SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE

"CURTAIN CALLS" #248

By Pat Launer

www.sdtheatrescene.com

06/27/08

 

The Golden Boy’s Male Intellect revels in the dirty

While The Listener hears rock songs swivel-hipped Bye Birdie.

 

 

 

Future Shock

 

THE SHOW: The Listener, the latest creation by New York playwright Liz Duffy Adams, an award-winning graduate of NYU’s Experimental Theater Wing and the Yale School of Drama. This is the third Moxie production of an Adams work. The last was Wet, or Isabella the Pirate Queen Enters the Horse Latitudes (2006). Following the path of her brilliant Dog Act (Moxie, 2005), Adams has gone back to the future.

 

THE STORY: The setting is Junk City, a huge, sparsely populated garbage-dump dystopia several generations hence. Scavenging is a way of life in this post-apocalyptic world; Earth was destroyed by human folly and waste, coupled with Mother Nature’s revenge, “the great pandemic of 2008” and “you know, the warming.” The few stragglers have organized themselves into a strictly structured and controlled society. Each person has one job that identifies him/her. No one deviates from the hierarchy. There are Finders, there’s a Namer (who comes up with sometimes humorous monikers for the Findings) and a Listener, who spends all her time in her little hut, glued to the ‘sacred’ short-wave radio, trying to make contact with other earthling survivors. Then a human named John lands in a spaceship from Nearth (New Earth, the place formerly known as the Moon), taking a risky journey to “survey” the “primitive, anarchic” survivors and help them escape what he sees as their awful fate. But he isn’t exactly welcomed (shades of the classic H.G. Wells story, “The Country of the Blind,” with its haunting, deadly misconception: “In the country of the Blind, the one-eyed man is king”). John is forced to re-think his mission and his perceptions, just as Smak, one of the Finders, is inspired to step out of his designated role (from Finder to snitch), and The Listener is stirred to alter her life dramatically and irrevocably.

 

THE PRODUCTION: First, as with the story itself, there is the setting. Scenic designer Amy Chini and Prop-mistress Missy Bradstreet have created a magnificent world – a mountain of junk that’s extremely detailed and downright dangerous-looking to scale (though Rachael van Wormer makes it look easy). The mass of refuse and scrap, everything from bike wheels to rusted tools (donated by Moxies and others) is flanked by two wildly creative living spaces: one adorned with a mirror-like multitude of cracked CDs and laser disks, which also ornament the cape worn by Namer (Walter Murray). The other is Listener’s tiny corrugated shack, festooned with motherboards and other electronic detritus, tacked to the walls and surrounding her sacrosanct radio. Her bed is a tightly bound heap of plastic bags and bubble wrap. The set-piece specificity is outstanding, backed by an ever-changing sky  and a view to the beckoning Moon beyond (affecting lighting by Eric Lotze). Jennifer Eve Thorn and Sheri Kraus did a wonderful job with the costumes, a hodgepodge of safari mufti and goddess wear. The makeup (especially for the begrimed Finders) is excellent.

 

Under the ever-astute and meticulous direction of Delicia Turner Sonnenberg, the performances are marvelous. As Jelly, Van Wormer is intense, funny/sad/sexy and monkey-agile in scrambling up the trash-heap, in the company of her dim but affable co-Finder, Smak (engaging Tim Parker). Their sexual/bellicose interactions are marvelous. And their handling of Adams’ magical linguistic creations (“What the frug?” “I’m tweaked!” “I thought it was a scrapin’ metaphor!”) is superb; they make it sound like the most natural language (and make you go out speaking like that, too, as also happened after Dog Act). Walter Murray is fine, pained and self-important as Namer (“I name the unnameable” – like “juice-box” for a battery and “prink” for a garlic-press), but the character cannot name the feeling in his heart he has for Listener. As John, the “Lunatic” (what the survivors call someone from the Moon), Steven Lone is earnest, open, direct, intelligent and lost. Lovely performance, and his connection with Listener (mystical, magical Jo Anne Glover) are moving and poignant. She’s a wonder, an ethereal mix of wisdom, attention, compassion, audacity and desperate hope. The ending is a surprise, an unnerving jumble of shock, despair and guarded optimism.

 

Adams is telling a cautionary tale, providing a warning about the wholesale acceptance of violence, unthinking sex, wanton destruction, over-consumption, abuse of the planet, and the harsh reality of making it, as the ‘Lunatics’ would say, “our manifest destiny to leave a trail of Junk Cities.” Take note, take heed, and take advantage – immediately! – of the all-too-brief opportunity to see this striking and provocative production.

 

THE LOCATION: Moxie Theatre in the Lyceum Space, through June 29

 

BOTTOM LINE: Best Bet

 

 

 

Fighting the Good Fight

 

THE SHOW: Golden Boy, the 1937 American classic by social activist Clifford Odets, who dropped out of high school to pursue acting. He helped found the highly influential Group Theatre, which hewed to the teachings of Stanislavski; Odets was their first resident playwright.

 

THE BACKSTORY: In Awake and Sing, Waiting for Lefty, Golden Boy and his other plays of the 1930s, Odets presented harsh criticisms of American economic exploitation during the Great Depression. Early in his career, he was widely regarded as the greatest American playwright since Eugene O’Neill. But in the mid-‘30s, after a few of his works weren’t well received, Odets accepted a job as a Hollywood screenwriter. He publicly stated that the move was motivated by a desire to earn more money to support the Group Theatre, but some viewed it as a desertion of the social causes he’d espoused. Then, many saw Golden Boy as a reflection of the playwright’s own internal struggle with art vs. material success.  During the red-baiting 1950s, Odets was one of the few screenwriters who wasn’t blacklisted, because he  ‘named names’ when he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

 

In 1939, the film version of Golden Boy became a star-making breakthrough for William Holden (he played Joe; Lee J. Cobb played his father and Barbara Stanwyck was Lorna). There were four credited screenwriters, but Odets wasn’t among them.

 

In the early ‘60s, Charles Strouse and Lee Adams (who’d collaborated on Applause and Bye Bye Birdie) wrote a musical based on the Odets play, and lured Odets out of semi-retirement to write the book, which transformed the central character, an Italian-American, into an African American from Harlem. The part was written for Sammy Davis, Jr., who was a triple-threat miracle in the role (the choreography for the opening gym workout and the climactic prizefight were incredible). Manager Tom Moody and his gal, Lorna, remained white (which, in the heat of the Civil Rights era, added a good deal of extra drama); the Mephistophelean promoter, Eddie Satin, was black. In the original version, Joe was a would-be surgeon seeking escape from the ghetto through boxing. The irony was that the hands he hoped would heal wind up causing a death. But just after the Detroit tryout in 1963, Odets died of stomach cancer (at age 57), and William Gibson (who’d written The Miracle Worker) was brought in to rework the script for Broadway. The noble ideals of the original were abandoned, and Joe evolved into an angry, pugnacious man, embittered by prejudice, who uses his fists to combat his frustration. The reworked musical ran for 569 performances (Lola Falana and Louis Gossett were also in the cast) and received four Tony nominations, including Best Actor, Best Choreography and Best Musical.

 

THE STORY: The drama chronicles the career of a young Italian New Yorker, Joe Bonaparte, a gifted violinist as well as a talented boxer. Trapped by the Depression, wanting nothing more than to escape the confines of poverty and create a life of fame and fortune, he’s forced to choose between his twin temperaments: the artistic and the pugilistic. Against the wishes and dreams of his Old World, immigrant father, Joe skyrockets into the ring and becomes the lightweight champ. But in the bargain, he loses his soul. Along the way, he’s manipulated by a demonic promoter and falls for his manager’s moll. With that kind of gut-punch rise to stardom, someone’s bound to get hurt. We don’t see the abrupt, surprising ending coming, and we take it hard.

 

THE PRODUCTION: The play is huge, as is the New Village ensemble: 15 actors creating some finely etched characters. Manny Fernandes is pitch-perfect as the brash manager, Moody. As Joe’s trainer, Tolio, Jeff Anthony Miller is a cool-headed voice of reason. Eddie Yaroch is wonderful as one of Moody’ sidekicks, hot-headed Roxy Gottleib. Standouts in Joe’s family are sad-eyed Eric Poppick as the pathetic and deeply disappointed father, trying desperately to understand a reckless new generation; and Gregg Wittman as Joe’s wisecracking, cab-driving brother-in-law, Siggiem who’s playfully abusive of his wife.

 

Michael Zlotnik is compelling as Joe, but we don’t get a feel for his painful evolution, his intense change; he becomes arrogant, but we don’t get a strong sense of the spiritual bankruptcy that is at the core of the play. Still, he cuts a potent figure, and interacts wonderfully with Amanda Sitton, who is numinous as Lorna, the self-proclaimed “tramp from Newark,” a hard-boiled doll who was rescued by Moody and remains faithful and grateful, despite the fact that he’s married. Sitton is more stunning in each succeeding scene, her brooding look and dark red lips hiding a depth of hurt, heart and character.  [Side-note: All her beautiful outfits belonged to Sitton’s mother, who died years ago]. From every direction, emotions are spiraling out of control. And then, into the maelstrom glides Joshua Everett Johnson, as the demonic promoter, Eddie. Johnson’s so slick he oozes; he sports a John Water moustache and whines out his lines, holding onto his vowels like precious gems. It’s a dazzling performance, like Sitton’s. And all this while Johnson was bringing his openness and intensity, compassion and acute thinking to the task of directing.

 

He makes excellent use of the striking set, designed by NVA executive artistic director Kristianne Kurner and Tim Wallace (Sitton’s main squeeze, who’s spent 18 years in the scenic shop of the San Diego Opera). They make a formidable team. The bi-level construction features a boxing-ring up above (two fighters spar repeatedly, and ever more vehemently, behind a scrim). Down below, there’s Moody’s office on one side and the Bonaparte home on the other. In between is the park bench where Lorna and Joe fall in love.

 

There isn’t much subtlety in the message, but there’s a great deal of drama in the three-act, three-hour action that flies as fast as Joe’s  punches. Do  yourself a favor and nab some front-row seats.

 

THE LOCATION: New Village Arts, through July 13

 

BOTTOM LINE: Best Bet

 

 

 

Outside the Box

 

THE SHOW: Robert Dubac’s Male Intellect: The 2nd Coming, the latest humor installment by the Atlanta-born, L.A.-based comedian/social commentator. He was here last year with The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron, which he’s toured around the country and the world. Now Miracle Theatre Productions, in its first venture since having to leave the Theatre in Old Town, has brought him back .

 

THE STORY/THE PRODUCTION: In his first piece, part of a trilogy (the last segment will be called Piss and Moan), Dubac covered well-trod turf, the battle of the sexes and the gender divide. That show had a better title, but it was far less funny and provocative than this new one. In the first act, Dubac re-visits the best parts of his earlier monologue. He uses that as a springboard to his next obsession: truth vs. fantasy and hypocrisy and thinking outside the box. He tends to work his metaphors into the ground, but he’s a very smart, funny, talented, amiable guy. He even gets to show off some of his impressive sleight-of-hand (he was a magician before he went into standup).

 

This piece is far more edgy and political, too (“We need to focus on the ‘fun’ in fundamentalism, not the ‘mental.” “Do we need gay people in the military? Most assuredly. Because when we slip it to countries like Iraq from behind – let’s use professionals”). Dubac is proud to discuss the four topics we’re not supposed to talk about at the dinner table: sex, race, politics and religion. He gets away with it by having his most incendiary statements made by his multiple personas: the tobacco-chewing, pig-headed, red-neck Colonel; the snooty-but-smart academic Phillip Pomeroy; the hapless Bobby, trying to find out What Women Want; and representing his feminine side, the limp-wristed metrosexual Bobbi. In the second act, Bobby matures into Robert and also turns into Uncle Bobby, the guy who “pisses people off all the time,” saying whateverthehell he thinks or feels. So, in these quick-change guises (a hat, a hair mess-up, an attitude shift), the talented writer/performer can get everything off his chest, transforming himself into these somewhat stereotypical but still highly amusing and insightful (or obnoxious) characters. Many of his points will make you laugh and think… and what more could any comic want? This isn’t just mindless silliness (in that regard, the ten-year run of Triple Espresso comes to mind); it’s a lot brainier, wittier, quicker (lines often fly by at breakneck speed) and some of what it says will actually stay with you long after the chuckles subside. Now isn’t that worth a laugh-out-loud evening out?

 

THE LOCATION: Miracle Theatre Productions at the Lyceum Theatre, through July 13

 

BOTTOM LINE: Best Bet

 



Fifties Fluff

 

THE SHOW: Bye Bye Birdie, the 1950s musical inspired by the furor surrounding Elvis’ being drafted into the Army. The show was the Broadway launching pad for composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Lee Adams, librettist Michael Stewart and director-choreographer Gower Champion. It was also the first musical about the rock ‘n’ roll phenom and the effect of its idols on awe-struck, impressionable teenagers. The original show, which opened in 1960 and ran for 607 performances, starred Dick Van Dyke, Chita Rivera, Kay Medford, Paul Lynde, Michael J. Pollard and Charles Nelson Reilly. The (godawful) 1963 movie also featured Van Dyke and Lynde, and a decidedly oversexed, over-age Ann-Margret. Janet Leigh took over the Chita role, Bobby Rydell played Ann-Margret’s boyfriend (but looked more like her son!) and Maureen Stapleton (very funny) played Mamma Mae. A 1995 TV version starred TV types: Jason Alexander, Vanessa Williams, Chynna Phillips, Tyne Daly, Marc Kudisch and George Wendt. It was the first adaptation to include the title song, which was written for the film. San Diego Musical Theatre has gone back to the original version.

 

THE STORY: Conrad Birdie is a low-class, jailbird, juvenile delinquent-turned rock star who’s managed by the songwriting Mama’s boy, Albert Peterson. Albert’s long-suffering girlfriend Rose Alvarez is the real powerhouse… and she’s forced to go toe-to-toe with Albert’s mother, the clinging and controlling Mae Peterson. When Birdie gets drafted, Rosie comes up with the idea of picking the name of a fan at random (Kim McAfee of Sweet Apple, Ohio) and having Conrad symbolically give her “One Last Kiss” on the Ed Sullivan Show. (Sullivan, btw, played himself in the film). That plan would allow Albert to write a hit song and make enough money to leave the music biz behind, marry Rosie and become the English teacher he (and she) always wanted.

 

THE PRODUCTION: Once again, SDMT has gone all out, with a 15-piece orchestra in the pit, under the baton of gifted music director Don LeMaster. They sounded excellent throughout, much bigger than their already formidable number (“Put on a Happy Face” had a decidedly Big Band sound) and LeMaster provided some fresh new arrangements. The overture was highlighted by varying light patterns and colors (Jennifer Edwards), though the lighting didn’t quite change with the time of day later in the show. The set (Chris Beyries) was more abstract than is usually the case with this show. The inventive sculptural forms provided a fine background for many locales, and set-pieces were rolled in to complete the look. Nicely done and efficiently executed. The costumes (Roslyn Lehman) were lively, colorful and period-appropriate (love those poodle skirts!). During the preview performance I attended, the sound (Larry Esau) was a repeated problem, with mics going on and off at random or sounding too loud or soft for the song and accompaniment. Hopefully, this is/was rectified for the rest of the run.

 

Director/choreographer Dan Mojica has an impressive résumé (including 8 years with the original Beauty and the Beast, staging productions worldwide) as well as the first national tour of Victor, Victoria. He places a heavy accent on the choreography. The staging of the Shriner number is especially clever, though some of the long dance numbers bogged down the action at times. The moves are well executed by the large ensemble, and the singing is superb.

 

The leads are all vocally strong; Paul Clausen is engaging and thoroughly likable as Albert and Natalie Nucci is terrific as Rosie. Both move and dance as well as they sing and act. Jill Townsend is adorable as Kim and though she isn’t 15, she pulls that off with aplomb (there are no kids but wonderful little A.J. Foggiano in this cast, and that works all right, most of the time). James Royce Edwards looks great as Birdie; he wears lamé well, and can really swivel his hips. His voice is strong, but he seems too clean-cut, with no whiff of the crude/rude, Bad Boy/Wild One intended in the script -- the kind of guy who makes young girls quiver and parents quake. The two comic roles (Mr. McAfee and Mae Peterson) are less than side-splitting as played by John Martin and Lana Hartwell. Both tended to swallow or throw away the best lines. Brenna Fleeman-Delay brings noteworthy physical comedy to the sexy bimbette/secretary, Gloria Rasputin. Overall, the production is quite entertaining, if a tad on the long side. But it’s fine, fun family fare.  Next up for SDMT is another huge challenge (the company debuted last year with a stunning production of The Full Monty): Dreamgirls, coming in September.

 

THE LOCATION: San Diego Musical Theatre at the East County Performing Arts Center, through 6/29

 


NEWS AND VIEWS ….

… Where There’s a Will… There’s the San Diego Shakespeare Society. On Monday, June 30, they’re presenting one of their (and Shakespeare’s) dear friends, Jonathan McMurtry, and a few of his friends. The evening, which centers on the long-time local favorite and Old Globe Associate Artist (winner of the Patté Award for Lifetime Achievement), is called Jonathan McMurtry and Shakespeare Friends. A number of high-profile celebs will pay dual tribute – to McMurtry and Shakespeare – including Kandis Chappell, Ron Choularton, David Ellenstein, Sandra Ellis-Troy, Antonio “TJ” Johnson, Rosina Reynolds, and me, plus a few other surprise guests – and surprises. 7:30pm on June 30 at Moonlight’s Avo Playhouse in Vista. Admission is FREE. Info at 760-639-6199.

 

… Congrats are in order… Bravo to Trina and Ted Kaplan, who just celebrated their 60th anniversary. In these days of 50% divorce rates, that’s a triumph of love and longevity. It must be familial; all three of their children are in long-term marriages, too…. And speaking of marriage, Jason Connors proudly announced the wedding of his two mothers (fondly known as The Moms). On June 17, one day after the new law went into effect, Bonnie Ann Carney and Jeannine Rae Gorgas stood in front of the county clerk’s office and became legally united. They’ve already been together 14 years and are, according to Jason, “a beautiful couple” who have done “a great deal of work raising both my older brother and me.” A very happy and inspired Jason encourages all gay couples in a committed relationship to “make your own statement of solidarity” at this historic moment.

 

 

Who Wears Short Shorts…

 

… New Vision Theatre Co. and the Sunshine Brooks Theatre present their third annual “Summer Shorts,” a collection of eight 10-minute plays selected from hundreds of submissions. As has typically been the case, the majority of the works are comedies. Each evening, the audience gets to vote for their favorites, the cumulative balloting resulting in playwriting awards. July 11-27 at the Sunshine Brooks Theatre in Oceanside. 760-529-9140; www.nvtheatre.com

 

… The second annual Resilience of the Spirit Festival gets into full swing, with three programs running in repertory, including new works by George Soete, Matt Thompson, Jackie Goldfinger, Mike Sears and Michael Thomas Tower, among others. There’s even an old play, by William Shakespeare (a staged reading of Timon of Athens,  directed by Chris Williams). The Festival of shorts is at Compass Theatre, June 26-August 3, culminating in a full production of Paradise by Glyn O’Malley, a youth-eye view of the Israeli/Palestine conflict, directed by Alice Cash.

 

… The Chronos Summer Film Festival continues on Monday, June 30, with selected short dramatic and documentary films developed and produced by film students from San Diego State University. A reception with the filmmakers follows the screenings. At Swedenborg Hall in University Heights. Reservations and info at 619-615-8928.

 

 

… The Moon is Going Down …  The magical and imaginative, Minneapolis-based Théâtre de la Jeune Lune, which brought its brilliant work to the La Jolla Playhouse three times (The Miser, The Deception, Children of Paradise: Shooting a Dream) and in 2005 won a Tony Award for outstanding Regional Theater, is closing its doors. Their warehouse building is being sold to pay off a $1 million debt. The  board voted last weekend to close down the company on July 31, after 30 years and nearly 100 productions. Now that’s a real theater tragedy. But fear not, says artistic director Dominique Serrand in his farewell statement (at jeunelune.org): “Building upon our artistic legacy, and facing a different future, we are exploring ways to reinvent an agile, nomadic, entrepreneurial theatre with a new name.” I hope they re-emerge soon. Some of their inspired, ingenious creations were productions I’ll never forget.

 

 

DANCE DEPARTMENT

 

… Two San Diego dance traditions are back!

..Eveoke Dance Theatre happily announces the resumption of their Celebrate Dance Festival. This summer will mark the 12th Festival, featuring more than 60 dance organizations and collections for one of the largest event of its kind. The Festival typically presents performances and workshops to over 10,000 residents and visitors – for FREE. The dates are August 22-24 and the Balboa Park locations include the 660-seat Casa Del Prado Theatre, in addition to the outdoor Fountain Stage and Lily Pond Stage on the Prado promenade. The reconceived Festival is guided by the newly formed CDF Community Council, composed of dance artists and advocates who plan to ensure that the Festival continues to thrive for years to come.

 

..The Nations of San Diego Dance Festival which was temporarily terminated with the collapse of the San Diego Dance Alliance last year, is returning in the fall. The showcase for world dance will take place September 19-21 in the new, 600-seat theater at the Coronado School of the Arts. Inaugurated in 1993, the event became the largest multicultural dance festival in Southern California, last presented in January 2006. The revived festival is being organized by Betzi Roe, dance artist and educator who chairs the dance program at the Coronado school. The current plan is for six shows featuring a dozen groups over the three-day festivities.

 

… Hop on the Trolley… Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theatre is looking for 40 dancers for its annual Trolley Dances (date scoop!: Sept. 27-28 and Oct. 4-5), which will be choreographed by Isaacs, Terry Wilson, Katie Stevenson, Monica Bill Barnes and Eveoke’s Anthony Rodriguez (hip hop). Auditions are at noon on Sunday, July 27, at Dance Place San Diego, Suite 108. 619-225-1803; www.sandiegodancetheater.org.

 

… Best of the Best… City Ballet is bringing some of ballet’s highest profile professionals to San Diego for its Summer Intensive Program. The three-week program is designed to give serious ballet students the opportunity to study with the country’s finest dancers/instructors, culminating in a public performance. The Intensive runs July 28-August 15. This year’s guest instructors include one of America’s leading ballerinas, Gelsey Kirkland, who was at New York City Ballet under George Balanchine, then at American Ballet Theatre, partnered with Mikhail Bayshnikov. Kirkland, who retired in 1984 and is now a dance coach and instructor, will be here July 28-30. David Howard, soloist with the Royal Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada who’s coached the world’s foremost dancers, including Kirkland, Baryshnikov, Rudolph Nureyev and Natalia Makarova, will teach August 4-8. Sandra Jennings, soloist at Balanchine’s New York City Ballet for nine years, will wrap up the program, August 11-13. Special Master Classes with each of the three world-famous instructors are open to 50 intermediate-level students (at least 11 years of age). The final, post-Intensive, in-studio performance, open to the public, is August 15 at 2pm  For information or application: 858-274-6058; www.cityballet.org.

 

 

 

'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)

 

The Listener – intense, provocative, amusing and hari-raising; gorgeously designed, directed and performed

Moxie Theatre in the Lyceum Space, through June 29

 

Golden Boy -  excellent ensemble work in a moving American classic

New Village Arts, through July 13

 

Robert Dubac’s Male Intellect: The 2nd Coming – smart and funny, at times political and provocative

Miracle Theatre Productions at the Lyceum Theatre, through July 13

 

‘Night, Mother – intimate and intense, dark and disturbing, and very effectively presented

Sews and Shows Community Theatre in Lemon Grove, through 6/29

 

The Hit – clever, fast-paced, fluffy and fun; well written, acted, directed and designed

Lamb’s Players Theatre, through 7/ 13

 

 

Grab the last rays of June … at the theater.

Pat

 

© 2008 PATTÉ PRODUCTIONS, INC.

 

For more than 20 years, Pat Launer has been the only regular broadcast theater critic in San Diego. An Emmy Award-winner with a Ph.D. in Communication Arts & Sciences, Pat sees and reviews more than 200 local theater productions every year. For the past decade, she has hosted and produced The Patté Awards for Theatre Excellence, a gala community event that honors local theatermakers (“San Diegans making theater for San Diego”) and celebrates the broad diversity of San Diego theater.