SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE
"CURTAIN CALLS"
By Pat Launer
06/09/04
Mendel and STARs and Mothers to cry
for,
And the TONYs were really something to
die for!
They gave us the vapours, they went to
our head --
They sent us, swooning, to Sofa (or
Bed).
TOUCHED BY TONY…
Whatta
night! We scored BIG in San Diego. there were so many local connections, we can
really be busting our buttons! First and foremost, Jack O'Brien's second
consecutive Directorial win, proving his enormous versatility -- one year for a
splashy musical, the next for a Shakespearean history. Adapter/dramaturge Dakin
Matthews (who'll be dramaturging for New Village Arts this summer -- what a
score!) had already won a Drama Desk Award for his adaptation. And it was
thrilling that Ralph Funicello was nominated for his scenic design. "Henry
IV" also won for best Revival of a Play.
It
was, perhaps, no surprise that "I Am My Own Wife" won for Best
Play, since it'd already snagged the Pulitzer Prize. But when UCSD alum
Jefferson Mays beat out heavy-hitters like Kevin Kline, Christopher Plummer and
Frank Langella -- wow! that was really something to crow about. His
performance, of course, was magnificent -- one of the best, most subtle and
nuanced I've ever seen. And I'm proud that I might have been the first
to honor him -- I gave him a Patté Award in 2001. His acceptance speech was
lovely, and he paid wonderful tribute to his "own wife."
Here
are some of the other local connections:
Whew! We made a SERIOUS showing at the Awards, which, while perhaps
not scintillating, did have some moments. Like Carol Channing and LL Cool J
(most folks were either familiar with one or the other, not both; they occupy
different planets), Hugh Jackman embarrassing the hell out of Sarah Jessica
Parker, who couldn't begin to dance with him when she couldn't keep her
strapless dress up. And then there was Mary J. Blige, massacring "What I
Did for Love," making it into something 100% unrecognizable. Viewership
was down, and that wasn't helped locally -- especially with its direct
connections -- by the La Jolla Playhouse scheduling an opening night right at
Tony Time. What on earth were they thinking??
Q:WHAT'S BLACK AND WHITE AND SUNG AT
CYGNET??
A: It's "Bed
and Sofa!"
In 1926, a Russian silent film of the
same name so offended cinema officials with its candid portrayal of the sexual
dilemmas facing a married couple and a single man, not to mention the bleak
conditions under which they lived -- together! -- that it was almost immediately
banned. Fifty years later, Abram Broom's film was rediscovered, and it's now
regarded as a masterpiece of its era.
In the mid-1990s, along comes composer
Polly Pen who, teaming up with writer Laurence Klavan, decides to musicalize
the silent film. She goes on to win a 1996 Obie Award for her score and he
snags two Drama Desk nominations for his book and lyrics.
The story concerns Ludmilla (Julie
Jacobs) and Kolya (Eric Anderson), who live in a small Moscow apartment
furnished with little more than the basic necessities (see title). Ludmilla is
unhappy in her marriage to this brutish, self-involved construction worker. She
stays at home and dreams of romance. When he runs into an old Army buddy,
Volodya (Michael Elliott), a sensitive printer who's just arrived and can't
find a place to live (MAJOR housing shortage in Moscow), he invites him home to
their tiny flat. Volodya can have the sofa, he sings, while he and Ludmilla
take the bed. ("We'll take the bed and you the sofa; "I'll take the
sofa, and you the bed"). This motif repeats throughout the show -- who's
on the sofa and who's on the bed varies by the moment and the relationship
permutations. In clever ways, the battles are played out in the sleeping
arrangements and in a checkers game. After awhile, Ludmilla realizes she's
trapped by the oppressive attitudes of both men. Pretty proto-feminist and racy
stuff for 1920s Russia, and great fun for 2004 Americans. The dilemma is
expressed directly in song: "Love is big and complicated."
The intermissionless musical is
sung-through; it's a delightfully stylized, semi-operatic chamber piece that's
getting a dazzling production at Cygnet Theatre. Sean Murray not only directs a
magnificent cast but he also designed the stunning, black and white set, featuring
cutouts of the Moscow skyline and a bemused Big Brother Stalin glaring down.
The costumes (Shelly Williams) are also all in black, white and gray, which
reflects the film source and the bleakness of these lives.
Silent movie conventions are effectively
transferred to the stage; compressed shards of phrases repeat and transform, as
if we're hearing silent movie titles ("The stain! The drain!").
Priscilla Allen's authoritative voiceovers introduce scenes by spewing ironic
Bolshevik aphorisms. A scene in a movie theater is wonderful; all the lighting
(Karin Filijan) is excellent and evocative, as is the sound design (Kenny
Lewis).
The score for this unique and
innovative show is whimsical, sophisticated, intricate and unusual, the
libretto haunting. The musical background is expertly played and directed by Don LeMaster (with Wendy Hoover on
violin), marrying the period flavor of waltzes and folk melodies with a
contemporary sensibility. Pen's melodies play with rhythms and timing,
repeating themes and underscoring the intricacy of the story's emotions. The
lyrics range from poetic to quotidian, from poignant to satiric.
The show demonstrates how simplicity
begets complexity, but the story is told conversely -- a turbulent narrative is
communicated with a remarkable economy of words and music. Themes focus on
basic needs; shelter is as crucial for the body as love is for the soul. Men
are brutes; women may be vain fantasists, but when cornered, they're able to
take control of their destiny. The acting and singing are superb. Jacobs' silky
soprano is in glorious form, as is Anderson's rich baritone and Elliott's
bright tenor.
If you're not
a musical fan (even more so if you are), if you disdain opera, if theater's got
you down… this is something you've never seen before. Unique, provocative,
extremely well acted and sung. Beautiful to look at. And quite a singular
evening at the theater.
LAST WEEK'S STAR MOMENTS…
"Mendel,
Inc." was
a hoot -- and a sellout at North Coast Rep as part of the Lipinsky Jewish
Festival of the Arts. There was a long waiting list for cancellations. The
audience loved it, and the playwright's 82 year-old son (both named David
Freedman), was sitting in the front row, beaming -- mouthing all the lines.
During the intermission, 8 year-old Ari Lerner, who played my son, turned to me
and said, "That guy in the front is saying all my lines!" he was
adorable, and I loved being David Ellenstein's wife for a night, with Peter van
Norden as my brother and Ralph Elias as my brother-in-law (they were the comic
duo of Shtrudel and Shnaps). A very funny piece, very well received.
It
was a big night at the 13th annual STAR Awards, the San Diego
Performing Arts League's annual tribute to arts volunteers. There were 80
honorees from 68 organizations, who keep the arts humming and alive. Housed in
a beautiful new venue -- the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at the Aventine, the event
moved at a brisker than usual pace. Dea Hurston and Jeff Dunigan made for
hilarious co-chairs (physically, as well as verbally) and Iris and Matt Strauss
were charming and gracious as the Gold Star Honorees. The reception was filled
with music… including the Second Avenue Klezmer Ensemble, whose excellent lead
singer, Debbie Davis, was also onstage with me in "Mendel," and
sported a wicked Yiddish eksent. A lovely time was had by all….
SUB-DIVISION
For reasons noted above, I only got to
see one part of David Edgar's 2-play cycle, "Continental Divide," at the La Jolla
Playhouse. I'm reluctant to talk about each
without having seen both, but I think a one-day marathon might be a bit much
anyway… six hours of theater is tough even for us diehards. I'll be better able
to compare them next week, but for now, I'll offer a few comments, and say that "Mothers Against" is a long and rather talky play, even preachy at times. The first
act drones on, and it's hard at times to maintain focus.
The second act, which is the rehearsal
for the gubernatorial debate (this is sooo clearly California we're talkin'
here), has a lot more energy and interest value. Director Tony Taccone pumps up
the pace and rhythm, as the script raises the dramatic stakes.
After all the background and exposition
of Act I, we finally get to the fast-paced debate prep ('Boot Camp') it was all
building up to, in Act II. Lorianne Weiner clearly seems to be a stand-in for
Ann Coulter, playing the Dem candidate in the mock-debate. As played by
Christina Rouner, she's sexy and strong-willed. As Connie, the wife of the
candidate, Robynn Rodriguez has just the right loyalty, arrogance and
imperiousness (shades of Nancy Reagan). Bill Geisslinger has a likable,
nice-guy manner as the candidate who sticks to his guns (except when he sells
out). As his campaign manager, Don D'Avanzo, Michael Elich looks and sounds very much like James
Carville (sans Southern accent) -- even if he is on the Republican side
here. Paul Vincent O'Connor is fine as
the candidate's hard-nosed brother, Mitchell, with his deep, dark (and way too
opaque) secret.
But I wasn't buying the characters (or
performances) of Derrick Lee Weeden as policy advisor Vincent Baptiste, despite
his mellifluous voice; Caryl Marquez, the pollster (Vilma Silva); or the
tree-hugging daughter of the candidate, Deborah Vine (Christine Williams, who
wasn't in the slightest convincing). She makes an appearance in "Daughters
of the Revolution," too, so I'll see how/if she fleshes out the character
more credibly there.
For political junkies, it's a treat to
see the grimy underbelly of the pre-election process, and clearly, Edgar has
done his homework. But sometimes, this felt more like a civics lesson than a
play, until things starts to bubble and boil over in the second act. And then,
all the real events occur in neck-spinning succession, at the tail end
of the piece. Edgar, like Tony Kushner, is the kind of playwright who paints on
a large, broad, politically-loaded canvas. Last year's production of
"Pentecost" at the Globe was a deep, rich, provocative experience
that's been hard to forget. So far, this one is hard to remember. But I'm
reserving final judgment until I've gotten the complete picture. Tune in next
week….
TAKE A SEAT
You might have read a piece in the
paper a coupla weeks ago, about the new seats coming to the Old Globe. And the
fact that the 600 old seats were going to be donated to Teatro Juarez in
La Paz, Mexico. Well, looks like there's a snag. The company who had donated
the transportation of the seats has punked out. All these plans are coming from
the International Community Foundation (ICF), and if money isn't raised to
transport the seats by June 14-15, the whole deal is off and the Globe will
have no choice but to relegate the seats to the Miramar Landfill. What a shame
that'd be.
Soooo, the bottom line is -- as always
-- the bottom line. Within the next few days, the ICF has to raise at least
$2200 to cover the cost of renting two 48-foot trailers (each is $6800, but
they have some reserve; if it turns out that three trucks are needed, they're
short $5600). These seats represent an important gift to the city of La Paz, to
help them promote arts and culture, and it would serve as a terrific act of
goodwill on behalf of San Diego. If you, or anyone you know, is in a position
to make a contribution, contact Amy Carstensen at the International Community
Foundation, 858-677-2914; amyc@icfdn.org.
And
now, for THIS WEEK'S 'DON'T MISS' LIST
"Bed and Sofa" - quirky little musical, gorgeously designed and sung. See it! At
Cygnet Theatre, through July 18.
"Don Juan" -- brilliantly directed, wonderfully acted, beautiful to behold. If
you love the theater, you really CAN'T and SHOULDN'T miss this one! At the
Globe, through June 13.
"Shirley Valentine" -- virtuoso performance by Rosina Reynolds in a warm, funny,
touching play. At North Coast Repertory Theatre June 10-13.
Avoid June Gloom-- go to the theater!
Pat
©2004
Patté Productions Inc.