THEATRE REVIEW:
KPBS AIRDATE: September 09, 2005
Rebels with a cause. Young folks who stand up
against their society are storming local stages. Consider: Huck Finn, Romeo
& Juliet and the shaggy denizens of “Hair.”
It was personal independence and racial freedom that
ignited the incorrigible and irresistible Huckleberry Finn. Now he’s back, in a
marvelous Moonlight Amphitheatre production of the musical “Big River,” that
reminds us of what a multi-faceted, forward-thinking guy he really was. Peter
Musante, a recent graduate of UCLA, is terrific, a gifted actor, singer and
dancer who thoroughly embodies Huck; he interacts excellently with Keith
Jefferson’s robust and resolute Jim and Eric Vest’s adorably devious Tom Sawyer.
The first-rate cast of 24 works wonders with Roger Miller’s country/gospel
score. The production, sensitively and energetically directed by and
choreographed Kirby Ward, is true to its literary source, bringing out the
drama Mark Twain intended, with all its dark insinuations of racism and
slavery.
Neighbors weren’t so tolerant in old Verona, either.
Romeo and Juliet, as we all know, violated the bitter enmity of their parents
by falling in love. They thought their relationship would change everything,
and it did, but only, alas, after both of them were dead. North Coast Repertory
Theatre is making its first foray into Shakespeare, and a wonderful venture it
is. Artistic director David Ellenstein has mined all the humor and bawdiness in
the play. His outstanding ensemble is headed by the impossibly handsome Brennan
Taylor as Romeo and sweet, saucy Rhianna Basore as his lady love. They are
deliciously impetuous adolescents in heat. Their pure magnetism is contrasted
with the raunchy Mercutio of Richard Baird and the comically ribald Nurse of
Lynne Griffin. There’s as much joy as drama in this well-dressed but unfussy
production. The language is crystal clear, and unexpected delights are
uncovered in many timeless lines.
But some callow kids are rooted in their era. When
the musical “Hair” opened in 1968, it was a potent response to the emotional
turmoil of the Vietnam War, a reflection of the anti-establishment sentiments
of American youth. The show never had much plot; it was a hippie, trippy
meander through the drug-addled, anti-war, Peace Now, free love protests of
those years. Fritz Theater artistic director Duane Daniels sees a lot of
commonality with these years. So, he’s assembled an attractive and
talented group of young people, many of them theatrical unknowns, who are
willing to sing their guts out and disrobe onstage to revive those heady
times. Thanks to a killer band, the
music and lyrics of Galt McDermott, Gerome Ragni and James Rado retain all the
original vitality … and occasional inanity. But you’ll be happy to take this
trip. And if you’re inspired to act up, so much the better.
©2005 Patté Productions
Inc.