"CURTAIN CALLS"
By Pat Launer
01/13/06
Local theater makes you grin, frown or quiver:
Our theatermakers ‘ain’t chopped liver!’
And many articulately had their say
At the knockout gala, the 9th Patté.
If
you missed it, you missed something amazing (that WAS the oft-used epithet of
the evening). But don’t worry! You have lots of opportunities to see it in its
full, uncut form (online; go to the link at www.patteproductions.com)
or on TV, on Sunday, January 15, at
10:30pm on KPBS (channel 15/cable 11).
It
was a packed house, SRO. Craig Noel was there, and nearly 250 others. When we
acknowledged Craig and the other Lifetime Achievement Award winners (Bill
Virchis, Jack O’Brien, Jonathan McMurtry, Deb and Beeb Salzer), there was a
photo of the late, lamented, marvelous Katherine Faulconer, who drew a round of
applause and appreciation. Also remembered, quite touchingly, was Jack Banning,
to whom George Flint dedicated his Ensemble Award for Of Mice and Men. His story of how Jack struggled with his health
throughout the run, but gave a flawless performance every night (finally
succumbing two months after the show closed) was heartbreaking.
Other
unforgettable moments:
…all
the knockout entertainment: Lisa Payton doing Miss Enid, the sexy senior, in
“Miss Enid’s Sweet Potato Pie” from the San Diego Rep’s production of Da Kink in My Hair (with Jennifer
Harrell and Carmen Taylor tunefully and amusingly backing her up); Jason Heil and David S. Humphrey as the two frustrated princes in
“Agony,” from the upcoming production of Into
the Woods, opening next month at Lamb’s Players Theatre; the SDSU musical
theater students (undergrads, grads and alumni) presenting the droll “Going
Up,” from their delightful production of A
Man of No Importance; and a cast of 17 from Moonlight Stage Productions’ Big River, singing “River in the Rain”
and the rousing “Muddy Water.”
…
Heartfelt acceptance speeches… Oh, there were so many of them. But especially
from: Jeanne Reith, Esther Emery, DeAnna Driscoll, Deborah Gilmour Smyth,
Sandra Ellis-Troy and playwright Kim Porter.
…
Best of Show: Mike Buckley, who accepted his award with a song (“She Loves Me”)
which was downright hilarious. I didn’t know anything about it, but he prepared
it in advance with my pianist/musical director Cris O’Bryon. What a hoot!
…
Best Ad-libs: Sean Murray, who spontaneously broke into song (riffing on Mike’s
acceptance), and did some other very funny stuff when accepting his award for
Cygnet’s Outstanding Production of The Little Foxes.
…
Both the Gaffneys – Monique and
Floyd – getting awards on the same night. Floyd’s acceptance for
Lifetime Achievement touchingly chronicled his theatrical development, influential tea with
Langston Hughes, and the folks in the audience who’d touched or affected him
along the way. Monique’s words were warm and touching, too.
The
band was great, as always (Cris O’Bryon with Kevin Cooper on bass, Danny King
on drums) and those who got my little musical ‘in-jokes’ that ushered each awardee too and from the stage, really got a laugh. I
received emails from New York and Israel (the show streamed live) especially
appreciating “The Munchkin Song” for Munched
and “My Heart Belongs to Daddy” for Cat
on a Hot Tin Roof, the Mickey Mouse song played in a minor key for Of Mice and Men, Bowies’ “Changes” for Metamorphoses and “Nature Boy” for The Winslow Boy.
And
now, after all that buildup, the actual list of awards:
Outstanding
Ensemble
Of Mice and Men - Renaissance
Theatre Company
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof – Cygnet
Theatre Company
In
Dog Act – Moxie
Theatre
A Bright Room
Called Day - Diversionary Theatre/Backyard Productions
Curse of the Starving Class – New
Village Arts/Cygnet Theatre Company
Outstanding
Scenic Design
Jedediah Ike – Arms and the Man - UCSD Dept. of
Theatre and Dance
Mike Buckley- Bad Dates- San Diego Repertory
Theatre
Outstanding
Sound Design
M. Scott Grabau – Curse of the Starving Class – New
Village Arts/Cygnet Theatre Company
Paul Peterson, Chrysalis Rapechild ,
Esther Emery in Association with Sledgehammer Theatre
Outstanding
Lighting Design
Jennifer Setlow, Chrysalis Rapechild – Esther Emery in
Association with Sledgehammer Theatre
Brian Shevelenko, Bat Boy - SDSU
Outstanding
Costume Design
Naomi Spinak, Bat Boy:
The Musical – SDSU
Michelle Hunt, Dog Act – Moxie Theatre; A Bright Room Called Day – Diversionary
Theatre/Backyard Productions
Jeanne Reith – Arms and the Man - Moonlight
Stage Productions; Metamorphoses – Lamb’s Players Theatre
Outstanding Direction
Joseph Ward, Arms and the Man – UCSD Theatre
and Dance
Esther Emery - Chrysalis Rapechild
– Esther Emery in Association with Sledgehammer Theatre
Ruff Yeager – Bronze
- Sledgehammer Theatre
Mike Auer – The Trial – The Full Circle
Theatre Company
Outstanding Performance
Richard Baird, The Merchant of
Randall Dodge, The
Pirates of
DeAnna Driscoll, Bad Dates – San Diego
Repertory Theatre
Monique Gaffney, I Have Before
Me… a Young Lady from
Sandra Ellis-Troy, The Waverly Gallery – New Village Arts
Outstanding Production
The Miser –
The Winter’s Tale
– The Old Globe Theatre
The Winslow Boy
– Lamb’s Players Theatre
The Little Foxes
– Cygnet Theatre Company
SPECIAL
AWARDS
McDonald
Playwriting Award – Kim Porter, Munched
Shiley
Lifetime Achievement Award – Dr. Floyd Gaffney
NOW PLAYING…
That
two-faced wild man, Jekyll and Hyde, made another appearance in
On
the night I was there, Joseph Ahern was making his theatrical debut as the
titular schizophrenic. His bio listed singing experience, but his acting was
far more convincing. His transformations from the mild-mannered doctor to the
monstrous murderer were impressive (he used the technique of the role’s
Broadway originator, Robert Cuccioli: hair tightly
pulled back and pony-tailed for Jekyll, loose and untamed for Hyde. His two
women – the strong-willed, upper class Emma and the good-hearted whore, Lucy –
were well portrayed, by Kezia Liu (nice soprano) and
Jennifer Harrell, whose singing and characterization were the strongest in the
cast. The other ‘women of the night’ looked far too wholesome and modest,
seemingly uncomfortable in their seductive roles and costumes (nicely done but
uncredited). The set (Jason Dino) was simple and effective, but the scene
changes were long and unnecessarily) slow. Director Shaun T. Evans, a member of
Actors Equity, served as the magnificent centerpiece of Ragtime. Here, he plays a
lesser role (John Utterson, Jekyll’s
friend, attorney and confidant), but he clearly demonstrates to the budding
thespians just how effortless acting and singing can be. The company’s mission
is to bring young people together onstage with adults and professionals. A
better match between the show and the available talent would be preferable. But
this is an energetic young company and an admirable effort to attract and train
up-and-coming actors.
At the Lyceum Theatre, through
January 15.
COMING TO A THEATER NEAR
YOU…..
… Opening Friday, Jan. 13… the 21st
annual Plays By Young Writers ’05,
featuring five full productions and four readings. These playwrights, age
11-18, winners of the statewide competition, have created characters that range
from an obsessed lover to an immature tomato. Six of the nine writers are
local. For the first time, the inspiring presentation, produced by Deborah
Salzer (the Playwrights Project’s ever-encouraging executive director), will
incorporate dance into a couple of the productions. Two
alternating programs, through January 22 on the Globe’s Cassius Carter Centre
Stage. 619-239-8222; www.playwrightsproject.com.
… Scripps Ranch Theatre presents a special staged
reading of John Pielmeier’s Agnes of God, a
murder mystery about a naive nun accused of infanticide. The reading, on
Jan 13 and 14 at 8pm, is produced by Jill Drexler and directed by
Marjorie Mae Treger. The cast features Tiffany Loui,
Glynn Bedington and Sandra Ellis-Troy. Not suitable for children or young
teens. $5 donation suggested. Talk-back discussion following the performances. On the campus of
… A DOUBLE-WHAMMY on January 23… Difficult choices,
but it shows how busy Mondays are, how many exciting readings are taking place
in
….San Diego Black Ensemble Theatre’s tribute
to the late, great August Wilson, one of the country’s most admired and
prolific playwrights, is a staged reading of Two Trains Running.
Set in
….And
on the same night, Jan. 23: The Actors Alliance OnBook/OnStage
series resumes with a tribute to last year’s esteemed (and highly political)
Nobel Prize-winner, Harold Pinter. His first full-length
play, The Birthday Party (1958).
An enigmatic “comedy of menace,” the piece is a thrilling,
chilling fusion of humor and brutality, punctuated by Pinter’s signature
(pregnant) pauses. Directed by George Flint, the presentation features an
all-star cast that includes: Ron Choularton, Ralph Elias, Annie Hinton, Joshua
Everett Johnson, Lloyd Hartman, Liv Kellgren and Matt Scott. At
Diversionary Theatre. Admission is free.
..On the NEXT night, This is Our Youth, the play that established the reputation of
playwright/screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (The
Waverly Gallery, Lobby Hero) will be presented as a staged reading by
Brandon Walker, Rachael Van Wormer and Tom Zohar, directed by Joey Landwehr. The piece follows three disillusioned young folks
on the Upper West Side of
… Local playwright Kristina Meek is inviting
other aspiring writers to join a new group, Aspire Playwrights Collective,
which will meet every second and fourth Thursday at 7pm in
… And for a good laugh, don’t miss Eve’s Tail,
Laura Bozanich’s hilarious one-woman show. Back by
popular demand for two performances only: February 6 and 7, 8pm at Cygnet
Theatre. Ten characters face sex, love, life, loss; it’s all there – and it’s
all Laura! Call 619-337-1526, www.cygnettheatre.com.
'NOT
TO BE MISSED!' (Critic’s Picks);
(For full text of all past reviews, use the Search
engine at www.patteproductions.com)
“The Lion
King” – better,
and more heartfelt, than the original
At the Civic Theatre, through January 15.
“Pete ‘n’ Keely - A funny, silly
revue with knockout performances by Randall Dodge and Kristen Mengelkoch, two
of our most delightful and talented musical theater comics.
At the Ramona Mainstage
Theatre, through January 22.
“Too
Old for the Chorus, But Not Too Old To Be a Star” –
if you haven’t had your fill of menopausal musicals, this is great for a date
(the guys remind us it’s called MENopause). Excellent performances,
some cute/clever bits and songs.
At The Theatre in
Start the year off right…. at the theater!
©2006 Patté
Productions Inc.