girl Norma. Lee nearly runs off with the show every scene she’s in, especially musical numbers like “Chicago, Illinois” and “Paris Makes Me Horny”. It’s a showy part, to be sure, but Lee is superb at chewing the scenery and sizzles like a firecracker while doing it.

Director Ross uses good, solid staging and scene changes, and keeps the jazz hot from beginning to end. It would have been nice if set designer Vincent Mothersbaugh had used more Art Deco influence for some of the interior scenes, since the show is set in Paris, the birthplace of Art Deco, in the very Art Deco period of 1933. Nonetheless, the set works. Beautiful lighting by April George creates the perfect ambiance, as does the agile choreography by Staci Arriaga. The orchestra was not quite in tune during the overture and Act I, but they improved during the course of the evening and by Act II had warmed up.

This is truly one of the funniest and most heartwarming musical comedies ever, and the crew at 6^th Street has done a wonderful job in presenting it. But it’s more than that – it’s also a love story for the ages. As Ross says, “The timeliness of this love story is not lost on contemporary audiences as we, as a society, evolve (however slowly) in the acceptance of the many shapes and forms that love can take.” And when love is this much fun, who can argue?

When: Now through February 2, 2014

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

2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Tickets: $15 to $35

Location: GK Hardt Theater at 6^th Street Playhouse

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

Website: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

Photo by Eric Chazankin

Cinnabar audiences should be prepared: this is not your typical musical or revue. It’s a classy, gutsy cabaret-style presentation of the profoundly moving music of Jacques Brel, a Belgian-born singer-songwriter who rose to fame in 1950s France. Brutal honesty and self-deprecating humor, delivered with charm, wit and sometimes anger, are Brel hallmarks. This is music that brands your soul.

Brel’s songwriting style is based on the chanson, a musical form with roots in Medieval France. Back then, chansons were epic poems set to simple melodies; think Troubadour songs. The style evolved over the centuries, and by the 1940s it had become deeply embedded in  French popular culture with its stories of truth, passion and the meaning of life. Thus the “nouvelle chanson” gained worldwide fame through singers like Edith Piaf, who heavily influenced Brel’s work. In turn, scores of modern singers and songwriters have felt Brel’s influence.

“Jacques Brel…” debuted Off-Broadway in 1968 and has been performed all over the world. English translations of Brel’s lyrics were done for the show by Eric Blau and Mort Shuman. Four performers are charged with delivering each song as though it were a small one-act play.  Some pieces are solos, and some call for two, three or all four to perform together.

Bay Area vocal powerhouses Michael Van Why, Julia Hathaway, Valentina Osinski and Kevin Singer are well up to the task, delivering strong performances in Brel standards like the snappy and cynical “Madeleine”, the hauntingly poignant “Old Folks” and the hilarious, ironic “Next” (Van Why calls it “the gonorrhea song”). ”Carousel” is one of best numbers and serves as the rousing finale. A member of the band even stands up and juggles little pink balls.

Nuanced and flexible staging by director Elly Lichenstein merges well with the work of the choreographer (Joseph Favalora) and set designer (Wayne Hovey). Five onstage musicians wield instruments besides the usual suspects of trumpet, flute, guitar, bass and drums. Of course there is a very French accordion – to provide that cabaret atmosphere – but also a ukulele and marimba. This produces a lively accompaniment, although at times the vocalists seem drowned out by the musicians and are hard to hear. This weakens the effect of such a lyric-driven show. Perhaps wireless mikes could solve this problem?

To sum up, “Jacques Brel…” is an emotional rollercoaster: bleak and buoyant, laughter mixed with tears, sunshine through the rain. His raw, visceral musical style connects with the human spirit as few others can. And local audiences are responding, since the show’s run has been extended through January 26^th.

When: Now through January 26, 2014

8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

2 p.m. Sundays

Tickets: $25 to $35

Location: Cinnabar Theater

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

Website: www.cinnabartheater.org

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

 

A Tale of Two Scrooges

‘Tis the season for holiday classics. While many take comfort in tradition and the reassuring messages of generations past, some like a fresh approach. Fine examples to satisfy either taste are on view at two Bay Area theatres.

There are countless versions of Charles Dickens’ yuletide standard A Christmas Carol, and they all focus on what happens to that old meanie, Ebenezer Scrooge. But what about the catalyst for Scrooge’s salvation – his equally mean and miserly partner, dead-as-a-doornail Jacob Marley? Award-winning playwright, actor and director Tom Mula answers this question and more in his startling, otherworldly Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, based on his novel of the same name. The audio version of the novel enjoyed great success on National Public Radio and ran for six seasons, winning the INDI Award for Spoken Word. Mula then crafted his book into a solo piece which he performed himself during its debut in 1998 at the Goodman Theater  in Chicago. Later he reworked the piece into a play for four actors, and this is the version now being presented at Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley. It’s a truly original experience, combining elements of radio drama, comedy, traditional theatre and pantomime in the most enchanting and unexpected ways.

The story begins in the afterlife where Marley, in chains, comes to realize that he can only redeem himself by redeeming the miserable Scrooge. He sets out on his mission accompanied by a sort of puckish angel-guide known as The Bogle. His interactions with Scrooge and the three Spirits of Christmas (Past, Present and Future, played by each of the cast members in multiple roles) are by now well-known, but presented here with a more poignant urgency since we now know the reason behind this ghostly intervention. There are intense physical gymnastics required of the actors, which heightens the visual impact. Characters also must pivot from third-person to first-person narratives in the blink of an eye.

Khris Lewin in the lead role of Marley brings great emotional shading and empathy to this heretofore mysterious and stunted character of classic literature. His resourceful sidekick The Bogle is played like a  gutsy Tinkerbelle by Rami Margron, perhaps the most entertaining and engaging performer in the show. Nicholas Pelczar is effective as Scrooge, playing second fiddle to Marley in this story, but he can’t match Lewin’s energy and seems almost subdued in comparison.

The role of the Record Keeper was to be played by Stacy Ross, but just moments  before curtain at a recent matinee, she was rushed to the hospital with a severe back injury. MTC Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis bravely stepped into the breach to read her part off-book. There’s no doubt the show was thrown a little off-balance for this one performance, but unfortunately the MTC budget does not allow for understudies.  Minadakis did the best he could on such short notice.

A network of scaffolding and pipes that extends the width of the stage serves as the set, with no props to speak of with the possible exception of one large, thick-limbed table that is flipped and repositioned to serve many different forms. Jon Tracy’s fluid direction and choreographic staging keeps the cast in constant, hyper-kinetic motion.  Dazzling light effects by Kurt Landisman include a universe of stars that fill the theater. Flashlights are put into the hands of the actors to highlight certain scenes in highly creative ways. The beams form the frames of a window, radiate like angel wings or spotlight another character’s face at critical moments. This Christmas Carol is a thrilling, truly exceptional show, a perfect harmony of performers, light and sound.

Meanwhile, to the north, there’s Scrooge, the musical version of the Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.  Delighting audiences and rattling the walls at the small 84-seat black box theater at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park, it’s a wondrous tempest in a teacup, definitely family fare.

Here we’re in more familiar territory, with Scrooge being Scrooge, and getting his ghostly visits accompanied by lively musical numbers and show-stopping choreography. Based on the 1970 film with music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, the production at Spreckels features unique scenic and lighting effects courtesy of their proprietary Paradyne projection system. Director Gene Abravaya was aware of the challenges of staging such a big show in a small space and ensures that the action never lets up. Each member of the cast of 19, from lead performers to ensemble, remains fully animated. It’s a wonder, but they manage to use every square inch of space during the dance numbers nicely choreographed by Michella Snyder, pulling it off with nary a hitch.

Tim Setzer leads the way as the nasty Scrooge. He has a very special intensity playing this difficult role,  and he’s in superb voice as his character transforms; churlish growls give way  to tender entreaties and joyful shouts. His is possibly the best performance in the show, and he’s in good company. Dwayne Stincelli as Fezziwig and Peter Warden as Scrooge’s nephew Fred offer fine, nuanced performances. Also noteworthy are Pam Koppel as the Ghost of Christmas Past and Sam Starr as Tom Jenkins. The key role of Tiny Tim is played by little Andrea Luekens who  has a lovely singing voice. Marley’s ghost (Harry Duke, looking and sounding much like a baleful Alfred Hitchcock) arrives on the scene early on and, setting the tone, is more comic than spook. But there are some scary moments to be sure, with loud rumblings that vibrate the very rafters and ghostly zombies slithering out from under the front-row seats.

Abravaya says that the intimacy of this smaller venue demands a higher level of emotional reaction from his cast to keep the audience fully engaged. When you see the performers from inches away, every subtle reaction counts, where a bigger theater is more forgiving and gestures can be more broad. This strategy is a great success, fully showcasing the talent of the cast. As for music, there’s only an electronic piano played by music director Cynthia Heath, along with bass and drums to provide accompaniment to the elaborate  musical numbers, but it works. Some of the more inspiring songs include “ Make the Most of This World”, “The Minister’s Cat”, “Love While You Can”, and the especially rousing “Thank You Very Much”. Costume designer Pamela Enz does a remarkable job, effectively calling up the Dickensian world.

In Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol, Marley ultimately loses his chains, but he’s not so lucky in Scrooge. These two productions present very different views of the infamous Scrooge, but they have a common theme: our time on Earth is short, and we must cherish each moment and the ones we love.  Both leave you invigorated, with a warm and cozy outlook just right for celebrating the holidays. See one or both – you can’t go wrong.

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol presented by Marin Theatre Company

When: now through December 22, 2013

8 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

7:30 p.m. Wednesdays

2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sundays

2 p.m. Saturday, December 28

Tickets: $37 to $58

Location: Marin Theatre Company

397 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley CA 94941
Phone: 415-388-5208

Website: www.marintheatre.org

 

Scrooge presented by Spreckels Theatre Company

When: Now through December 22, 2013

7:30 p.m. Thursdays

8:00 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

2:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays

Tickets: $22 to $26 (reserved seating)

Location: Bette Condiotti Theater at Spreckels Performing Arts Center

5409 Snyder Lane, Rohnert Park CA
Phone: 707-588-3400

Website: www.spreckelsonline.com

Reviewed by Suzanne and Greg Angeo

 

Doll House  Challenges and Inspires

 

Photograph courtesy of Marin Onstage

 

This enduring classic of the theatre is given a truly splendid presentation at Saint Vincent’s School under the auspices of Marin Onstage, the production arm of the Novato Arts Foundation.  Acclaimed 19^th-century Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen is second only to Shakespeare in the popularity of his work. He is known as the father of realism in theatre, and helped usher in the modern age of relevance to audiences. One of his best-known plays, A Doll House, which is based on a true story, premiered in Oslo, Norway in 1880. Less than ten years later it had been seen on stages all over the world. It had its Broadway premiere in December 1889, and like everywhere  else, stirred great popular interest and controversy.

The play takes place in Norway over the Christmas holidays, with the seemingly light-hearted Nora (Stephanie Ann Foster) happily making preparations for her family. Her successful lawyer husband Torvald (Gabriel Ross) rules his little wife with a stern but loving hand, lecturing her about her foolish ways. Nora’s long-lost friend Kristine (Kelsey Sloan) arrives at their home needing help, which they are all too happy to give. One of Torvald’s associates, Nils Krogstad (Jim McFadden), and family friend Dr Rank (Bill McClave) form the last intriguing pieces in this puzzle of relationships. The ebullient Nora has a secret that she is desperate to keep: she has committed an unforgiveable transgression, one that could cost her her marriage and her home.

Foster’s Nora moves with breathtaking grace while dancing or scampering about, like the “little squirrel” her husband is so fond of calling her. There’s finely controlled shading under her childlike persona that reveals itself to be only a candy coating. She’s  cleverly fashioned this sweet veneer to survive in her husband’s controlling world. To be sure, it’s a world he fills with pet names, affection and patronizing indulgence of his treasured doll. Ross is restrained and underplays his role in the opening scenes. He skillfully allows layer upon layer to fall away, concluding in a champagne-fuelled exchange with Nora that has devastating consequences for them both. Sloan as Kristine is deceptively subtle when she first appears. She projects keen intelligence and goodwill, ultimately making a decision that saves more than one life. McFadden as Krogstad is excellent in his role as the villain with a romantic secret. McClave as Dr Rank provides an element of wistful pathos. Lynn Sotos, as the dependable family housekeeper, turns in a solid performance.

Award-winning playwright and director Ron Nash draws on his considerable decades-long experience in the Swedish and New York theaters to guide his cast through the challenging emotional hills and valleys of this piece. Of his work on A Doll House he says “I love directing relevant plays, plays with meat that challenge and inspire people… I am honored to be directing this play.”

It’s been suggested that Nora symbolizes repressed womanhood breaking free from society’s prison, and that A Doll House launched the women’s movement. That may be so, but Nora is a much, much more important character than that. She represents not just womanhood, but humanity itself. Trapped in social conventions and expectations that can stifle our souls, Ibsen shows us that we often deny our true nature when we try to fit in and be accepted. We don’t fully realize our potential until we take control of our lives; that’s his message. It was revolutionary at the time because Ibsen chose a woman to be his champion, and seemed to challenge gender roles, something unheard of in those days. The powerful relevance of this play has been swept forward more than 120 years into a small theater in Saint Vincent’s School in San Rafael where local audiences can see it, and be amazed.

More of Ron Nash’s work with Marin Onstage at Saint Vincent’s Theater: An Evening of Short Plays by Bertold Brecht, Susan Glaspel and August Strindberg, February 14 through March 2, 2014.

 

 

When:  Now through November 17, 2013

Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday at 8:00 p.m.

Tickets: $10 to $18

Location: The Little Theater at Saint Vincent’s School

1 Saint Vincent’s Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903

Phone: 415-448-6152

Website: www.marinonstage.org