Judy Richter

By Judy Richter

 San Francisco’s Magic Theatre is opening its 47th season with what it calls a legacy revival of Sam Shepard’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Buried Child.”

The Magic presented the play’s world premiere in 1978 while Shepard was playwright in residence from 1975 to 1983. The current production uses Shepard’s 1995 revision.

This compelling drama about a ultra-dysfunctional family takes place in a rundown farmhouse in Illinois. Dodge (Rod Gnapp), the family’s patriarch, is in his 70s and spends most of his time on a ratty sofa in front of a TV while he coughs and takes frequent swigs from a bottle he hides behind the cushions.

His younger wife, Halie (Denise Balthrop Cassidy), is first heard nagging at him from upstairs. Before long, she leaves to have lunch with her minister-lover, Father Dewis (Lawrence Radecker).

Their elder son, Tilden (James Wagner), has recently returned after getting into unspecified trouble in New Mexico, where he has lived for many years. Tilden is a large, zombie-like man who makes his first appearance bearing an armload of freshly picked corn. He says it came from their backyard, but Dodge says nothing has grown there in years.

Another son, Bradley (Patrick Kelly Jones), who lost a lower leg to a chain saw, lives nearby. He seems to be evil personified. A third son, Ansel, died in a motel room.

Tilden’s son, Vince (Patrick Alparone), unexpectedly stops by to visit his grandparents and to see where he grew up. He’s in his 20s and has been gone about six years, but no one admits to recognizing him at first.

With him is his girlfriend, Shelly (Elaina Garrity), who’s initially upset by the situation and eager to leave, but Vince insists on staying. It’s Shelly who extracts the family’s long-held secret, which gives the play its name.

As the play ends, Shelly and the other outsider, Father Dewis, wisely depart, leaving Vince to rejoin the family in an eerie way.

Artistic director Loretta Greco’s direction is outstanding as the actors fully inhabit their characters. There’s much underlying tension and menace from the men of the family, especially Gnapp as Dodge. Even though he’s sickly and feeble, he can be scary. The same is true of his two sons and even Vince.

The creative team complements the drama with the set by Andrew Boyce, lighting by Eric Southern and costumes by Alex Jaeger. Jake Rodriguez’s sound is notable for the rain that pelts the house throughout the first act.

The play is often cryptic. Even though the family’s major secret is revealed, other questions remain, leaving them open to speculation. That’s part of the fascination of this fine play.

Having been extended for a week, “Buried Child” will continue at the Magic Theatre, Building D, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, through Oct. 13. For tickets and information, call (415) 441-8822 or visit www.magictheatre.org.

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

It’s 1929  in Berlin, where the tawdry Kit Kat Klub epitomizes the atmosphere of anything goes. In the ensuing months, however, tensions rise as the Nazis move closer to power.

That’s the setting for “Cabaret,” the memorable musical by composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb, now enjoying a noteworthy production by Broadway By the Bay in Redwood City. Director Brandon Jackson employs an effectively minimalist staging that keeps the action flowing smoothly and propelling the plot.

Much of the action takes place in the Kit Kat Klub, where the leering Emcee (Alex Rodriguez) oversees overtly sexual performances by the six Kit Kat Girls and the four Kit Kat Boys. The club’s star performer is an Englishwoman, Sally Bowles (Amie Shapiro), who insinuates herself into the room and bed of a recently arrived American writer, Clifford Bradshaw (Jack Mosbacher).

They live in a rooming house owned by Fräulein Schneider (Karen DeHart), an older spinster. Fräulein Schneider figures in a major subplot along with Herr Schultz (Stuart Miller), a kindly widower who owns a fruit shop. They contemplate marriage, but his being Jewish proves to be an insurmountable barrier in the face of the Nazis’ anti-Semitism.

“Cabaret” was a Broadway hit that first came toSan Franciscoin 1987. It has been seen locally several times since then. BBB staged it in 2004 at the San Mateo Performing Arts Center.

For many fans, though, the benchmark production is the 1972 film starring Joel Grey as the Emcee and Liza Minnelli as Sally Bowles. They set the standard against which subsequent performers are judged.

Rodriguez’s interpretation of the Emcee is far different from Grey’s, but it works well in the context of this production. He sings, dances and acts well.

Likewise, Shapiro’s Sally Bowles is far different from Minnelli’s. Minnelli is the better dancer, but choreographer Kristin Kusanovich wisely simplifies Shapiro’s dance moves. Shapiro paces the emotions and volume well in such songs as “Mein Herr” and “Maybe This Time,” but pushes in the title song. Her acting is generally good, but she can’t quite capture the neediness and vulnerability that motivate Sally.

Mosbacher does well as Cliff, a role based on author Christopher Isherwood, who penned the stories on which the play by John Van Druten and this musical are based.

Supporting characters are solid, especially DeHart as Fräulein Schneider and Miller as Herr Schultz. However, Brandon’s direction dilutes the tragic sadness of her decision not to marry Herr Schultz because of how the marriage might affect her livelihood.

Melissa Reinertson does double duty as a Kit Kat Girl and Fräulein Kost, a prostitute who also lives in Fräulein Schneider’s house. Warren Wernick plays Ernst, who befriends Cliff on the train to Berlin but who is revealed to be less innocent than he seems at first.

The show works best in the first act, when Brandon’s staging relies mainly on a few chairs to set the scene on the two-level set by Margaret Toomey. She also designed the character-appropriate costumes. The staging doesn’t work as well in the second act as emotions and the tensions heighten.

Kusanovich’s inventive choreography is one of the show’s highlights, as well as the musical direction by Sean Kana, who directs the excellent onstage orchestra from the keyboard.

Lighting by Michael Rooney sometimes misses the main speaker in a scene. Jon Hayward’s sound design provides the right degree of amplification for comfortable listening — something that’s not always the case in contemporary musical productions.

Taken as a whole, this production, though not perfect, has much to recommend it. It continues at the Fox Theatre, 2215 Broadway St., Redwood City, through Sept. 29. For tickets and information, call (650) 579-5565 or visit www.broadwaybythebay.org.

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

With today’s Congress sharply divided, “1776” seems quite timely. In fact, one of its main characters has a song, “Piddle, Twiddle,” in which he describes the failure of the Second Continental Congress to agree on much of anything during the hot early summer of 1776  in Philadelphia.

The major point of contention is whether the 13 American colonies should oppose British rule and declare their independence in this 1969 musical play that opens the American Conservatory Theater season. The main spokesman for independence is the prickly John Adams (John Hickock) of Massachusetts. His principal opponents are Edward Rutledge (Jarrod Zimmerman) of South Carolinaand John Dickinson (Jeff Parker) of Pennsylvania.

AfterDickinson insists that any vote on independence be unanimous, Adams proposes that Congress have a declaration to make its intentions clear. Adams, Benjamin Franklin (Andrew Boyer) of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson (Brandon Dahlquist) of Virginiaand two others are appointed to write it. The actual writing is left  to Jefferson.

After some delays, Jefferson comes up with a document for debate. He agrees to many changes, but the big sticking point comes when Rutledge says that unless a passage opposing slavery is removed, he won’t vote for the declaration, thus scuttling it. Adams and Jefferson reluctantly agree, and the Declaration of Independence is eventually approved and signed by delegates from each colony.

Even though anyone who has studied American history knows how the story turns out, composer-lyricist Sherman Edwards and book writer Peter Stone imbue the show with high drama fueled by personality conflicts and story-compelling songs.

The names are straight out of American history, even legend, but director Frank Galati and his cast of 24 men and two women create flesh-and-blood characters with all the complexities that go into real people. Hence, “1776” isn’t just some routine history lesson. It’s an insightful look at how our system of government began to evolve.

While some characters take on larger roles and do well, everyone in the topnotch ensemble cast has at least a moment in the musical or dramatic spotlight. Led by musical director Michael Rice from the keyboard, the individual and ensemble singing is excellent, as is the 10-member orchestra.

Costumes by Mara Blumenfeld, set by Russell Metheny, lighting by Paul Miller and sound by Kevin Kennedy lend an air of authenticity. Peter Amster’s choreography enlivens several songs.

The two-act show runs about two hours and 45 minutes, but most of it speeds by because it’s so well created and executed.

It continues at ACT’s Geary Theater through Oct. 6. For tickets and information, call (415) 749-2229 or visit www.act-sf.org.

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

Colorful boas, tie dye and peace symbols are back in vogue as San Jose Repertory Theatre opens its new season with “One Night With Janis Joplin,” a tribute to the ’60s musical legend and the black women singers who influenced her.

Kacee Clanton as Joplin, joined by four other women singers and an eight-man band, sings an array of Joplin’s greatest hits. In addition, Tiffany Mann as the Blues Singer recreates Joplin’s inspirations such as Bessie Smith, Etta James, Nina Simone, Odetta and Aretha Franklin.

In between songs, Clanton’s Joplin talks about growing up in Port Arthur, Texas. Her mother, a big fan of Broadway musicals, would buy one cast album per week and play it so much that Joplin and her two siblings knew every song by heart. She also gave the three kids singing lessons.

Eventually Joplin made her way to San Francisco, where she sang with Big Brother and the Holding Company and other bands. She quickly became an icon of rock ‘n’ roll with her raw, passionate interpretations of her own and others’ songs. No one had ever sung quite the same way before, and no one has sung exactly that way since. However, Clanton does a great job in this demanding, high-energy role.

Likewise, Mann is terrific in songs like “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out,” which she sings by herself. She’s also joined by Clanton in other songs like “Spirit in the Dark” and “Little Girl Blue.”

They’re backed vocally by the three Joplinaires: Cari Hutson (the alternate for Joplin), Shinnerrie Jackson and Tricky Jones. The instrumentalists sometimes chime in vocally.

Created, written and directed by Randy Johnson, this show is opening simultaneously on Broadway with a different cast but the same director.

Rick Lombardo, San Jose Rep artistic director, announced on opening night that the show was proving to be the biggest seller in the company’s history, resulting in a week’s extension.

While the show has an abundance of gems forJoplin fans, it’s not content with highlighting the music. Instead it’s greatly overproduced, especially the lighting and projections. Matthew Webb’s lighting design often sends blindingly bright lights into the audience. Some of the almost nonstop projections by Colin Lowry are interesting, especially the psychedelic posters from the period and examples of Joplin’s artwork, but other images amount to visual overkill.

Cliff Simon’s workable set features stacks of the huge (though nonworking) amplifiers used in rock concerts. Bottles of Southern Comfort whiskey, which became a Joplin trademark, are placed around the stage, but the script makes scant mention of her excessive drinking. Nor does it touch on the drug usage that led to her untimely death in 1970 at the age of 27.

Steve Schoenbeck’s sound design is expectedly loud. Susan Branch Towne has designed some eye-catching costumes for the women.

Because the show is so visually overdone, it’s not as effective as the earlier “Love, Janis,” which played atSan Francisco’s Marines Memorial Theatre in 2006. Still, many people in San Jose’s opening night audience seemed to love the show, especially when it showcased hits like “Piece of My Heart,” “Down on Me,” “Me & Bobby McGee,” “Ball and Chain” and “Mercedes Benz”.

“One Night With Janis Joplin” will continue at San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, through Oct. 6. For tickets and information, call (408) 367-7255 or visit www.sjrep.com.

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

Playwright Amy Herzog looks at what happens when an idolized ancestor turns out to have been human in “After the Revolution,” staged by Aurora Theatre Company to open its 22nd season in Berkeley.

This two-act play focuses on three generations of the Joseph family, who proudly call themselves Marxists. Their venerated ancestor is the late Joe Joseph, a Marxist who worked for the Office of Strategic Services, a World War II forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency. When he testified at a congressional hearing during the infamous communist witch hunts during the early 1950s, he denied passing U.S.secrets to Russia and refused to name possible communists, thus being blacklisted.

Now his 26-year-old granddaughter, Emma (Jessica Bates), a freshly minted law school graduate in 1999, has started the Joe Joseph Foundation dedicated to fighting injustice. When she learns that what she had been told about her grandfather isn’t entirely true, she triggers a major family crisis aimed mostly at her father, Ben Joseph (Rolf Saxon), for having withheld the information from her.

His partner, Mel (Pamela Gaye Walker); his brother, Leo (Victor Talmadge); Emma’s sister, Jess (Sarah Mitchell); their step grandmother, Vera (Ellen Ratner); and Emma’s boyfriend, Miguel (Adrian Anchondo); all get involved in the father-daughter rift. The person who seems to be the most helpful is an outsider, 77-year-old Morty (Peter Kybart), a major donor to Emma’s foundation.

Director Joy Carlin keeps the action moving briskly and has a solid cast. Bates as Emma is onstage through most of the two-act play and carries the heaviest load in a role that temporarily devolves into depression that can seem self-indulgent.

Saxon is convincing as the caring father who has to admit that he made mistakes. Talmadge as Leo and Walker as Mel come across as reasonable and caring as they try to serve as peacemakers. Mitchell’s Jess is refreshingly blunt as a young woman trying to get through rehab. Ratner as Vera is feisty as she portrays an aging woman beset by difficulties hearing, walking and remembering words. Kybart embodies Morty’s generosity, wisdom and sense of  humor, while Anchondo is caring and then conflicted as Miguel.

Because the plot tends to be detailed, one must listen carefully. This is especially true in Aurora’s intimate space, where the audience sits on three sides of the stage. If an actor is turned away from one side, he or she might be difficult to hear.

The play makes extensive use of telephone calls, especially in the second act when Ben is trying to get through to Emma. J.B. Wilson’s set design plays up this device with telephone poles and wires upstage.

Sound designer Chris Houston helps to prepare the audience with protest songs from the likes of Woody Guthrie heard in the lobby and theater beforehand. The lighting is by Kurt Landisman with costumes by Callie Floor.

For the most part, “After the Revolution” is an involving drama with believable characters and circumstances.

It will continue at Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley, through Sept. 29. For tickets and information, call (510) 843-4822 or visit www.auroratheatre.org.

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

The title character in “And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little” does indeed drink, not just a little but a lot.

That’s apparent in the opening moments at Dragon Theatre in Redwood City as Catherine Reardon (Sheila Ellam) pours two bottles of alcohol into an ice bucket, briefly holds a third (presumably vermouth) over it, and then fills a tumbler for herself.

She refreshes that drink throughout Paul Zindel’s two-act play as rancor and craziness fill the apartment that she shares with her younger sister, Anna (Lessa Bouchard).

Soon to join Catherine and Anna for dinner in their late mother’s apartment is their married sister, Ceil Adams (Kelly Rinehart). Ceil, the superintendent of a Staten Islandschool district, wants to persuade Catherine, an assistant principal in that district, to have Anna committed to a mental hospital.

Anna, who teaches high school chemistry in the same district, has been deteriorating emotionally ever since she and Catherine traveled to Italy, where Anna was bitten by a stray cat. Despite evidence to the contrary, Anna believes that she contracted rabies from the bite.

Her irrational behavior has recently led her into an inappropriate encounter with a male student.

Anna also has become a vegetarian, making zucchini and fruit smoothies the dietary staples for both herself and Catherine. In fact, Anna abhors all animal products, leading her to shriek and jump onto the sofa when she sees them.

Those reactions are caused by the unexpected arrival of Fleur Stein (Mary Lou Torre), a guidance counselor at Anna’s school, and her husband, Bob (Kyle Wood). Anna first sees Fleur’s fur wrap, followed by the fur-lined leather gloves that Anna’s colleagues have given her as a get-well gift.

Repeatedly ignoring hints and then requests that they leave, Fleur and Bob bicker with each other and with the sisters.

The couple become so obnoxious that they trigger a rare display of unity among the sisters, who gleefully forgo their sibling rivalry and come up with an extreme way to get the invaders to go.

While Ellam’s sarcastic Catherine is casually neat, Bouchard’s Anna — her long, red curls unfettered — is disheveled.

Ceil is a stark contrast to both with her tailored business suit (costumes by Kimberly Davis), prim hair style and no-nonsense glasses. Her attire reflects her uptight persona. Her sisters’ outfits are similarly reflective of what they’re like.

Because it’s a dark comedy with generally unlikable characters and themes, “Miss Reardon” requires skillful directing and acting to bring out subtleties.

In this case, director Shareen Merriam and her cast fall short of that goal, resulting in mostly one-dimensional characters and emotional excesses leading to screaming matches. On the other hand, this play is not as well written as Zindel’s earlier Pulitzer- and Obie-winner, “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds.”

‘Miss Reardon’ will continue at Dragon Theatre, 2120 Broadway St., Redwood City, through Sept. 22. For tickets and information, call (650) 493-2006 or visit www.dragonproductions.net.

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

Margaret “Margie” Walsh, the central character in Marin Theatre Company’s production of David Lindsay-Abaire’s “Good People,” has had a tough life. She grew up in and still lives in a rough, impoverished Boston neighborhood.

The single mother of a severely disabled adult daughter, she has just been fired from her job as a dollar store cashier. Desperate for work, she turns to a former high school boyfriend who’s now a successful fertility doctor. She hopes he’ll give her a job or steer her to someone who will hire a woman who has few skills and no high school diploma but who is willing to work hard.

Thus the playwright paves the way for what becomes tense confrontations between Amy Resnick as Margie and Mark Anderson Phillips as Mike, the doctor. The conflict reaches its climax in Act 2 when Margie shows up unexpectedly at the posh home that Mike shares with his younger, black wife, Kate (ZZ Moor), and their young daughter.

Kate is eager to hear more about Mike’s youth in South Boston’s Lower End, where he lived until he left for college, thanks to scholarships and his father’s guidance. Mike isn’t eager to relive those days, especially the time he beat up a boy from a rival neighborhood.

Adroitly directed by Tracy Young, this 2011 play looks at emotionally fraught issues of class, poverty and racism, but leavens it with splashes of humor. Much of it comes from Margie’s longtime friend Jean (Jamie Jones), who’s both cynical and outspoken. More comes from Margie’s none-too-bright landlady, Dottie (Anne Darragh), who looks after Margie’s daughter. Dottie can be selfish, causing problems for Margie.

The play’s other character is Stevie (Ben Euphrat), Margie’s boss at the dollar store and a patron of the bingo games attended by Margie and her two friends.

With her characteristic blend of vulnerability and grit, Resnick has the audience rooting for Margie most of the way, but some of Margie’s actions, whether motivated by desperation or by anger, show her to be a flawed person, just like everyone else in the play.

Likewise, Phillips shows Mike to be a less than totally moral person despite his professional success. As Kate, Mike’s wife, Moor comes across as polished and sophisticated, but underlying tensions between Kate and Mike surface, and she turns antagonistic toward Margie as the latter’s visit nears its end.

The other three actors balance the play nicely and play important roles in Margie’s life, though in different ways.

Scenic designer Nina Ball allows for fluid transitions between scenes thanks to self-contained sets that slide into place. Costumes by Heidi Leigh Hanson reflect class differences. The lighting is by Gabe Maxson, while Chris Houston designed the sound and composed the music.

This play causes one to ponder what constitutes a “good” person. Most people probably consider themselves good, but they can commit less than good acts because of circumstances as well as character flaws. All these factors come into play in “Good People.”

It continues at Marin Theatre Company, 397 Miller Ave., MillValley, through Sept. 15. For tickets and information, call (415) 388-5208 or visit www.marintheatre.org.  

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ross skillfully portrays the conflicting emotions of Mrs. Erlynne.

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

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

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

Judy Richter

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By Judy Richter

Four superb actors, one skilled director and one genius playwright add up to an unforgettable experience as Berkeley Repertory Theatre presents Harold Pinter’s “No Man’s Land.”

Guided by director Sean Mathias, actors Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Billy Crudup and Shuler Hensley successfully navigate the ambiguities of Pinter’s 1975 play.

It opens as the impeccably tailored Hirst (Stewart) serves a drink to the rumpled Spooner (McKellen ), who has apparently been invited to Hirst’s home after running into him at a nearby pub. As Hirst becomes staggeringly drunk, his two manservants, Foster (Crudup) and Briggs (Hensley), assist him, leaving Spooner locked in the drawing room overnight.

As the two-act play progresses, one can’t be sure what’s true and what isn’t. What is clear, however, is the subtle air of menace that permeates the production, starting with the foreboding original music by sound designers Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen.

The manservants, Foster and Briggs, are especially menacing — Foster because he’s so slick and Briggs because he’s so big and stolid..

Hirst and Spooner both claim to be poets and may or may not have known each other atOxford. In one scene, Hirst has no idea who Spooner is, yet in another he goes into great detail about an affair he may have had with Spooner’s late wife. This subtle juggling for power among the various characters is a Pinter hallmark, along with the ambiguities and menace.

Bay Area audiences last saw McKellen as the title character in a memorable production of Shakespeare’s “Richard III”  inSan Francisco. Here he’s a far different man, apparently down on his luck and seemingly unsure of himself as he nervously shifts from one foot to the other and holds his coat throughout most of the play.

One would be hard-pressed to say exactly what the play is about or what actually happens, but it doesn’t matter because this production conveys the subtexts of Pinter’s writing, complete with his trademark pauses. The actors and director also mine the humor in the writing, relieving some of the tension.

The character-specific costumes are by Stephen Brimson Lewis, who also designed the spare but dignified set. The lighting is by Peter Kaczorowski.

After it completes its limited run in Berkeley, this production will move to Broadway, where it will be presented in rotating repertory with Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” also featuring McKellen and Stewart.

For now, Bay Area audiences can enjoy “No Man’s Land” through Aug. 31 in Berkeley Rep’s Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley. For tickets and information, call (510) 647-2949 or visit www.berkeleyrep.org.

Judy Richter

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