July Theatre Reviews
July/August Reviews continued
Marin Shakespeare's Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abridged; A
Streetcar Named Desire, Off Broadway West Theatre Co.
Marin Shakes' Complete Shakespeare Works Abridged For All Ages
According to director Robert Currier the Complete Works of William
Shakespeare Abridged by Jess Borgeson, Adam Long and Daniel Singer has
turned out to be the most successful show ever created in Marin County.
And this outlandish production did prove it could keep the attention of
spectators of all ages, despite the quick run through of the Part One
plays that left the audience breathless. Spectators needed to be
attentive to catch the witticisms and parallels to contemporary society
of three highly talented standup comedians who present the Bard's
literary genius and productivity in less than two hours. Before we know
it, in the first half we have seen spoofs of Romeo and Juliet, Titus
Andronicus, Othello, Macbeth, Julius Caesar, Anthony and Cleopatra and
much more. In each of these spoofs more modern events are juxtaposed
upon Shakespeare's times, such as Hitler's attempt to conquer the world
and a number of present day cultural references such as Othello
interpreted in rap. Three improvisational actors horse around like kids
as they recite Shakespeare while spurting water from their water guns
at the audience and introducing current jargon such as "Screw that!" in
between the Bard's lines that do get a lot of laughs from the
spectators.
In the second half, the group satirizes Hamlet in depth. This is
perhaps why this half that does not move as swiftly from play to play
grabs the spectator even more. A second reason is that here spectators
are brought up on stage to participate in the action, such as an
obliging audience member who is invited to scream as Ophelia on stage.
In this second half Ryan Schmidt, Darren Bridgett, and Jarion Monroe
are livelier than ever as actor-clowns, mimes and stand-up comedians
who make the action go round all on their own.
But how can this piece making so many socio-political references and
including bawdy remarks and actions appeal to the very young or to
spectators of a past generation? I, myself, happened to have seen the
piece at a family event that included my four-year-old grandchildren
twins, Jonah and Delphine. When we thought we should leave the two-hour
performance a little earlier to get the twins home, they vehemently
resisted. What appeals to the young as well as to young and old as well
as everyone are the provocative visuals such as the period costumes
worn by the male actors, amusing hats and wigs, spurt guns and other
toys, puppets and a miniature puppet stage on which the murder of the
King in Hamlet is played.
Not only does this Marin Shakespeare adventure into abridging
Shakespeare
succeed in covering all of the Bard's works, but it also manages to
successfully appeal to all ages.
The Complete Works of Shakespeare Abridged plays until Aug. 12. For
info call 415-499-4488 or visit www.marinshakespeare.org.
Off Broadway West's Streetcar Named Desire Brings Broadway Theatre to
San Francisco
Tennessee Williams' Streetcar Named Desire revolves around Blanche
Dubois' visit to her sister Stella and brother-in-law Stan to attempt
to stay with them after having first lost her husband in an accident
and then her teaching position due to her scandalous life style in a
small town. Stan, angry over Blanche's criticism of his low class
manners, takes revenge on her by disclosing her past to a suitor who
could have helped Blanche out of her tragic dilemma.
Comparable to a music piece of emotional contrasts, such as Maurice
Ravel's Ondine, director Richard Harder and the cast of Streetcar bring
the content of the piece to dramatic heights in such scenes as those in
which Stan is violently angered by Blanche's reactions to his crude
behavior and then down to moments of quiet immobility such as those in
which Blanche is emotionally wounded by Stan or to soft tender scenes
as when Stan and his wife make up. Throughout the production the
audience is emotionally challenged and the dramatic action is well
paced and brought to its final decrescendo through expert acting and
directing.
Barbara Michelson-Harder passionately and sensitively interprets
Blanche as no longer able to face the reality of her pitiful loss of
husband and job, of her aging person and her alcoholism. Kamran
Alexander's role as brother-in-law Stanley is as violently energetic as
Marlo Brando in the film with Vivian Leigh but is more frequently and
overtly explosive than Brando (which could be justified because of a
difference in temperament and age). Tara Donoghue plays a compassionate
Stella, Drew McAuliffe an innocent suitor to Blanche, and Eunice
Hubble, the motherly upstairs neighbor. The remainder of the cast do
justice to their roles in this well woven production.
Set design by Michael Medici makes good use of the space provided on
this small semi-round stage to depict a modest apt in a working class
neighborhood. Costume coordination and Blanche Dubois costumes very
well meet the needs of the play's content and characterizations.
Broadway West's staging of Tennessee Williams' masterpiece complies
with the company's mission to bring at least one Broadway or Off
Broadway production to San Francisco per season. And for the second
time Broadway West has succeeded in their first year to stage the Best
of Broadway in San Francisco.
Streetcar plays until July 28. For information about this and future
productions call 415-440-6163 or visit www.broadwaywest.org.
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Man of La Mancha, S.F.Playhouse; Eliane Lust, Speaking Piano; Bosoms
and Neglect, Aurora; Enchanted April, Porchlight; A Bird in the Hand,
Berkeley City Club.
Man of la Mancha, S.F. Playhouse Theme Song
The S.F Playhouse's choice of producing Man of la Mancha never so well
suited this company's experience in continuing to dream the impossible
before the many constraints of running a theatre in downtown San
Francisco. Bravo to Bill English for choosing this significant work
that is so well suited to the Playhouse's own mission.
Based on Cervantes' admiration for Don Quixote, the musical revolves
around a protagonist living in today's or yesterday's world of war.
Imprisoned for his disrespect of authority, he defends his act of
dissention before the other prisoners by replaying the deeds of
Cervantes' Don Quixote. The action, carried out like a trial in which
the defendant must defend his deeds or be condemned by the other
prisoners, who, through acting, singing and performing the guitar,
enact the hero's dream and his heroic acts dedicated to his feminine
ideal, a prisoner he calls Dulcinea.
Director Jon Tracy's dynamic and free direction of Dale Wasserman's
musical with lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh, is
spontaneous-even appears improvised and gives off a free movement
style. This enlivens abd makes for a production that often runs
boundlessly ahead on its own.
When the diverse singing styles are a bit off key this is overlooked
because of the energetic impact of the individual and choral singing
that grabs the audience from the start.
Among the singers whose voices resound beautifully are Cathleen Riddley
interpreting Aldonza and What Does He Want of Me and Martin
Tojas-Dietrch as the Padre singing The Psalm. Guitarists Terry Rucker
and Ted Harvey and musical director Dave Dobrusky enhance the musical
quality of the piece. Actors Lous Parnell as Sancho, the manservant and
Cathleen Riddley as Aldonza give strong performances. Bill English's
Cervantes is authoritative, elegant and rendered with a sense of style
when his concentation does not seem broken by his keen director's eye.
Vola Ruben's scenic design and Melpomene Katakalos' set create a prison
atmosphere but require more space for the extensive use of beautiful
choreography (Krista De Nio). Mandy Khoshnevisan and Tara McDonough's
prison attire is highly authentic.
The S.F.Playhouse production of Man of La Mancha is as in Wasserman's
words about his own creation a "tribute to the spirit of Cervantes as
the creator of Don Quixote". But it is as well a tribute to the spirit
of the S.F. Playhouse that continues to pursue its dream of realizing
the impossible by never failing to provide moving and thought provoking
theatre.
Man of la Mancha plays through Sept 1. For info. call 415-677-9596 or
visit www.sfplayhouse.org.
Elaine Lust Introduces Speaking Piano in Concert
Award-winning international and local pianist Eliane
Lust performed Frederick Rzewski's 24 Ludes at the
Noontime Concerts in San Francisco's St. Patrick's
Church, a beautiful setting with marvelous acoustics.
In her opening comments, Lust defined "Ludes" as
preludes, interludes, and postludes based on Chopin's
24 Preludes and Bach's Preludes and Fugues from The
Well Tempered Clavier and added that Rzewski was
the first composer to write for the speaking pianist.
Lust's interpretation of each of the Ludes was distinct and
clear and stood very nicely by itself. Her emotional depth and
intelligence as well as her technical skill was given expression in a
poetic interpretation that touched the full range of human emotions.
She exhibited the passion of a supremely talented artist with bold
vision and inspiration. In "Das Stinkier," Lust cited a poem in German
as
accompaniment to her playing, a very innovative touch.
As an encore, Lust performed one of Chopin's
Nocturnes, that was very moving and demonstrated her
wide emotional range. Again, Eliane Lust has proven
herself to be a truly consummate artist.
For information about Eliane Lust's upcoming concerts,
visit www.elianelust.com.
Flora Lynn Isaacson for Annette Lust
John Guare's Bosoms and Neglect, a Mother/Son Tug-of-War at the Aurora.
Why bosoms? Why neglect? Does Guare's title imply that bosoms nourish
us early on and that neglect sets in with time. Perhaps if one sees
this play as a love/hate relationship between son and mother in which
Scooper, the son of Henny, tries to remedy his parental problems
through his weekly visits to a psychiatrist, one may arrive at this
explanation. The playwright admits that the first scene was written
right after a confrontation with his 83 year old blind mother whom he
attempts to calm down as she screams hysterically that her bladder has
fallen out of her. It is then through his weekly visits to the
psychiatrist that Scooper meets Diedre, also seeing the same
psychiatrist for having hurt someone. In the next scene Scooper is in
Diedre's apt where they confide in each other about their mutual
problems and frequently insert their favorite authors and books into
their conversation. On the point of making love, they end up arguing
and wounding one another physically. In Act 2, Scooper and his mother
are both in the hospital, he with his wounds from fighting with Diedre
and his mother recovering from a breast cancer operation. In a
confrontation with his mother, Scooper almost ends in his convincing
her to take sleeping pills to kill herself. Diedre's reappearance on
crutches renews Scooper's strange love relationship with her that will
no doubt continue to be based on their therapy sessions and the books
they read. Henny's last words reassure us that her love for Scooper,
although unexpressed, was always there to support him.
On the one hand, Guare's play offers a young, dynamic 1979ties
atmosphere between two delightfully immature characters in psychiatric
treatment that is at the same time a satire on how they are distorted
by their mutual sessions that dominate their lives. The play also
develops an insightful analysis of a mother/son relationship that
bounces from resentment and anger on the part of Scooper to moments of
care and support on the part of a seemingly self-centered Henny.
Guare's highly verbal text with moments of poetry and a great deal of
humorous wit is directed by Joy Carlin who, despite the small
performance space, adeptly choreographs motivated and lively movement
and stage business that keeps the action continually on the move.
The acting of the young couple (Cassidy Brown and Beth Wilmurt) is
laudable and Joan Mankin's portrayal of the blind mother (even if it is
more like a Jewish New York mother rather than a catholic one) is one
of her acting chef d'oeuvres (masterpieces).
Sets by J.B. Wilson are a tour-de-force as they change from an
attractive twin bed bedroom with a large window to a hospital in the
small Aurora stage space. Fumioko Bielefeldt's costume designs are most
appropriate for the characterizations.
Bosoms and Neglect plays until July 22. For information about this and
futures Aurora productions, call 510-843-4822 or visit
Porchlight Theatre's Enchanted April Under the Stars
Once more Porchlight returns to perform under the Redwoods in the Marin
Arts and Garden Center's Redwood Amphitheatre. The action of Enchanted
April, based upon ElizabethVon Arnim's novel and adapted by Matthew
Barber, revolves around two frustrated English wives (Molly Noble and
Danielle Cain), whose husbands either neglect or cheat on them and who
concoct a plan to rent a castle in Italy surrounded by blooming
wisteria without their husbands (Michael Patrick Gaffney and Nick
Sholley). They find an elderly dowager (Carol Mayo Jenkins) and an
attractive, sexy aristocrat (Anna Bullard) to share the rental with
them. Once in Italy, after they meet the engaging castle owner (Antony
Wilding), smell the wisteria and feel the pulse of romance, they invite
their husbands to join them.When their husbands appear their lives take
on a new turn.
The action unravels slowly but is well paced with methodic precision
throughout by director Elizabeth Craven. The entire cast of eight
performers
play each of their roles with charming eccentricity, with special
mention for Linda Paplow as the hilariously funny, no-nonsense Italian
servant Constanza.
Costumes by Lisa Eldredge and Cynthia Rose Beckly and set design by
Sasha Oaks in elegant period style are a visual delight.
With this production Porchlight again brings a fine sense of
selectivity in its choice of plays that goes beyond popular Broadway
successes or more conventional preferences. Good continuation to this
breath of fresh air
in a community theatre performed mostly by equity actors.
Enchanted April plays at 7 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and
Sundays until July 14. For info. About this and future productions,
call 415-488-7126 or visit www.porchlight.net.
A "Bird In the Hand" Is Worth Two in the Bush.
"Bird in the Hand" is a new play by acclaimed writer and solo
performer, Anne Galjour("Hurricane,""Aligator Tales," and "Okra", that
weaves a tale of three couples and birds in migration. Award-winning
director, Ellen Sebastian Chang leads four actors (Anne Galjour, Joel
Mullennix, Jan Zvaifler, and Terry Lamb) in an exploration of local
people and birds
that deal with habitat destruction, invasive species and the struggle
to make new nests. In "Bird in the Hand," Anne Galjour converges
monologues and playwriting in the form of duets. Set in San Francisco,
she explores people and birds in three separate storylines depicting
her love of birds, her character's relationships to birds and how
people are like birds. Some of the stories interconnect gracefully
while others could be improved if the characters were more fully
developed. Sebastian Chang makes inventive use of the space at Berkeley
City Club with actors caught in pools of
light and emerging from sitting with the audience that creates a total
theatre experience.
"Bird in the Hand" plays at the Berkeley City Club through July 29,
Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. For tickets, call
510-558-1381 or visit www.centralworks.org.
Flora Lynn Isaacson for Annette Lust
Annette Lust, member of Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle and Drama
faculty Dominican University
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