SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE
"CURTAIN CALLS"
By Pat Launer
10/01/03
Relatively Speaking, it's been another
wild week
From Globes of Blue/Orange to the Vox
that's Greek;
I rode the Trolley, while Annie Got her
Gun,
Then I got Electra-cuted, just for fun.
BIG WEEK FOR THE BLUES…
While KPBS is singin' the blues (with stellar series on radio and
TV), the Globe is presenting its own color-riff - Joe Penhall's "Blue/Orange."
The drama takes a subtle, provocative look at racism, health care, and
power plays. In its triangular structure (three men), it resembles Yazmina
Reza's "Art." In its abuses of power differentials, it's reminiscent
of David Mamet's "Oleanna." And in its confrontation of exploitation
in the health care system, it's redolent of Andrea Stolowitz's "Knowing
Cairo." And yet, it's unique in presenting its arguments (sometimes
somewhat didactically) and how the playwright darkens the tones and hues.
Nothing is black, white, blue or orange here; it's all shades of gray. The
balances among these three men shift frequently and unpredictably. Just when
you think you have a handle on what's happening, Penhall makes a hairpin turn
and it's catawampus all over again.
The protagonists are a new psychiatrist, Bruce, and his
hospitalized patient, Christopher. The young doctor calls in his supervisor to
discuss whether Chris should be sent out into the street, for which Bruce
thinks he's not at all ready, or reclassified as schizophrenic, so he can
remain in the London psychiatric facility to get more appropriate treatment.
But each man turns out to have multiple agendas, and each takes a turn in the
driver's seat, manipulating the others for his own ends. No one is untainted;
no one is consistently right or wrong, good or bad. It's a fascinating look at
humans being very human; the only problem is, the stakes are high -- two
careers and possibly a life hang in the balance.
I always look forward to Richard Seer's directorial turns at the
Globe. The director of the Globe/USD Actor Training Program typically makes
captivating dramatic choices, and does a wonderful job of bringing them to
life. He's done it again, assembling and shepherding a potent cast, coaxing
finely nuanced performances from them. He maintains a brisk pace, even when the
sometimes prolix language of the play creaks or grinds.
Teagle F. Bougere is terrific as the patient, whose nervous,
jittery energy spills over into the Cassius Carter seats. He may or may not be
the son of African dictator Idi Amin. He may or may not perceive all orange
fruit to be blue. He may or may not be schizophrenic. Bruce believes he needs
more treatment. Robert thinks his problems are more cultural than medical. And
besides, there aren't beds to spare in the hospital. As Robert, Ned Schmidtke
is a mass of captivating contradictions; he's smooth, slick, oily, avuncular,
angry, rational and racist by turns. Brian Hutchison plays Bruce as a loose
cannon, which strains medical credibility; he loses his temper too easily from
the get-go. So when he really gets fired up at the end, it's less powerful. But
when he keeps trying to regain control, to out-wit and out-fox both other men,
using one futile strategy after another, his desperation is palpable. Robin
Sanford Roberts' set is a wonderful mix of monochromatic modernism and
institutional angularity. Like the characters, it's all shades of gray. Very
effective, and very well lit by Chris Rynne. A gripping production (even though
the play sometimes drags), with robust direction and compelling performances.
YOU CAN GET A FAN WITH A GUN…
"You can't get a male in the tail like a quail" has
always been a favorite line of mine. But of course, "Annie Get Your
Gun" has a million of 'em. They just don't write musicals like they
used to; every darn song's a winner. Well, whaddaya expect? Music and lyrics by
Irving Berlin. And the book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields (listed as 'Dorthy'
in the program) is no slouch, either. Jerome Kern was supposed to have written
the songs with Fields, but he died in 1945, just before the project was to
begin, and Berlin was brought in. It was Fields who came up with the idea, and
the immortal pairing of Ethel (the Merm) and Annie (the Oak).
The story, you may recall, set in the
mid-1880s, concerns Annie Oakley, an illiterate hick from the Cincinnati area,
who immediately upon entering, demonstrates remarkable marksmanship. As a
result, she is persuaded (through the ever-convincing claim that "There's
No Business Like Show Business") to join Col. Buffalo Bill's traveling
Wild West Show. Annie takes one look at Frank Butler, the show's featured
shooting ace, and falls madly in love. After competing with, out-shooting and
then eclipsing him in the show ("Anything You Can Do," "Doin'
What Comes Natur'lly," "I Got the Sun in the Morning," "The
Girl That I Marry") she realizes that "You Can't Get a Man With a
Gun."
Local powerhouse Joy Yandell (a veteran of "Beehive" and
"I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," among many others), isn't
trying to channel Ethel. She puts her own delectable spin on the role, and it's
a winner. She's a heckuva lot better than Marilu Henner was when she breezed
through San Diego in 2000 in the national tour. This version doesn't mess with
the P.C. changes of the revival, so it'll definitely ruffle some feathers.
Yandell is irresistible; she's adorably hillbilly at the outset and
she adds a perfect country twang to her rangy voice. Plus, she's got Andrew
Husmann as her leading man, a handsome, talented, affable guy who understudied
Tom Wopat in that Marilu national tour. A few other standouts in the 24-person
cast are Robert Marra, a delightful triple-threat as Tommy, the half-breed (as
it were); Jeffrey Arnold Wolf, hilarious as Chief Sitting Bull, and as Annie's
brother, Michael Drummond, a guy with a marvelous stage presence -- and he's
only 9! The production is crisply
directed and choreographed by Jon Engstrom -- and well worth the trip to the
Welk. I bet it's been a looooong time since you were there! (it sure was for
me!). Go; enjoy. It'll make you feel young! [oh, and if you mention Joy's
website, www.JoyYandell.com, you get an extra discount on tix!! Bonus!]
EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE
Alan Ayckbourn, as described (by dramaturg Dick Emmet) is the most
prolifically produced playwright in the English language. He's penned some 70
plays, though that doesn't mean they're actually more produced than
anyone else's… but I guess I'll have to take his word for it for now. The Sir
Alan play currently running at North Coast Repertory Theatre is "Relatively
Speaking," a work that premiered in 1967. It's reportedly the
playwright's attempt to craft a traditional, "well-made play," in the
style of Oscar Wilde. He should be so funny.
The piece reeks of the '60s, and the production, directed by Rosina
Reynolds, does everything to evoke that perky timeframe. Jeanne Reith's
costumes are a mini-skirted, flower-powered hoot, George Ye's peppy sound
design is filled with early, apt Beatles songs (e.g., "Love Me Do" --
twice) and Marty Burnett's set design morphs magically from the '60s
flower-flocked 'pad' of the (draggy) first scene into the bucolic backyard of
an English country home (greenhouse and all) for the rest of the play. Lovely
stuff, that. The direction is crisp, the players are amusing, but the play is….
well, frankly annoying at times. It's funny in fits and starts, especially in
the plentiful stage business. Brian Salmon gets to do one of the longest,
slowest double-takes in the history of the theater, I think. But the confusions
and mistaken identities are so slow to unfold that one tends to lose focus.
That doesn't diminish the fun of watching Salmon and Susan Denaker go at it as
a suburban, middle-aged, mutually distrustful husband and wife. As the younger
set, Jo Anne Glover and Tom Hall are appealing, if not blessed with
spectacularly fascinating, multi-dimensional characters. At least this early
Ayckbourn is a little less cynical than some of his later work. But he never
has any love lost for the joys of marriage or monogamy, or the human potential
for self-deception. If you like a long journey to resolution, with a few good
laughs along the way, you'll hop on the tram for this one.
ZING ZING ZING GOES THE TROLLEY
Speaking of trams, there is absolutely no better way to take a ride
and celebrate contemporary choreography than with "Trolley Dances
2003." I'm a little embarrassed to say that this is the first time I've
caught the act in its five years of existence, but I can't imagine it ever
being better than this. Propelled by Jean Isaacs and her San Diego Dance
Theater, the fabulous dance-fest features 7 pieces choreographed by six
marvelous creative forces: Isaacs, Yolande Snaith and Allysoon Green from UCSD,
Bay Area choreographer Kim Epifano and the post-modern collective GROUP;
L.A.-based Victoria Marks, and Faith Jensen-Ismay with the Tijuana-based Grupo
de Danza Minerva Tapia.
Here's how it works: You go to the Old Town trolley station and get
your ticket. Then you see a wonderfully imaginative dance piece (Isaacs) right
there on the waiting benches. Then you get on the trolley and get off at the
Fashion Valley/River Bank stop for a terrifically Fellini-esque dance work
(Epifano) down by the river, crossing the bridge, in among the trees, while
composer/performer Don Nichols plays everything from a piece of metal to a
musical array of hanging beer bottles. Sheer magic -- with a message.. about
the danger to the river and the natural environment. Next stop, Hazard Center,
for "Persephone: Love and Shopping on the escalators of Life" is a
delightful and fanciful diversion (Marks), based on the myth of the young woman
who was dragged into the Underworld (Nordstrom, are you listening??). The
Mission Valley stop also focuses our attention on shopping (Ismay and Grupo),
but the point is less well defined. There are three performances at the Mission
Valley Library. Outside on the plaza, Green's piece related to the rocks,
waterscape and personal wishes in simple and simplistic ways. Inside, in the
Children's Reading Room, Isaacs entranced us again with Chapter 5 from
"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," read in a most engaging way by
the masterful Jim Winker, with Alison Dietterle riveting as that writhing,
hookah-smoking Caterpillar. Upstairs on the balcony, Snaith presented
"Babook," an invented language challenging the dancers to do all
manner of movement with book in hand. Lovely and provocative.
Each piece lasts about 7 or 8 minutes, then you get back on the
trolley and move on. the whole event (which runs every hour) lasts about two
hours. And it's absolutely irresistible.
Each piece is marvelously integrated into the specific site, and you get
to see a wonderful array of contemporary choreography, while enjoying the local
clime. There's nothing like it. And you really shouldn't miss it!
GENERAL ELECTRA
"Vox
Hellenic," the Sledgehammer-GrassRoots Greeks collaboration, concluded with
a bang -- and an Electra shock. One of the best pairings of the series was
Marianne McDonald's translation of Sophocles' "Electra,"
coupled with Luis Alfaro's Spanglish adaptation, "Electricidad." McDonald's
translation was written in collaboration with J. Michael Walton, and it had her
usual clarity coupled with more poetic lyricism. Lovely reading, especially
strong in the performances of Anne Tran in the title role, a weepy, wailing
affair, extremely well carried off; and Brennan Taylor as her peripatetic
brother, Orestes; Lisel Gorel as her sister Chrysothemis.
Alfaro spins
it all on its head and turns it southward… with a charming and delightful
bilingual adaptation that was neck-snapping in its pitch-perfect timing
(especially given that the cast had only one rehearsal!). They were all nimble
and convincing in this intriguing story of a Barrio family stuck in The Life.
The father was brutally murdered, gangland style, arranged by his power-hungry
wife, who wants to take over the family 'business.' April Doctolero was
terrific as Electricidad, with strong performances put in by Rene Pena as her
nasty, chain-smoking mother, Clemencia; Kim Miller compelling as born-again
sister, Cristina; Juan Manzo potent as the Vegas-escapee, Orestes; and Raul Moncada
unwavering as the familia's steadfast friend, Nino. Wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
IF YOU MISSED IT BEFORE, NOW'S YOUR CHANCE…
The first, mid-war presentation of Voices of Women's "Reflections
on War and Peace" (in April) was a huge success. The wonderful
words of Shakespeare, Dylan, Elie Wiesel and Eleanor Roosevelt, spoken by a
bevy of local actors, are no less relevant in the supposedly post-war period.
Be titillated and provoked in this revised, streamlined, updated version
(complete with a rib-tickling Weekday News Update featuring that Mutt-and-Jeff
comedy team, Laura Bozanich and Pat Launer). Also appearing: Jason Connors,
Jillian Frost, Jenni Prisk and Sylvia M'Lafi Thompson. Be there! Thursday,
October 9 at 7:30 pm at USD's Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice.
Refreshments to follow. Proceeds from the $20 tix go to the Institute's Nepal
Project's women's programs.
And now, for THIS WEEK'S 'DON'T MISS'
LIST
Trolley Dances -- a fabulous array of contemporary choreographers… at stops along
the Mission Valley line. This is really a must-see! This Saturday and Sunday
only.
"Blue/Orange" -- provocative brain-twister about shrinks and crazies, racism and
institutions; in the Globe's Cassius Carter, through October 26
"Beauty" -- gorgeous world premiere, beautifully written and wonderfully
directed by Tina Landau; mystical, magical… See it! At La Jolla Playhouse;
through October 19
"Boy Gets Girl" -- dark and intense, suspenseful and disturbing -- and, if you can
take it, definitely worth seeing; at 6th@ Penn -- through this
weekend
"Annie Get Your Gun" -- delightful production with two great leads and wonderful
costumes; at the Lawrence Welk Resort Theatre, through November 8
"Love! Valour! Compassion!" -- the boys are back in town! And what fabulous company they are.
Extended to October 18
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch" -- Jeremiah Lorenz is fabulous, and the band, though ultra-loud, is
killer. The Cygnet is hatched, and it soars; extended to November 2
Before the holiday onslaught, October's
a great time to put a little drama in your life!
©2003
Patté Productions Inc.