OREGON SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL- 2008-Part 2

New Theatre

Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter by Julie Marie Myatt (February 19 -June 20)
Director: Jessica Thebus; Scenic Designer: Richard L. Hay; Costume Designer: Lynn Jeffries; Lighting Designer: Allen Lee Hughes; Composer: Paul James Prendergast.

In the Iraqi war protective body armor has reduced the number dead and increased the number wounded with missing limbs. Jenny Sutter, a 30-year-old Marine, is one of those with a missing right lower leg, returning to Oceanside where her mother has been looking after her two children. Along with the physical defect, she is carrying emotional baggage of posttraumatic stress syndrome with shocking memories that might never heal causing her to delay returning home. That is the start of Julie Marie Myatt’s Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter, a 16 scene 90 minute play being given a brilliant staging in the intimate New Theatre with a superb cast of six receiving a deserved standing ovation.

While waiting in an odiferous bus station Jenny (a strong performance by Gwendolyn Mulamba) meets Lou (Kate Mulligan at her best), a loquacious screwball addicted to everything, whom she accompanies to Slab City, an abandoned Army base populated with social misfits “trying to find themselves.” There she finds kindness and partial stability that eventually allows her to head for home. Jenny bunks in with Lou and meets gentle Buddy (David Kelly) emotionally and physically twisted from abuse in childhood, His spiritual uplifting earns him the position of self-appointed preacher spreading the message of hope to his appreciative congregation.

Lou has a “therapist”, Cheryl (K.T. Vogt) really a former hairdresser from the much-maligned town of Hemet, California. Author Myatt is privy to the knowledge that hairdressers learn more secrets than psychiatrists. Cheyl’s attempts to consul Jenny are non-verbally rebuffed and Jenny’s nightmares continue. Then there is Donald (Gregory Linington), desperately avoiding social/emotional entanglements who breaks through his shell to help Jenny. The unlikely quartet prepare a Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter party, complete with signs, crepe paper, balloons and a cake. Things go terribly awry when a decorative balloon is bursts triggering a horrific memory of manning a checkpoint in Iraq sending Jenny into a catatonic state. She had failed to inspect the diaper of a baby wired with a bomb. The welcome home party disintegrates but Jenny finds inner strength to leave Slab City, accompanied by Lou, setting out for Oceanside and home.

The play is still being fine tuned as it leaves for Washington, D.C. In its present state, although Jenny is the protagonist, the major strength is the characterization of Lou as expertly portrayed with her non-stop talking and powerful acting by Kate Mulligan. Her performance and the smooth staging create a must see show. There will be a tear in your eye and anger in your soul as you realize the injury the Iraqi war continues to inflict on another generation of youthful veterans.

CORIOLANUS by William Shakespeare. (March 26 - November 2)
Director: Laird Williamson; Scenic Designer: Richard L. Hay; Costume Designer: Deborah M. Dryden; Lighting Designer: Robert Peterson; Composer: Todd Barton.

Coriolanus is one of the least performed Shakespearean plays. There is not a single likeable character, all are one or two-dimensional suggesting to some that it was not written by Shakespeare. This being so, choosing Laird Williamson, a known brilliant director, to stage the play seemed a great choice. If anyone could fashion a winning, audience pleasing production, Williamson is one to do it. Every director should be allowed to make one misstep, and this appears to be Williamson’s turn to do so. In the close confines of the intimate New Theatre, the frenetic action and cacophony drove some away during intermission.

In about 490 B.C. starving citizens of Rome rebel against the ruling patrician class targeting Caius Martius (powerful Danforth Comins) a young, dedicated military hero ingrained with honor and love of country. He has fatal flaws of pride and contempt for the masses. An impending attack by the neighboring Volscians, lead by Aufidius (Michael Elich), delays the revolt and Caius single-handedly captures the city of Corioles earning him the name Coriolanus. With his glorious return, he is to be honored as Consul of Rome but the proletariats have been given the power to approve of such appointments. Coriolanus is unable to mouth the words every politician knows will sway the public. His diatribe causes the tribunes to call him a traitor, demanding his death “on the rocks.” He, in retaliation for his banishment, joins the Volscians planning an attack on Rome. His mother Volumnia (a strong Robynn Rodriguez), wife Virgilia (ineffectual Mahira Kakkar) dissuade him from attacking. However Aufidius, considers Coriolanus as a threat to his leadership and orders him killed by dismemberment. End of play.

Williamson has set the play in modern times; apparently seeking relevance to the world chaos of superpowers, wars and political instability. Soldiers in grungy outfits, carrying AK-47s, laptops and cell phones, fight the battles. When not performing, actors use the aisles to avoid the mayhem, as other actors pop-up from “fox-holes” in the floor, two carrying rocket launchers, creating confusion and unintentional humor. To call the staging vigorous is an understatement and audiences might be better served seeing this production on the Angus Bowmer or Elizabethan Stage.
Running time about 2 hours with intermission.

AGNUS BOWMER THEATRE

THE CLAY CART attributed to Sudraka, translated by J.A.B. van Buitenen (February 17- November 2) Director: Bill Rauch; Scenic Designer: Christopher Acebo; Costume Designer: Deborah M. Dryden; Lighting Designer: Christopher Akerlind; Composer: Andre Pluess; Choreographer: Anjani Ambegaokar.

An oft-heard criticism about the OSF is the tendency to “over-produce” some of the plays. That criticism applies to the production of The Clay Cart that is receiving a colorful, energetic staging with the well-deserved accolade (?) of “pretentious” used by many theatergoers. It is an uninteresting Hindu Sanskrit folk-tale morality epic by Sudraka translated by J.A.B. van Buitenen with combinations of poetry and vernacular speech. The characters are from all levels of Indian culture with unlikely romance blossoming between an improvised royal/merchant Brahmin, Carudatta (an uninspired Christofer Jean) and Vasantesena (sexy Miriam A. Laube) a good-hearted courtesan. Sound Familiar? Social lines are breeched, servants become allies, bad guys become good guys and good guys remain so. And then there is Aryaka (Neil Shah) a cowherd’s son who escapes prison, leads a revolt against a cruel King Palaka and becomes a benevolent king.

The play (story) is obviously not the thing but the staging is. The Angus Bowner stage is transformed with the use of a bright circular platform adorned with multi-colored silk pillows, surrounding ramps, gorgeous lamps suspended from the ceiling and a large foot of a deity statue anchoring upstage right. The cast reclines on the cushions, arising when it is their turn to partake of the stylistic acting. The pillows are used to designate change of setting and are often gently thrown across the stage. Three musicians add atmospheric touches.

Bill Rauch, OSF’s new artistic director, is introducing an initiative to explore non-Western culture. His physical directing style that were demonstrated in previous outings of Romeo and Juliet, Two Gentleman From Verona, and in The Further Adventures of Hedda Gabler , are on display here with bright splashes of color, visual humor, and non-stop action. The exodus of patrons at intermission suggests the initiative needs fine-tuning. Running time about 3 hours.
Kedar K. Adour, MD
Courtesy of TheatreWorld Internet Magazine.