THEATRE REVIEWS:
“OTHELLO” at The Women’s Repertory Theatre
and
“THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST” at North
Coast Repertory Theatre
Published in Gay and Lesbian Times July 11,
2002
"OTHELLO"
The dark, accomplished
Moor. His lily-white, virginal bride. And between them, "honest
Iago." There are plenty of controversial elements in Shakespeare's
original. But having all the roles played by females adds layers to the mix.
The Women's Repertory Theatre is tackling "Othello".… and wrestling
him to the ground. This isn't high-concept Shakespeare, and the gender issues
aren't that prominent. And it's not a drag on the Bard; the roles are all
played straight. The script remains intact; you can read into it what you will.
But any level of observation reveals a production that's thoughtfully
considered and excellently executed.
This "Othello"
is giving women a chance to take a bite out of some juicy male roles. In many
cases, this actually helps the audience more fully digest the story. The actors
are dressed as men, and they play their roles exactly as written… and
surprisingly well. Under the taut, sure directorial hand of Delicia Turner
Sonnenberg, the language and plot are made crystal-clear. A 1960s setting
informed the production, but it turns out to be generally unnoticeable or
unobtrusive; you have to read in any roiling undertones of civil rights and
women's liberation. The corporate-military milieu works fine for the costumes,
but the music choices are irritating. In general, the gender issues that might
have been heightened in this creative conception take a back seat to the
original tragedy of jealousy and revenge. There's plenty of machismo and
military hierarchy, subservience and susceptibility. But it transcends sexual
identity. What makes Shakespeare's works endure is their resilience, their
resistance to endless interpretation and their inherent universality.
If the characters are
clearly defined and the language is managed with aplomb, the tale is familiar
enough to make anyone feel discomfort -- a gnawing sense that even the most
robust relationship, the most unshakeable trust, can be undermined.
In this production, the
cast is uneven in the secondary roles, but potent at the top. Sylvia M'Lafi
Thompson makes a robust, be-medaled Moor, a gentle, rational soul until
attacked by that green-eyed monster. As Cassio, his faithful but equally
easily-duped lieutenant, Gina Alvarado is solid and steadfast. The females are
formidable as well: Jo Glover a vigorous Desdemona. Wendy Waddell a forceful
Emilia and Morgan Trant a credible courtesan. But in the end, it's Gayle
Feldman-Avery's show. Her Iago is a sly schemer, a slick, oily manipulator who
takes pleasure in his destructive acts and makes them seem if not reasonable,
then somehow logical. He's clearly convinced himself, and he does a good job on
us, too. This Iago is by no means pure villain, and he's utterly recognizable.
Just the kind of soulless executive hotshot who'd make a mint wheeling and
dealing while his underlings lose their life-savings. An Enron-Anderson sort of
guy, you might say. It's a chilling, thrilling performance, and it makes the
play seem frighteningly contemporary.
This is a bare-bones
production, simply designed. All the time and attention have been put where
they belong -- on the words and deeds… and that renders the result invincible
and irresistible.
Happy 400th
Birthday, Othello! You couldn't be better celebrated.
["Othello" runs thru July 20, at the Actor's Asylum
in the College area; 619-282-3277.]
"THE IMPORTANCE
OF BEING EARNEST"
It's a Wilde ride.
Commonly considered the master's masterpiece. "The Importance of Being
Earnest" has been hailed as Oscar Wilde's comic tour de force, a brilliant
slice of satire, mocking the wealthy and the clergy, both of whom richly
deserved the derision, in 1895 as well as today. Unfortunately, its author was
also skewered; that harrowing tale will be told at Diversionary Theatre later
this year (in Moises Kaufman's "Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar
Wilde"). The colorful, eccentric Wilde was imprisoned for his
homosexuality and a vision of art that outraged Victorian propriety. He served
two years of hard labor, after which he was physically, spiritually and
financially ruined. He died in despair in 1900, but his incandescent brilliance
shines on.
The story of
"Earnest" is too silly for words, with its scheming men and flighty,
forgetful or tyrannical women. But its flawless wit and witticisms, not to
mention its characters, cat-fights and catting around, make it timeless. In
lampooning Victorian values, with all the attendant hypocrisy, shallow
sentimentality and social facades, Wilde's intelligent trifle carries the
portentous message that no life can be lived in earnest -- without due regard
for nonsense. The piece is subtitled, "A trivial play for serious
people," and everyone in it is living under some pretense of earnestness,
though nobody's really fooling anyone else. Two foppish young men actually try
to have the church sanction their Ernest-ness (being re-christened, to satisfy
the name-preferences of their fiancées). But there's simply no fooling about
how seriously hilarious the North Coast Repertory Theatre production is.
Co-directors Rosina
Reynolds and Sean Murray have brought their capacious combined talents to the
daunting task with outstanding effect. The piece has the perfect tone -- clever
without being campy, funny without being ridiculous. And the cast is
impeccable.
Jeffrey Jones does his
best work as the cynically bemused, amoral and adorable Algernon, who idly
spews some of Wilde's best epigrammatic lines (most biting on the subject of
marriage). As his aunt, the imperious Lady Bracknell, Annie Hinton is a hoot,
with the chins of Robert Morley and the cadence of Margaret Thatcher. James
Saba is hysterically prissy as Jack Worthing, a man who, having lost two
parents, is accused of being careless. As Gwendolen, the object of his ardor,
the earnest girl who wouldn't dream of marrying anyone who wasn't Ernest, Jessa
Watson is both beautiful and uproarious, the perfect, fluttery foil for her
arch-rival and best friend, Cecily, played with enchanting adolescent zeal by a
lovely-looking Julie Jacobs. Don Loper makes two different servants unique and
amusing, and Jim Chovick's irreverent reverend is a great mate for Sandra
Ellis-Troy's priggish Miss Prism. Everyone is spectacularly attired in Shulamit
Nelson's luxuriant period costumes.
Portraits of Mr. Wilde,
both youthful and dissipated, flank the suggestive, quickly transformed,
interior/exterior, apple-green set, designed by co-director Sean Murray. The
scenery will soon metamorphose even more, to accommodate
"Travesties," the quick-witted Tom Stoppard play that will run in
repertory with "Earnest" through the summer. This double-dip is a
rare treat, sure to satisfy any refined palate. Start with "Earnest"
as a light appetizer, then dive into to a spicy second course of
"Travesties," which incorporates many of the same characters and
lines. What a theatrical feast!
["The Importance of Being Earnest" continues
through September 8, in repertory with the "Travesties" (you can even
see both plays in one day) at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach;
858-481-1055 or 888-776-NCRT.]
©2002 Patté Productions
Inc.