Kedar K. Adour

(top L) Anya Kazimierski, Shane Rhoads as Boy and Girl and Baby. (Top R) Richard Aiello as Man telling his tale  with bank of chairs.  (Lower R) Linda Ayes-Frederick as Woman remembering Prince Charming in Custom Made’s production of The Play About the Baby.

The Play About the Baby by Edward Albee. Directed by Brian Katz. Gough Street Playhouse, 1622 Gough Street, San Francisco. 415-798-2682 or www.custommade.org/the-baby. Through October 14, 2012

THE PLAY ABOUT THE BABY at Custom Made has a great cast

When Edward Albee, in a 2001interview with Charlie Rose, was asked what The Play About the Baby was about, the answer was “It is about 2 hours.” In that same interview when asked “What’s the idea of the play?” his response was “I don’t know.” In Custom Made’s excellent production of the play under Brian Katz’s firm hand the play is about one hour and 45 minutes including a 10 minute intermission and when you leave you won’t know what Albee’s idea was for writing the play.  Director Katz plays directly into Albee’s hands (trap?).

Albee also insists that his plays are written for small 100 seat theatres. He gets his wish for this play at the intimate theatre attached to a church on Gough Street. The devious and inventive director gets the audience into the right frame of mind to enjoy (?) this play by creating a set utilizing a floor to ceiling wall of chairs invoking the image of The Chairs an absurdist “tragic farce” by Eugene Ionesco written in 1952. OK Brian, you’ve got our attention and we are going to see an absurdist play. Now where do we go from here?

Since the play is about the baby we need a baby and in two extremely brief black out scenes the younger pair (named Boy and Girl) of the quartet in the play are blessed with a baby. Marital bliss abounds and when Girl breast feeds the baby, Boy says “Save some for me” and he gets his share. If this were not an absurdist play a psychiatrist would be needed.

The other half of the quartet (quintet if you count the unseen baby) is an older couple Man and Woman. Man is the interlocutor of the evening. Yes, interlocutor is an appropriate designation since what plays out is a circus of reality and unreality. If, as Albee insists, the baby is real then what transpires amounts to terror. If the baby is fictional as in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf then just sit back and let your mind try to absorb what in hell is Albee trying to say.

Is he equating love with sex since he gives Boy multiple lines insisting, “We’re truly in love. I always have a hard on!” and to girl, “I love being on you – in you.” Albee is obsessed with sex (just ask local playwright Joe Besecker who has written a play Bee-Eye with Albee as a major character). He evokes eroticism with the imagery of Man appearing to be blind stroking the bronze penis of a bull in a museum.  He also throws in a suggestion of homosexuality (so what else is new?) What seems like an innocuous tale told to Girl by Boy about a Gypsy scam involving a switch of paper bags in act one becomes a horrible suggestion in act two. Don’t ask.

To the incessant question of Boy/Girl to Man/Woman, “Who are you?’ the first reply is “We know your mother. We may not be remembered but not forgotten.”  The more cogent/questionable reply is “We are your destination” intimating that they will morph into personae of Man and Woman. Now that’s scary. What is even scarier is that this creepy couple can invade the minds of the youthful couple and erase from memory the conception and birth of their baby.

Yes, The Play About the Baby is confusing and Albee Like Picasso is putting us on and laughing up his sleeve as we praise their absurdist so called master pieces. Fortunately Brian Katz has a superb cast of Anya Kazimierski, Shane Rhoads, Richard Aiello and Linda Ayes-Frederick who give each of their characters verisimilitude in a morass of confusion. We agree with Woman who tells Man “You go too far.” That being said, this reviewer highly recommends seeing another side of Albee whose plays have had a resurgence in the Bay Area.

Marin Theatre Company mounted the overlong and tedious Tiny Alice and Aurora won praise from the author for their brilliant A Delicate Balance. The Play About the Baby can be categorized as falling between the two confirming that Albee is Albee is Albee. “If you have no wounds how can you know if you’re alive? If you have no scar how do you know who you are? Have been? Can ever be?” and you should not miss this production. (Full frontal nudity)

Kedar K. Adour, MD

                                                                      (l to r) Elena Wright as Lucrece, Darren Bridgett as Dorante, Cat Thompson as Clarice in Marin Shakespeare’s THE LIAR.

THE LIAR: French Farce adapted by David Ives from the comedy by Pierre Corneille. Directed by Robert Currier. Marin Shakespeare Company, Forest Meadows Amphitheatre, Dominican University, 1475 Grand Ave., San Rafael, CA, 415-499-4488, www.marinshakespeare.org  Through September 23, 2012.

THE LIAR at Marin Shakes a barrel of fun.

Before the play begins Associate Artistic Director Leslie Currier informs the Sunday matinee audience some of the ins and outs of the play we are about to see. It is absolutely unnecessary but highly informative. All you must do is sit back and enjoy one of the best productions staged by the Marin Shakespeare Company that has assembled it best Equity actors to romp around in fancy dress 1600’s costumes (Abra Berman) speaking in poetic (sort of) couplets in the French farce The Liar.

The play was written in 1643 by Pierre Corneille and Washington’s D.C. Shakespeare Company commissioned the wickedly humorous David Ives to write this adaptation that was produced there in 2010 and has appeared on the boards off Broadway and in local venues across the country. Ives insists “It’s neither exactly a translation nor an adaptation. It’s what I call a translaptation . . .” He goes on to talk about social satire and how lies can go on to feed love and create happiness. Observations that are completely unnecessary (se paragraph one) because the delightful lines and intricate lies stand on there own creating a masterly funny play. Marin Theatre Company performed his seminal series of short plays titled All in the Timing a few years ago and if memory is not faulty, matches the laugh meter quality of The Liar.

It all begins when Cliton (Stephen Muterspaugh), who ends up as the servant to the main character Dorante (Darren Bridgett), has an opening expository monolog telling us that the play is written in pentameter and that he has a fatal flaw of not being able to tell a lie. He need not worry with Dorante as his mentor by the end of the play he becomes fairly adept at the art of fabrication/prevarication. Bridgett and Muterspaugh are perfect for their parts. They both bounce around the stage with Dorante affecting a swash-buckling manner and Cliton doing double takes and pratfalls. One might suspect that Ives had Bridgett in mind when he wrote the adaptation.

Dorante arrives in Springtime Paris avoiding his father Geronte (Jarion Monroe) who has arranged a marriage for him. In only one day in Paris and after one look at Clarice (Cat Thompson) Dorante falls in love desirous of marriage. You won’t believe the extravagant lies Dorante fabricates for the ladies to the chagrin of Lucrece (Elena Wright) the companion to Clarice and the put upon Cliton.

Complications occur with the arrival of the buffoon Alcippe (James Hiser ) and his companion Philiste (Scott Coopwood). Alcippe is Clarice’s secret fiancé and Hiser milk’s the role for a modicum of laughs with some partially funny shtick. Wait there are other characters to round out the cast. They are identical twins Isabelle and Sabina, servants to Clarice and Lucrece respectively. Cliton flips for the vivacious Isabelle but somewhere along the plot line he confuses the puritanical Sabina for Isabelle. Natasha Noel plays both parts making quick exits and entrances and seems to have a ball doing so. The audience certainly has fun with the quick change act.

Thrown in with all the personal intricacies of the plot are tricky lines and stage directions. In one scene Bridgett is chastised for attempting to explain his love in Shakespearean language and in unison all members of the cast intone, “No Shakespeare!”  Jarion Monroe as Geronte has not shed his Shakespearean mantle and is great contrast to the silly farce that surrounds him. Running time about two hours with intermission of fun that received appreciative extended applause.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Sebastian Justice (Vincent Kartheiser) rants about the predictability of this world in San Jose Rep’s world premiere of The Death of the Novel.

THE DEATH OF THE NOVEL: Drama by Jonathan Marc Feldman and directed by Rick Lombardo. San Jose Repertory Theatre, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose, CA.

408-367- 255 or www.sjrep.com. August 30 – September 22, 2012.

THE DEATH OF THE NOVEL is a confusing and tedious evening at SJrep.

Did you know that there are psychologists/psychiatrists who specialize in treating writers who have writer’s block? There are and there were times when this reviewer could use one. Today is not one of them but help is needed to untangle the web of emotional angst that unfolded on opening night of The Death of the Novel that begins San Jose Reps 2012-2013 season.

Jonathon Marc Freeman’s main character is a brilliant young novelist Sebastian Justice (Vincent Kartheiser) who has agoraphobia, a mental condition where the patient has abnormal fear of public places or open areas and becomes home bound. This is often triggered by traumatic events that can begin in childhood and reach a peak in the mid to late 20s. Sebastian is a classic case and claims he is “the most well-adjusted, depressed agoraphobic in Manhattan.” He is not. He is a mixed up mess parading bravado to cover up his fears.

Sebastian has had enough trauma in his life, including as a teenager watching men fall from the World Trade building, to send a dozen men to a shrink. We learn about the others piecemeal as the play unfolds in a tedious two hours and 20 minutes before all the reasons are laid out and they are not very convincing. The author is vice-chair of the Southern California Committee of Human Rights Watch and one might consider this play as an extension of his commitment. He even has inserted a character named Phillip (Patrick Kelly Jones) as sort of his alter ego, or something like that to espouse his themes.

After a young lady steps to the stage apron, becomes enthralled as she reads a passage from novel, she presses the book to her bosom and exits. Now what was all that about? Was it a passage from Sebastian’s highly acclaimed and financially successful first novel and who is she? Lights up on a spectacular loft set (John Iacovelli) where Sebastian in what amounts to a non-stop monolog is having a session with Perry (Amy Pietz) a publisher-ordered psychologist (a “writer’s block-whisperer”).  Out of the bedroom comes an attractive lady whom we later learn is a hooker named Claire (Zarah Mahler), who is enraptured with his novel, has writing ambitions and hopes he will help get them published.

Enter Phillip, Sebastian’s best friend and a professed humanitarian (see paragraph two) who falls in and out of love  as often as he changes his underwear but this time he has met the true one and only Sheba (Vaishnavi Sharma) a drop dead gorgeous Saudi Arabian who is also dazzled by the novel entitled “The Seventh Day.” Through the media of Facebook and Twitter Sebastian learns that Sheba is not what she professes to be and Perry suspects she is a stalker since Sheba is delusional and unable to separate truth from reality.

Sheba

When Phillip goes off on a Humanitarian mission to the Middle East, Sebastian makes his move on Sheba and they have five weeks of passionate love and mutual confession.  Phillip returns, Sheba deserts Sebastian and goes back to Phillip although he knows her true identity . . . a Kuwaiti whose father has been unjustly rounded up by Homeland Security.

From this point on Sebastian has a break with reality and there is a scene where he visualizes Sheba. Phillip returns to tell him that Sheba who has travelled to the Iraq with has been blown up by a suicide bomber. Sanity returns to Sebastian when he throws the barbecue grill over the edge of the patio and is forced to leave the flat by the police. Really and he is cured of his agoraphobia.  End of play.

If you disregard the muddled psychology of post 9-11angst and the intricate mental states of the two main characters you can enjoy the acting and staging. Vincent Kartheiser has gained famed as a member of the TV series “Mad Men” and I cannot vouch for his previous work, he is a whirlwind performer and dominates the stage. Vaishnavi Sharma as Sheba is stunning and Amy Pietz believable as the level headed psychologist.

Kedar K Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

Harry Witherspoon (Keith Pinto) and Annabel Glick (Dani Marcus) are rivals for the 6 million dollar inheritance from recently deceased Uncle Anthony (Joel Roster).

LUCKY STIFF:  A Musical Murder Mystery Farce! Based on The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo.”  Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.  Music by Stephen Flaherty. Directed and Choreographed by Robert Barry Fleming. Musical Direction by Brandon Adams. Center REPertory Company, Lesher Theatre,1601 Civic Drive in downtown Walnut Creek, CA. 925-295-1420 or www.centerrep.org. Through October 7, 2012

LUCKY STIFF comes alive at Center Rep

Lynn Aherns and Stephen Flaherty will always be remembered as the musical comedy creative team that captured audiences with Ragtime that won honors for original score (Flaherty) and outstanding lyrics (Ahern) on Broadway in 1998. They started their collaborative careers 10 years earlier with a madcap musical farce Lucky Stiff that had a brief Off-Broadway run and garnered a few accolades. Since that time, the show has been around the block making the boards from the midlands of England to New Zealand and is now being made into a movie starring Jason Alexander. On opening night Artistic Director Michael Butler confessed that he had designs on this play for years.  And here it is mustering up all the talents of Center Rep for another visual treat and evening of fun. It doesn’t match the brilliant farce Rumors that graced the stage last year but does match the staging of Xanadu. Once again it is Center Rep  not to be missed musical.

Surprisingly Butler who is adept at directing physical comedy turned over the reins to Robert Barry Fleming to shepherd the production. It was a wise choice since the multitalented Fleming also choreographed the show. The play is absolutely silly and harebrained with nonstop action that is the stuff good farce is made of. The set is a marvel with the obligatory four plus doors needed for farce but more about that later.

When the lights come up we are treated to a rousing opening number with the entire cast in unbelievable costumes parading about singing “Something Funny is Going On”  People in hum-drum jobs often fantasize about what life might be like if they were in other circumstances. Shy, English shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon (great musical comedy tenor voiced Keith Pinto) stuck in a dull job is able to fantasize about where specific shoes will carry the wearers. On this specific Friday night his personal shoes will carry him back to a boarding house run by a landlady from Hades (Tielle Baker) guarded by vicious (unseen but heard) dogs and filled with raunchy denizens from East London.

Rita La Porta (Lynda DiVito) discovers why Uncle Anthony (Joel Roster) has been unresponsive to her advances.

Harry receives a telegram informing him that he has (had) and unknown American casino owner Uncle Anthony(Joel Roster) who has been murdered and left him $6,000,000. Before we find out what is to unfold, enter Rita La Porta (Lynda DiVito who belts her song “Rita’s Confession” with gusto) the legally blind lover of Uncle Luigi whom she accidently shot but has also stolen his funds to buy six million dollars in diamonds.  She elicits the aid of her optometrist brother Vincent (Benjamin Pither) for her nefarious mission to get the diamonds back.

When Harry meets the lawyer (Marcus Klinger) he is told there is a stipulation. . . Harry must take the embalmed wheel-chair ensconced corpse (Joel Roster) to Monte Carlo. Don’t ask why, just go and see for yourself.

Every musical must have a secondary love plot. How about a do-gooder dog lover Annabel Glick (diminutive charming Dani Marcus) who represents the Home for Wayward Dogs who will get the dough if Harry doesn’t comply with the will. Of course Harry and Annabel will get together (again) after she brings the house down saying to Harry who calls her Annabel “It’s Miss Glick to you. Sharing a bed does not put us on first name basis [or something like that].”

There we are, all set to move around Monte Carlo to continue the wacky, quirky show. This is Aherns and Flaherty’s first show and some of the songs seem forced but the lyrics are extremely clever and satirical.  They give their characters ample opportunity to share the spotlight switching to the plethora of roles they invest. Sexy Taylor Jones as a French chanteuse in high-heeled red wedges dances and sings up a storm to match the scene stealing Lynda Divito. There is a hysterical/terrifying dream-nightmare dance number utilizing Kurt Landisman’s lighting to great effect.

Colin Thompson is always a joy to watch in his many get ups including Uncle Luigi or as an Arab Prince. Marcus Klinger morphs from a stuffy English lawyer to a French master-of-ceremonies and others. The willowy Even Boomer fills every other minor role with class and seems to be everywhere at once. You won’t believe the transformation of Tielle Baker from nosy boarding room hag to a drunken French cleaning maid who complicates the action allowing director Fleming to use all the doors on the stage and upper level ramp for a chase to end all chases.

The inventive Kelly Tighe’s set utilizing a revolving stage allows the action to move smoothly. Christine Crook’s costume designs will surely win a Bay Area Critics award. You will never see a roulette table like the one she designed. Joel Roster earns a Tony Award as The Dead Body for his immobility and ‘stiff’ acting.  Running time 2 hours and 10 minutes with an intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

he Mace (back, Tony Sancho*) watches the elaborate entrance of fellow THE wrestler Chad Deity (c, Beethovan Oden*) in the Bay Area Premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity: Comedy. By Kristoffer Diaz. Directed by Jon Tracy. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. 510-843-4822 or www.auroratheatre.org. Through September 30, 2012.

The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity is a slam bang show at Aurora

When you enter the small three sided Aurora Theatre to see their first offering of the 2012-13 season be prepared for a shock. An almost full sized boxing/wrestling ring fills three quarters of the acting area with just enough room at its periphery for the feet of the first row of patrons who swiftly learn they must share that space with one or more combatants who will cavort in and out of that ring. Set design by Nina Ball.

The adjective ‘cavort’ is apt since the play’s central theme is professional wrestling, and those in the know, know that pro wrestling is unreal physical acting to earn a buck. But do not tell that to the aficionados of the ‘sport’ who refuse to accept it as only theatre for profit. From the reaction of the few pro wrestling matches I have seen on TV the audience reaction seems authentic, spontaneous and hysterical. Surprisingly the women are the most vocal since many of the wrestlers are muscle-bound hulks exuding sex.  It certainly was that way with the two women seated in back of us who were the most vocal with hysterical exhortations as the menacing characters make their entrances dressed in sparse, very revealing  spandex and hardly anything more (Costumes by Maggie Whitaker). Their exhortations really were not spontaneous since the muscular Dave Maier instructed us how to respond as each actor with names like “The Bad Guy”, “Billy Heartland”, “Old Glory”, “The Mace”, and lastly “Chad Diety” when theymake their entrances. Maier is not only an actor(s) in the play but is the fight director.

 This satirical put down of the duplicity of wrestling mixes in more than a dollop of social injustice inflicted upon racial minorities and ethnic stereotyping. Elaborate entrances, hence the title, are de rigor. The most elaborate is reserved for an African-American that has been given the name of Chad Diety (Beethoven Oden) whose appearance in the arena with his huge gold “World Champion” belt around his midriff elicits a cacophony of cheers as he throws dollar bills in the air.

But there is no true champion since the matches are arranged as to who will be the good guy and win the match and who will be the bad guy to lose. The fights are finely choreographed to make body slams, camel humps, Korean kicks etc. all seem real without inflicting physical harm to both participants. To stimulate fan interest the promoters devise fake enmity often based on class hatred or perceived malfeasance.  Author Kristopher Diaz has created Macedonio “The Mace” Guerra (Tony Sancho), a barrio born Puerto Rican as his protagonist giving him reams of line to explain to the uninitiated the ins and outs of the game.

After Dave Maier has whipped up the audience and taught them how to respond, “The Mace” spouts in non-stop fashion his background, his role as a perpetual loser, his ability to make the other guy look good and his desires for something better. It really is an incessant monolog that Sancho sinks his teeth into as he bounces in and out of the ring or straddles the ropes. He is a marvel, extremely likeable and adept at physical maneuvers. “The Mace’s” opinion of the Chad Diety’s ability doesn’t amount to a hill of beans compared to him but he knows his role, plays it to the hilt and gets paid.

Not only does he know his role, he is constantly reminded by “EKO” Olson (Rod Gnapp) the sleazy promoter who fosters class and individual hatred to stimulate more attendance thus increasing the profitable bottom line. When “The Mace” develops a friendship with a first generation Indian American named Vigneshwar “VP” Paduar (Nasser Khan) an idea for a new act germinates and that will give “The Mace” more control over his destiny.

Their act will be a match between VP as a Muslim terrorist given a name of “The Fundamentalist” complete with a turban and fake beard resembling Osama Ben Laden. “The Mace” is cast as Che Chavez Castro a Mexican guerrilla complete with bandolier and garish sombrero. But alas, Mace is assigned the role of introducer and VP is pitted against Chad Diety. From this point the play tackles the crime of ethnic stereotyping and racial hatred detracting from the fun of wrestling mania.

VP (l, Nasser Khan) and Mace (r, Tony Sancho*), dressed as their wrestling alter egos, shoot a promo directed at champion Chad Deity in the Bay Area Premiere of The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity

The staging and acting are marvels. But even with the top-notch acting of Tony Sancho, Rod Gnapp, Dave Maier, Nasser Khan and Beethovan Oden the staging under Jon Tracy’s direction, steals the show. Tracy is known for his physical directing style and is perfect for this play. He makes full use of two screens placed high on the rear wall to project stock video clips and live projections of the action in the ring. (Congratulations to Jim Gross). Curt Landisman’s red white and blue (after all wrestling is an American sport) lighting is enhanced by Cliff Caruthers’ evocative sound design. Running time about two hours including intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

PRECIOUS LITTLE by Madeleine George and directed by Marissa Wolf. Shotgun Players, The Ashby Stage, 1901 Ashby Avenue, Berkeley, 510-841-6500 or www.shotgunpllayers.org.

August 18 – September 9

PRECIOUS LITTLE at Shotgun Players is flawed but intriguing.

Shotgun Players are noted for their undertakings that are often provocative but never dull. A plethora of synonyms include challenging, disturbing, exciting and often stimulating. Their present staging of Precious Little by 13P playwright Marissa Wolf is all of those with added description of being more than somewhat offensive to this reviewer. It did not have to be and if the author had utilized the benefit of a few more readings it could have been avoided.

The problem starts with the fact that she was one of 13 mid-career playwrights who founded the group Thirteen Playwrights ( www.13p.org) in 2003 who objected to “the trend of endless readings and new play development programs” that affected “the texture and ambition of new American plays” and decided to ignore that process. They put on full productions of each new play with the author as artistic director. If this play was scrutinized (subjected to?) the rigors of development the perceived flaw could have easily been avoided.

The fine cast of Zehra Berkman, Nancy Carlin and Rami Margron give superlative performances playing a total of eight parts with Carlin giving a Tony Award winning performance as the Ape.

Nancy Carlin (the Ape), Zehra Berkman (Brodie), Rami Margron (Zoo Goers); Photo by Pak Han

With an opening scene of the Ape elegantly eating a celery stick, sticking out her tongue and puckering her lips and telling us she can do so, while the Zoo Goer(s) (the multitalented Rami Margron) mouthing inane comments looks on grabs the audience’s attention.

It is the next scene where the protagonist Brodie (Zehra Berkman) a 42 year old linguist who has had artificial insemination and undergoes an amniocentesis to determine if the baby will have genetic defects is being advised of the possible problem by a neophyte interviewer (Margron) who is completely inept in the art of counseling. The scene generates laughs and is an insult to the medical profession. The fact that there is evidence of abnormal chromosomes will force a Brodie to make a life altering choice. To amplify the turmoil, sonograms of the uterus and fetus are projected on the back wall.

Thrown into the decision making is the unnecessary fact that Brodie is a lesbian and her lover (Margon again) encourages an abortion. Brodie’s turmoil is compounded when she learns the fetus is a girl. The remainder of the play emphasizes the use of language and Carlin becomes an elderly mid-European widow, Dorothy Cleva, who is one of the few able to speak an archaic language and Brodie is recording her speech patterns for posterity. Sadly, the process of recording unconnected words triggers horrendous past memories and throws the widow into panic depression.

Precious Little is a splendid production with the fine acting, adept staging and multiple levels of interest compressed into 80 minutes without intermission. Shotgun does not disappoint but the play needs work.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

ALL MY SONS: Drama by Arthur Miller, directed by Dennis Lickteig. Masquers Playhouse, Highway 580 (Richmond Parkway exit) at 105 Park Place, Point Richmond across from the Hotel Mac. www.masquers.org or (510) 232-4031 August 24 – September 29, 2012.

Arthur Miller’s ALL OF MY SONS holds up very well at the Masquers Theatre

Many of us sometime have surely wondered the consequences of ‘what if’ a series of events had or had not occurred. In the case of Arthur Miller one could wonder ‘what if’ his 1941 play All of My Sons” was not a hit on Broadway. It was of course, winning him his first Tony Award for best author and wiping out the stigma of his first commercial venture of “The Man Who Had All the Luck” that lasted only four performances.  He went on to be a giant in the theatre garnering a Pulitzer Prize for his Death of a Salesman.

Miller is known for portraying characters who are reaching for the American Dream and so it is with the Keller family in general and the patriarch Joe in particular.  It is based on a factual incident of a woman who informed on her father who had sold faulty parts to the U.S. military during World War II. Joe Keller who grew up in poverty and now owns a profitable parts manufacturing plant, shipped out defective P-40 cylinder heads to the U.S. Air Force that resulted in the crash of 21 planes and the death of their pilots.

The play is tightly constructed in the Aristotelian concept of the three Unities of Time, Place and Action. It takes place in the backyard of the Keller’s home in a Midwestern town from early Sunday morning in August to early morning the next day. The back story took place three and half years earlier when Joe and his partner/neighbor Steve Deever allowed the defective parts to be shipped. Both were convicted but Joe through a lie was exonerated and Steve remains in jail. At about the same time eldest son Larry Keller was listed as killed in action when his plane crashed in China. His mother Kate refuses to believe he is dead and is certain that Larry will return even though they have planted a ‘memorial tree’ in the back yard. Steve Deever’s children Ann and George who lived next door have moved away in disgrace from the house next door now owned by doctor Jim Bayliss and wife Sue.

Younger son Cris Keller has returned from the war and is the idol of his father and to those men who have known him. Two of these men are Dr. Bayliss and George Deever. Chris has been writing to Ann Deever. That relationship has blossomed and they are on the verge of marriage even though they have not seen each other in three years. Kate will have none of this and insists Ann is ‘Larry’s girl’ and she should be waiting for him to return. Kate and the town know of Joe’s duplicity but Joe is in denial, assured that he is well liked in the community.

At the opening of the play there has been a storm and Larry’s memorial tree has been blown down. Kate suggests that this is an omen that Larry will return.  Ann at Chris’s behest returns and the conflict begins. When is it appropriate to tell Kate of their intentions? Kate’s unreasonableness escalates throwing the family into turmoil and after an expository first act there is an explosion of temperament and Ann reveals a devastating letter from Larry that decimates all and leads to a proof of the fact that Joe was guilty of allowing the defective parts to be sent out.

Director Lickteig has taken liberties with the script, deleting the role of Bert a little neighbor boy who frequently visits the Keller’s yard to play “jail” with Joe. He has also diluted the role of two other characters Frank Lubey and wife Lydia cutting some very cogent lines.

The cast gives very uneven performances with the exception of Marilyn Hughes as Kate as she gives a performance to match her stellar role as the mother in Broadway Bound. The remainder of the cast includes Reuben Alvear II, Jacqui Herrera, Joseph Hirsch, David Irving, Steph Peek, Carina Lastimosa Salazar and Louis Schilling.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

TIME STANDS STILL: Drama. By Donald Margulies. Directed by Leslie Martinson. TheatreWorks, Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. 650-463-1960, www.theatreworks.org. August 25- September 16, 2012

Time Stands Still at TheatreWorks has great acting

War is hell and journalists and photo-journalists have been recording the devastation and atrocities for decades with the Vietnam War being the first to record those events in actual time through the media of television. In areas where TV crews do not have access to the ongoing destruction, written reports are documented by actual photos. In those photographs ‘time stands still’ hence the play’s title. Have you ever wondered about the personalities of those who devote a goodly portion of their lives doing the recording?

In Donald Margulies 2010 Tony nominated play Time Stands Still receiving its regional premiere at TheatreWorks his main characters are two such professionals. Although the actors perform admirably and often brilliantly, motivation is only partially addressed and the play sort of fizzles out rather than stimulate discussion. As always, the production values at TheatreWorks are superb with Eric Flatmo’s perfect artist loft scenic design, complemented by the costume design of Anna Oliver, lighting design by Mike Palumbo, and sound design by Greg Robinson. Rebecca Dines in the lead role gets better each year displaying the complexities of any character she undertakes. Local favorite Mark Phillip Anderson performs admirably and makes the overwritten part believable.

Sarah (Rebecca Dines) is a photojournalist and James (Mark Phillip Anderson) reporters who have lived together for 8 years and have had near death experiences covering a Middle-East war. James has departed from the war zone months earlier after witnessing a female suicide bomber at close range and having a psychological meltdown. Sarah has been seriously injured from a roadside bomb and spent weeks in a coma in a military hospital.

The damaged Sarah with full left leg cast, immobilized left arm and shrapnel pockmarked face is brought home to their Brooklyn loft to recuperate and reassess their lives. To round out the story line James’s best friend, middle-aged Richard (Rolf Saxon), who is also Sarah’s editor, and former lover, arrives with Mandy (Sarah Moser), a charming, loquacious young lady who brings “Get Well” balloons to Sarah. Mandy assures Sarah that even though “I’m not religious, I have been saying prayers for you” and demonstrates.

Margulies, a Pulitzer Prize winner for Dinner With Friends is a master at displaying the interaction of couples. Whereas Sarah and James are reevaluating their relationship, so too are Frank and Mandy. Frank insists is it is more than a May-September romance. Margulies has taken a page from Shakespeare and given the apparent bimbo (read jester) Mandy some very incisive human nature truisms that conflict with Sarah’s defensive posture. Wouldn’t it be better to feed the child, or help the injured woman rather than record the carnage? Sarah’s only equivocal answer is, “It is what I do.”

The time frame stretches over about one and half to two years, allowing time for Sarah to recuperate, Frank and Mandy to marry and have a child and for James and Sarah to decide that they should marry. And what a marriage it is catered by Mandy the events planner! Rather than being a happy occasion it brings up old emotional wounds involving Sarah’s love for her native interpreter who was killed in the blast that crippled her. The marriage is emotionally over the day of the wedding. After this penultimate scene there is a brief addendum that takes place six months later with James having a new live-in and Sarah steps to the stage apron and snaps a picture. . . thus indicating that ‘time stands still’ at this very moment? Maybe so but it is a far stretch.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com.

(l to r) Michelle Krusiec and Alex Moggridge star in Berkeley Rep’s production of Chinglish, a new comedy from David Henry Hwang which heads for Hong Kong after having its West Coast premiere here. Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com

CHINGLISH by David Henry Hwang. Directed by Leigh Silverman. Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison Street @ Shattuck, Berkeley, CA 94704. (510) 647-2949 or berkeleyrep.org. August 24 – October 7, 2012

CHINGLISH at Berkeley Rep a marvelous multi-cultural farce.

To open their 2012-2013 season the innovative, multi-award winning Berkeley Rep has come up with another sparkling production from the pen of David Henry Hwang whose M Butterfly won the Tony Award in 1988 and gained further fame with Yellow Face earning a Pulitzer Prize nomination in 2008. This time around Chinglish took Chicago by storm in its world premiere in 2011 before heading off to Broadway. The Rep, in conjunction with the South Coast Repertory Theatre has brought the show to the Bay area keeping Leigh Silverman as director, David Korins scenic design and costumes by Anita Yavich.

Do not be deterred by the fact that great chunks of the dialog is in Mandarin since the easily read super-titles give a literal translation and that is more than half of the fun of the play. In fact it is those English definitions of Chinese phrases that have been garnering laughs as they have made the rounds on the Internet such as “Deformed Man’s Toilet” to indicate a handicapped restroom and the risqué “Don’t forget your thing” meaning do not leave your thing(s) behind.

Those skewed malapropisms is the reason why innocent abroad Daniel Cavanaugh (Alex Moggridge) is in Guiyang one of China’s lesser-known cities. The powers that be are attempting to attract more tourists and are building a cultural Arts Center with a dire need to have signs accurately translated from Chinese to English. Who better than the “Cleveland Signage Co.”, a family run business with Daniel as the C.E.O. . . . if there is such a title. More about that later.

The play is book ended by Daniel giving a speech to the local Cleveland Rotary on how to conduct business in China using his experiences of being there three years ago. Moggeridge displays his charming wit and comic timing using the super-titles hilariously showing how the meaning can be lost in translation. This humor is even more cogent with the personal misinterpretations prominently translated by the super-titles as the play progresses.

Every businessman should know that if you don’t speak the language you need a consultant. Enter Peter (Brian Nishii), a Britisher who has been teaching English in China for many years now passing himself off as an experienced consultant who he is not. Daniel is taught the subtleties of negotiations and ‘back-door’ favors since he Peter, unbeknownst to Daniel, is involved in such shenanigans that eventually are revealed and come back to bite him on the butt, not actually but significantly enough to depart his career of consulting and possible to share a cell with devious Minister Cai (Larry Lei Zhang).

The first meeting brings gales of laughter as the inept interpreter Miss Qian (Celeste Den) screws up the translation. Poor Daniel’s ‘small’ company becomes an insignificant one and these mistakes go on and on with Xi Yan (Michelle Krusiec) occasionally interceding. When all seems lost Xi Yan takes Daniel under her wing and into bed because he has a “good honest face.” Their attempts at meaningful conversation, with appropriate super titles, are both bittersweet and laugh inducing.

The laughs end when Xi Yan discovers that the Cleveland Signage Company exists only on the Internet and Daniel’s connection with the Enron scandal is revealed. Never fear the play is a farce and miscues are morphed into winners and so it is for all but Minister Cai and Peter.

The set that has been brought intact from the Chicago and Broadway productions is an absolute marvel with two revolving platforms, each with three sections that become cafes, hotel lobbies, hotel bedrooms, clinical appearing office spaces, revolving doors with the addition of remote controlled chairs that glide on and off stage. If you wish to read the cultural implications of the Chinese/American differences be my guest. My suggestion is just go and enjoy a great evening of theatre. Running time about 2 hours with and intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com

Wayan presents the story of Puntu. (L to R) Desiree Rogers (Moon) and Jomar Tagatac* (Wayan)

The World Premiere of Rights of Passage: A multi-media drama By Ed Decker and Robert Leone. Directed by Arturo Catricala. New Conservatory Theatre Center -Decker Theatre (NCTC), 25 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102. 415-861-4914 X116 or www.nctcsf.org August 17, 2012 – September 16, 2012.

RIGHTS OF PASSAGE at NCTC a visual and intellectual treat.

During the past 31 years The New Conservatory Theatre Center has mounted plays/cabaret/monologists/musicals with consideration for the Gay community under the artistic direction of Ed Decker. Because of his leadership the comfortable 100 seat main theater has been named the Decker Theatre. The honor is well deserved since he has attracted quality directors, set designers, costume designers and a multitude of technical staff. Now he can add the accolade of being a talented playwright but he must share that accolade with his life-partner and co-author Robert Leone.

Rights of Passage playing in the Decker Theatre is an absolute gem with a multi-media production that should not be missed. The concept and development of the play has been a labor of love entwined with trials and tribulations during the past two years for the authors. Staged readings with feed-back, re-writes and consultation with the Human Rights Watch and the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission has created a universality not limited to one geographic area.

Decker and Leone have spent many years enjoying the beauty and culture of Bali while becoming involved in their customs and making life long friends. Thus creating a gay Hindu Balinese male whom they have named Wayan (Jomar Tagatac) to be their protagonist is as natural as the rising sun. Only it is Moon Goddess (Desiree Rogers) who in the prolog starts the ball rolling as Wayan tells the story of Puntu a child born half male and half female who hides from the people of his village. As the story is told, back-lit silhouettes of puppets act out the scene. Puntu’s dialog with the Moon is casual banter with humorous but significant overtones as he finally accepts that he is just the natural manifestation of all of us. . . part man and part woman.

Wayan is born during a storm and his birth leads to the death of his mother. To his grandmother Made (Michaela Greeley) this is a bad omen and she does not allow Wayan’s feet to touch the ground for 6 months lest he be invested with dark demons lurking below. The play is divided into birth, childhood and adulthood as our protagonist struggles to find a way to reconcile his Hindu heritage of duty to family and community with his attraction for other males and convince his hard working taxi driver father to accept him as he is.As the story progresses the production seamlessly integrates projections, lighting, dancing and puppetry to demonstrate the problems with rights (not ‘ rites’) of passage being true to oneself. The intermingled scenes can be touching, brutal and even humorous.

Klaus writes a letter to Santa. (Puppeteers from L to R) Dazie Rustin Grego, Christopher Morrell, and Anthony Rollins-Mullens.

One of the many memorable vignettes involves a puppet as a young German boy writing a letter Santa Claus down stage right with the projection of his youthful scrawl  appearing on the scrim center-stage rear. Puppets are also used simulate the horrendous sexual abuse of young girls to “teach them what their relationship to men should be.

Malawi lovers fight to marry. (L to R) Anthony Rollins-Mullins and Dazie Rustin Grego

In contrast to this bitter sweet moment is the crushing reality of a homophobic Serb brutalizing his gay brother and the imprisonment of two men insisting their love be recognized by their community in Malawi. With the short playlettes involving other cultures the authors have been very successful in demonstrating that gay rights and problems of acceptance are universal.

When the interim stories return to United States, Dazie Rustin Grego brings the house down with his stiletto heels and skin tight drag as she/he dances up a storm in Biloxi, Mississippi. Randall Nakano is superb both as Wayan’s father and as the soft spoken Joe the Plumber who tolerates a flaming queen who works in his shop.

This review could go on and on with about a dozen more fascinating moments playing out on the Decker Stage. The set is stunning ( Kuo-Hao Lo), the costumes gorgeous (Jorge Herandez), the lighting (Christian Mejia) and soundscape (AudioZephyrus) are adjuvant to specific scenes. The puppets (designer Allison Daniel) and their handlers play their parts perfectly. Having seen many shows directed by Arturo Catricala, it is without any caveat this is the best he has done.

Three cheers for the cast (only named as ‘ensemble’): RJ Castaneda, Michaela Greely, Dazie Rustin Grego, Christopher Morrell, Randal Nakano, Anthony Rollins-Mullens, Desiree Rogers and Jomar Tagatac. Running time about two hours with one intermission.

Kedar K. Adour, MD

Courtesy of www.theatreworldinternetmagazine.com