"CURTAIN
CALLS" #203
By Pat Launer
07/27/07
Ah, the nasty upper classes
Kick all others in their asses
Whether Cowardly Hay Fever
Or Deceptional deceiver
Rashomon-like,
there are questions
About My Girl and her perceptions.
ALL
IN THE FAMILY
THE
SHOW: Hay Fever,
the sophisticated, wickedly clever/cynical 1925 Noël Coward comedy of the
un-mannerly
THE
STORY/THE BACKSTORY: The play was inspired by a weekend Coward spent in
1921 at the house of Laurette Taylor, the legendary
and infamously mercurial American actress (the original Amanda Wingfield in the Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie). Coward admitted to
writing the play in just three days – when he was 25 years old. He also
admitted that the piece had “no plot at all and remarkably little action.” But
it seems to have been firmly based in reality. As he later wrote about that
unforgettable visit: “…we played games, often rather acrimonious games, owing
to Laurette’s abrupt disapproval of any guest who
turned out to be self-conscious, nervous or unable to act an adverb… with
proper abandon.” Each of these elements made its way into the play in some
form.
The artistic, unconventional and rather loopy Blisses are planning a blissed-out
weekend away from
THE
PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: This is the kind of period piece
to which the Globe can devote its prodigious resources and spin gold, though
the set (Andrew Jackness) is less eccentrically arty
than one might expect. The bleached wood walls are mostly bare, but the whole
enterprise is framed by a gilt proscenium, which underscores the melodrama of
the action within. “Sometimes I wish we were more normal,” flighty daughter Sorel (cutely impetuous Sarah Grace Wilson) opines. But you
know she doesn’t mean it. She and her kin have far too much fun amusing each
other and playing games with their guests. Her brother, Simon (attractive and
talented Santino Fontana, who shows his piano-playing
as well as his acting chops) likes to draw sketches and caricatures. Their
father (amusingly low-key, falsely put-upon John Windsor-Cunningham) writes
popular/populist novels – and he’ll happily examine other classes and types,
which is why he invites the deliciously ditsy flapper Jackie (Bridget Maloney)
for a visit. The other guests -- a stodgy diplomat (comically uncomfortable,
uptight Alan Campbell), a jock-ish boxer (handsome
Sandy Tyrell) and a supercilious fashionista
(perfectly embodied by lithe, long-necked Yvonne Woods) – are delightfully
clueless. We feel their pain, but a little schadenfreude
creeps in as we watch them squirm. They do finally escape the madhouse,
tiptoeing out while the Blisses embark on their next
verbal adventure, oblivious to the premature exit, which they ultimately (and
ironically) decide was “very rude.” At the center of all the action is the
capricious, manipulative matriarch of the family, a recently retired actress
plotting her next comeback.
Some productions (like the recent
THE
LOCATION: Old Globe Theatre, through August 19
BOTTOM
LINE: BEST BET
FOOLING
IN LOVE
THE SHOW: The Deception, another La Jolla Playhouse co-production
with the remarkably inventive Théâtre de la Jeune Lune, the 2005 Tony
Award-winning Regional Theater from Minneapolis. The group’s prior visits to
THE BACKSTORY/THE STORY: Marivaux was known for his elaborate embroidery of
language and his surprising juxtaposition of words. His subject matter has
sometimes been referred to as “the metaphysic of lovemaking.” His characters
tell each other – and the literary or dramatic observer – every thought they’ve
thought, as well as what they would like to think they’ve thought. And what
they think of love is selfish, greedy and parasitic. In this adaptation,
there’s a lot more ‘language’ (read: swearing) than you might expect; the translation
is very graphic and rough, so if you’re squeamish about cursewords,
this may not be the play for you. The plotline, and the intricacies of the
intrigues, might prove too much for some theatergoers as well. But patience and
an open mind will be well rewarded.
The story, in an over-simplified nutshell,
concerns a wealthy young woman who pretends to be a man in order to test the
character of her intended husband. This Lélio turns
out to be a despicable, dissolute cad. Her plan, and to her surprise, his as
well, is for her to court the Countess, her rival, and break off their
engagement, without incurring the steep monetary penalty the dissolution of the
pre-nuptial contract would entail. The coquettish countess does indeed fall in
love with the disguised ‘Chevalier,’ which is only one part of the dizzying
array of deceptions here –the rich scam the rich; the poor delude the rich and
the poor do dirty deeds to each other as well. No one can be trusted. Avarice
plays a major role at every level of society. Marivaux
exposes the hypocrisies of the upper classes, with their mindless, thoughtless
pretensions and cruelties, but he doesn’t ignore the chicanery of the
dissembling servant class, either.
THE
PRODUCTION/THE PLAYERS: You
may not always love everything Jeune Lune does, but there’s no question that you’ve been exposed
to a wildly imaginative, highly stylized, brilliantly directed experience when you’ve seen one of their
shows. There are few companies or productions that achieve such a dazzling
integration of every aspect of their singular vision. Serrand
is a genius, whether you like the play or subject or not. He’s socially
conscious and has said he never randomly chooses a play to direct. So be sure
to look beneath the surface at the dark underbelly of the play and the
satirical comments that apply to our modern American political miasma.
The set (David Coggins) is a series of high walls paneled with abstractly
painted windows, a watercolor expanse of blues, greens and yellows that can
roll, open, reconfigure and be smashed at the slightest emotional outburst –
and there are many. The lighting and sound highlight the action; the costumes
(Sonya Berlovitz) are an arresting and ingenious
hodgepodge of styles and shapes. The stylized moves of the spectacular ensemble
(which includes five lucky students from the UCSD MFA Program) capture the
inanities and insanities of romance, rapacity and power-mongering.
J.C. Cutler is enigmatic as
the debauched, cynical servant who claims he was once upper class; Casey Greig is nastily irresistible as the false-hearted,
mercenary Lélio, a DeCaprio/Depp-looking
Bad Boy; Emily Gunyou Halaas
is riveting as The Countess, with her antic, angular, angst-ridden moves; and
rubber-limbed Nathan Keepers plays the simpleton Arlequino
with masterful physical comedy. At the center of all the neck-snapping comings
and goings is Merritt Janson as the
woman-turned-Chevalier, brave, suspicious and convincing as a man, beautiful
but heartbroken in her final-scene female incarnation bedecked in bulbous red
dress. There is more than a hint of homoerotic
attraction here; just one more of the vagaries of physical attraction. “We
deceive ourselves,” says the projected quote from Marivaux
that opens the play. And the ending, dark and despairing, is capped by a
beautifully harmonized a capella ‘Requiem,’ sung by
the entire enthralling cast. Ravishing work, from a thrilling
company.
THE
LOCATION:
BOTTOM
LINE: BEST BET
THE
TRUTH WILL OUT… OR WILL IT?
THE SHOW: Rashomon, a 1959 play by Fay and Michael Kanin, based on the acclaimed 1950 Akira Kurosawa film of
the same name, which was in turn derived from two short stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa: “Rashomon” (aka “The Rashomon Gate”), which provided the setting and “In a
Grove,” written in 1921, which supplied the characters and plot. Akutagawa co-wrote the screenplay. The Broadway adaptation
ran for six months, was nominated for three Tony Awards, and starred
husband-wife team Rod Steiger and Claire Bloom. This
is the final show of North Coast Rep’s 25th anniversary season.
THE
STORY/THE BACKSTORY: A
meditation on the unreliability of memory, the play is timeless, though it’s
set hundreds of years ago. The story concerns a horrific murder and rape,
viewed and recounted from four different and mutually exclusive perspectives.
Three men – a disillusioned priest, a discomfited woodcutter and a cynical
wigmaker -- find themselves seeking shelter from a teeming rainstorm, under the
disintegrating Rashomon Gate. The priest and
woodcutter were devastated by the the trial they
witnessed. As they recount the murderous story, the only facts we glean are
these: the region’s most notorious, brutal and libidinous outlaw, Tajomaru, tied up a samurai and raped his wife. When the
body of the husband was discovered, the wife and bandit were nowhere to be
found. But both made an appearance at the trial, as did a medium, through whom
the dead samurai spoke. In the final moments of the play, the woodcutter steps
forward with his version. Each of the eye-witness accounts names a different
killer.
The play and movie are not
about guilt or innocence; the facts are never firmly established for the
viewer. The real story is that there is no absolute truth; reality is always
distorted by perception, and we are always the heroes of our own narratives.
The darkly disturbing epistemological tale shakes the very foundation of belief
in human goodness, honesty, intention, recollection and perception.
Additional Note: The Rashomon
Gate is the main city gate in what is now
THE
PRODUCTION/THE PLAYERS: The
narrow North Coast Rep stage is divided into three playing spaces, in Marty
Burnett’s evocative scenic design. Stage right is the dilapidated Gate, from
the top of which the ribald wigmaker (pitch-perfect Doren
Elias) provocatively tumbles. On the far side is an Asian arch decorated with a
large red Chinese pictograph, the symbol for Justice, marking the court where
the trial was held. Center stage, backed by seven bamboo posts (a subtle nod to
Kurasawa’s “Seven Samurai”), is the clearing where
the heinous events are re-enacted with each retelling. The costumes (Jeanne
Reith) effectively define character; the Wife’s kimono, gait and pallid,
powdered face are especially stirring. The secondary performances are
serviceable, if variable: Robert May seems uncertain, not quite grounded as the
Priest. Diep Huynh is compelling as the Woodcutter. Sylvia Enrique is
self-protectively conniving as the Mother and Jensen Olaya
is aptly otherworldly as the Medium. Mitchell Wyatt leaves no strong impression
as the Samurai, except in his swordplay, excellently choreographed by David
Barker. Enoch Wu plays the small walk-on role of the Deputy.
This production, deftly and
caringly directed by David Ellenstein, unequivocally belongs to Richard Baird
and Seema Sueko (the only two Equity actors on the stage). Each gets to show an
impressive emotional range. As the Wife, Sueko persuasively conveys terror and
aggression, sensuality and brutality. She’s the ideal foil for Baird who,
recently returned from his year at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, remains a
riveting and charismatic performer. He is agile, both physically and
linguistically, and he gets to show his comic ability, in the scene where he’s
portrayed as a wimpy subservient, a shocking contrast with his ferocious and his
tender sides. A wonderful performance in a searing and
thought-provoking production, particularly relevant in these head-spinning
political days when the truth is more elusive than ever.
THE
LOCATION: North Coast Repertory Theatre, through August 12
BOTTOM
LINE: BEST BET
DOING
THE LAMBETH WALK
THE SHOW: Me and My Girl, one of the most unlikely Broadway
hits of 1986, a revival of an almost 50 year-old
THE
STORY: Bill Snibson,
a saucy, street-savvy Cockney, turns up as the long-lost heir to the Earldom of
Hareford. Complications arise over Bill’s devotion to
his lower-class Lambeth main squeeze, Sally Smith,
and the efforts of the uppity bluebloods to educate and elevate him while
sending her packing. In a behind-the-scenes subterfuge, Sally is transformed, Pygmalion-style (there are even sly
references to My Fair Lady’s Henry
Higgins). In the end, Bill gets his girl and
his inheritance.
THE
PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The
show feels a little creaky, the songs aren’t all that memorable, and it do go on – for nearly three hours. But Moonlight has mounted
a delightful production, excellently sung and amusingly performed. The cast of
30 includes some wonderful tappers, put through their
paces by director/choreographers Don and Bonnie Ward. A few of the dance
numbers and treacly ballads could go. The costumes (from
American Musical Theatre San Jose) are quite attractive, and the lighting
(Christina L. Munich) is fine. But the sound (M. Scott Grabau) is inconsistent,
and though the 23-piece orchestra, under the assured baton of SDSU’s Terry O’Donnell, sounds big and brassy, it’s often
over-amplified. Though there’s a great deal of energy and enthusiasm in this
production, the journey to opening night was fraught.
The rented set (from Musical
Theatre West,
It would all be a pleasant, protracted
diversion if not for Jamie Torcellini, who’s an
absolute knockout as Bill Snibson, a character he’s
captured in 15 other productions. He is nothing short of uproarious. His
slapstick, shtick, physical comedy, pratfalls and hat-tricks are nonpareil.
What he can do with a cape, a rug or a pillow is positively gut-busting. He
sings and acts with aplomb, and is as fleet-footed as a forest sprite -- an outstanding tap
dancer (as he demonstrated in the Welk’s
THE
LOCATION: Moonlight Amphitheatre, through July 29
BOTTOM
LINE: BEST BET
NEWS
AND VIEWS…
… On the Tube…
On Tuesday, July 31, I’ll be in full Diva mode on KUSI-TV, channel 51/cable 9, during the morning show, “Inside
… Nerds of the world, unite! This weekend is ComiCon, a gathering of the geeks. And what could be a
better diversion than a play that chronicles their very existence? Plutonium
Theatre is reprising its hilarious one-man show, My Life as a Geek, written by Matt Thompson and Ted Reis, directed
by the multi-talented Thompson and performed by the wildly comic Reis. Two days only, July 27 and 28, at the Sixth Avenue Bistro,
... Shorts and Eats…
If you attend a show at
…Wonderful/‘terrible’
… Several months ago, as part of Aspire
Playwrights Collective’s evening of short works by emerging playwrights, there
was a staged reading of the terrible girls by local
playwright Jackie Goldfinger, a modern (Southern Gothic) myth directed by
Esther Emery and Chelsea Whitmore and featuring, among others, the talent of
Rhianna Basore, Sara Beth Morgan and Erika Phillips. Now the ‘girls’ are in the
Big Apple, invited to the 11th annual New York International Fringe Festival where they’re presenting a
full production, re-staged by Whitmore. The costumes are by Whitney Adams from La Jolla Playhouse, and the
lighting is by Brian Shevelenko, winner of a 2005 Patté Award for
his spectacular design of Bat Boy at
SDSU, who’s now teaching at
… Speaking of locals in New York, SDSU MFA alum Omri Schein just got a great notice
(“hilarious in a variety of roles, whether dancing or singing”) in the New York
Times, based on his performance in the light, fun musical The People vs. Mona, which was presented at SDSU last yea. Omri was also very funny in that production. The show runs through August 4 at the Off Broadway
Abingdon Theater Arts Complex on W. 36th.
… From Broadway to
… and on the subject of McAnuff, his
terrific production of the Aaron Sorkin play, The Farnsworth Invention, which
premiered as an unreviewable Page to Stage production
at La Jolla Playhouse this past February, is set to begin previews on Broadway
on October 15 (Music Box Theatre). But why the change in
cast? Stephen Lang (co-director of The Actors Studio, who had appeared
in the premiere production of Sorkin’s A Few Good Men) was spectacular in the
role of David Sarnoff, the head of RCA. On Broadway, the role will be played by
Hank Azaria. The excellent Jimmi
Simpson will reprise his
'NOT TO BE MISSED!'
(Pat’s Picks)
Rashomon
– intense and
thought-provoking; well directed and acted
North Coast Repertory
Theatre, through August 12
The Deception – another beautifully integrated production by Théâtre
de la Jeune Lune; just
about anything this imaginative company (and its brilliant director) create is
worth seeing
Hay Fever – a witty, sophisticated, deliciously vicious delight
Old Globe Theatre,
through August 19
Me and My Girl – anchored by
an outrageously funny performance by Jamie Torcellini
Moonlight Stage
Productions, through July 29
Two Gentlemen of
The Old Globe’s Festival
Stage, in repertory with Hamlet and Two Gentlemen of
Verona, through September 30
Measure for Measure – beautiful, comprehensible, relevant, flawlessly directed and performed
The Old Globe’s Festival
Stage, in repertory with Hamlet and Two Gentlemen of
Verona, through September 30
Avenue Q – the Tony-winning, X-rated puppet musical; definitely not for kids, but
great for the 20s-30s demographic -- and anyone else with an open mind,
heart and sense of humor. A definite winner!
The Old Globe at the
Spreckels Theater, through August 5
Cygnet Theatre, through
July 29
(For full text of all of
Pat’s past reviews, going back to 1990, use the Search engine at
www.patteproductions.com)
Celebrate
the coming of August… at the theater!
© 2007 PATTÉ PRODUCTIONS, INC.