THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS
AIRDATE: June 25, 2004
Robotics. Embryonic research. Sub-sonic
sound. Science has firmly implanted itself on San Diego stages -- and the
results are often as brilliant as the science itself. Three new plays, three
marvelous directors, three outstanding casts. The scientific method is working…
and life is good in local theater.
This isn't about didactic information
exchange. All three plays are packed with humor as well as provocative personal
and political dilemmas. Two of the inventors are young girl geniuses. Oddly
enough, both have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.
In Sledgehammer Theatre's
"Kid-Simple," Moll creates a machine that hears sounds no human can
hear. When it's stolen by a nefarious boyfriend, she goes on a quest to
retrieve her machine, heal her broken heart and save the sounds of the world.
Sledge founder Scott Feldsher returns to mastermind a wildly imaginative
production of Jordan Harrison's "radio play in the flesh," with a
stellar cast including the hilarious David McBean and Brian Salmon and the
adorably charismatic Jeannine Marquie. The evocative language, sound design and
onstage noisemaking make for a unique multisensory experience.
"The Intelligent Design of Jenny
Chow" is also a coming-of-age story. Sledgehammer's artistic director
Kirsten Brandt makes her Old Globe debut, helming this modern, foul-mouthed
cyber-mystery. And what a delicious breath of youth it is. Subtitled 'An
Instant Message with Excitable Music,' this amusing and unnerving Internet
fantasy was penned by Gen-Xer Rolin Jones. At its center is the tiny dynamo
Seema Sueko as the antic-frantic
Jennifer Marcus who's also on a quest -- to find her birth mother in China. But
her agoraphobia forces her to make the trip vicariously. Using spare military
parts, she creates an alter-ego, an intelligent, thinking robot she names Jenny
Chow. Brandt's wonderful cast and marvelous inventiveness keep this online
sci-fi/cyber-vision zipping along at warp speed. This youthful foray is a
highly successful experiment for the Globe.
And then there's "An Experiment
with an Airpump," named for an 18th century painting. English
playwright Shelagh Stephenson has set her play on the cusp of two centuries, in
1799 and 1999. Each multi-talented cast member plays two antithetical roles --
representing either passion or objectivity in the face of progress and
scientific discovery. Director Robert May has cast a terrific ensemble, with
especially striking performances by Ron Choularton, Robin Christ and the
breathtaking, heartbreaking Jessica John. The play confronts not only
ground-breaking science and its inevitable ethical dilemmas, but also the
evolving role of women over time. A lovely, provocative play which pays homage
to Tom Stoppard's brilliant "Arcadia." In many ways, it has more
heart.
Once again, love meets science. Emotion
meets reason. And all in the service of stirring, thought-provoking drama --
with laughs thrown in. Make your own little experiment. See 'em all and
compare.
©2004
Patté Productions Inc.