SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE

"CURTAIN CALLS" #259

By Pat Launer

www.sdtheatrescene.com

10/03/08

Candide may go Back Back Back in time

But The Light in the Piazza remains sublime.

While Dying City makes its case

Between Iraq and a very hard place.

Glitter and Be Gay

THE SHOW: Candide, the 1956 operetta composed by Leonard Bernstein, based on the 1759 satiric novella by the Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire (pen name of François-Marie Arouet). Its themes were scandalous in both centuries. The librettists were Lillian Hellman, and then Hugh Wheeler, whose 1974 version is more faithful to the source material. The primary lyricist was Richard Wilbur, but other contributors, over time, included Dorothy Parker, Stephen Sondheim and Bernstein himself. Candide was composed by Bernstein the year before West Side Story, and there are familiar musical riffs, especially in the overture. In fact, two discarded melodies from Candide ended up becoming West Side’s “One Hand, One Heart” and “Gee, Office Krupke.”

Lyric Opera San Diego is opening its 30^th season with the “Scottish Opera” version (and its original orchestrations), as part of the national celebration of Bernstein’s 90^th birthday this year.

THE BACKSTORY: The first Broadway production was a box-office disaster (Helmman’s book was criticized as “too serious”), but the score was recorded and became a cult favorite, widely performed by American orchestras. The “Glitter and Be Gay” portion of the popular overture was used by Dick Cavett on his ABC and PBS TV talk shows; the song remains a soprano favorite.

Without Bernstein’s involvement, the show underwent a series of Broadway revivals, under the direction of Harold Prince. There’s also a two-act “opera house version” that contains Bernstein’s original music and additional orchestrations. In 1988, Bernstein worked with John Mauceri to create his “final revised version” of the musical (the original orchestrations were by Bernstein and Hershy Kay). In its various incarnations, the show has gained enormous popularity around the world.

THE STORY: The narrative could be considered a picaresque, with its far-flung, episodic adventures of a young hero (who, in this case, is more an innocent than a rogue). Wide-eyed, ingenuous Candide was raised in the country of Westphalia, with a teacher, the philosopher of relentless optimism, Dr. Pangloss, who assures him and his beloved Cunegonde that “all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.” Despite their widely divergent worldviews (she wants opulence; he craves simplicity), the couple plans to marry, but they’re separated by war and other hardships, including army conscription, an Auto-da-Fé, an earthquake, pirate attacks, kidnappers, the demi-monde of Paris, enslavement in Buenos Aires, inadvertent side-trips to El Dorado and Venice and much, much more. After years of suffering, adversity and indignity that parody every adventure cliché, the disillusioned couple is reunited in amorous embrace and less starry-eyed pragmatism.

The PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The operetta maintains the fantastical tone and fast-moving storyline of Voltaire’s original, which satirized romantic adventure while skewering religion, philosophy, government, the military and optimism (Voltaire’s direct jab at fellow philosopher Leibniz).

The Lyric Opera production is quite fanciful, a flurry of colorful costumes (Pam Stompoly-Ericson, Costume Coordination and Makeup), mobile set-pieces (J. Sherwood Montgomery), vibrant lighting (Matthew Novotny) and even giant, whimsical stick-puppets (uncredited but amusing). Director Montgomery has marshaled an outstanding cast, headed by Chad A. Johnson, a marvelous, clear-voiced tenor with a delightful stage presence, in the title role; and as his beloved Cunegonde, Laura Portune, a stunning coloratura who exudes wit and charm. Portune made her professional debut with San Diego Comic Opera (as Valencienne in The Merry Widow) and is currently a member of the San Diego Opera Ensemble, with whom she’ll appear this season in Tosca and Don Quichotte. Baritone Chris Thompson, who made his conducting debut with Lyric Opera’s recent production of Man of La Mancha, ramps up the humor quotient as Voltaire/Pangloss; handsome/talented James Schindler, a recent Music Performance grad of SDSU, plays Maximilian, the often nasty/occasionally nice brother of Cunegonde; and two gifted ladies make their mark in comic roles: Michelle Kei Ishuu as Paquette and Elizabeth Saunders as The Old Lady (the woman with only one buttock). There’s a chorus of 26 that sounds robust and switches characters and costumes on a dime. The singing, all around, is superb, and those a capella segments are outstanding.

And in the pit, conducting an awe-inspiring 32-piece orchestra, is Lyric Opera general director Leon Natker, celebrating his 20^th year with the company in grand style (there’s a more formal celebration on Oct. 19). The drama begins with the Overture’s stirring flourish of horns, and the music is sustained at high quality throughout the playful romp that pays homage to love, acceptance and loss of innocence. The large-scale, challenging show is thoroughly winning but rarely presented (Lyric Opera mounted it eight years ago). In the best of all possible worlds, every lover of music or theater would race to see this sadly short-lived production.

THE LOCATION: Lyric Opera San Diego at the Birch North Park Theatre, through 10/5

The Look of Love

THE SHOW: The Light in the Piazza, the Tony Award-winning musical by composer/librettist Adam Guettel (the grandson of the legendary Richard Rodgers and the son of Mary Rodgers, composer of Once Upon a Mattress). The book, by Craig (Prelude to a Kiss) Lucas, is based on a novella by Mississippi writer Elizabeth Spencer.

The show was developed at the Intiman Playhouse in Seattle and the Goodman Theatre in Chicago. The Broadway production at Lincoln Center, which opened in 2005, garnered six Tony Awards, including Best Score and Best Orchestrations. It was nominated for Best Musical, but lost to Spamalot. The original production was directed by former San Diegan Bartlett Sher. The Lamb’s Players production is the Regional Premiere of the musical.

THE STORY: The action takes place in Florence and Rome in the summer of 1953. Clara Johnson, a young American tourist from Winston-Salem, NC, is accompanied on vacation by her over-protective mother, Margaret. In a chance meeting on a street in Florence, Clara falls hard for a passionate young Italian, Fabrizio Naccarelli. Her mother tries everything in her power to keep the two apart, but they are obviously deeply connected. There is a story behind Clara’s wide-eyed innocence, but only her hyper-vigilant parents seem to mind. Retracing the steps of her honeymoon years ago, and seeing her own marriage through the lens of Clara’s pure and true love, Margaret learns a few lessons from her daughter, about love, identity, independence and letting go.

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The story and the score are luscious and romantic. And all the technical and design elements of the production are up to the lavish task. Mike Buckley has created an evocative set of marble arches and columns, with projections and flown-in pieces (such as naked statues) adding depth, color and detail. The beautiful light (Nathan Peirson) is dappled gold. The 8-piece orchestra is superb, under the direction of pianist Charlie Reuter (musical direction duties were shared with G. Scott Lacy, a former musical stalwart in San Diego, now living in San Francisco). Jeanne Reith’s costumes are dazzling, color coordinated for each scene, another reflection of the soul-stirring light of the city, all salmons and pinks, earth-tones, purples and blues.

A harp glissando opens the musical, and the emotions throughout are underscored by warm reed and cello passages. The cast is outstanding. Deborah Gilmour Smyth is pitch-perfect as Margaret, her acting acumen and soaring soprano tailor-made for the role. But it’s in the low notes (“Dividing Day”) that she grabs at our hearts. Season Duffy is all delighted naiveté as Clara, and she connects wonderfully with silver-voiced, charming and irresistible Chanlon Jay Kaufman as Fabrizio. Fabrizio’s comical and philandering brother, Giuseppe, is delectably played by Spencer Rowe. Teressa Byrne is a vocal powerhouse as his angry, neglected wife, Franca. Stephen Godwin and Sandy Campbell add a taste of class as Signor and Signora Naccarelli, and the rest of the 13-member ensemble provides excellent support. The only weakness is the occasional shrillness of the soprano voices, which seemed to be more a function of the sound balance than the talent.

Under the precise and detailed direction of Robert Smyth, this is a production created with all the passion and tender loving care the show demands and deserves. It should not be missed.

THE LOCATION: Lamb’s Players Theatre, through 11/2

Brotherly Love

THE SHOW: Dying City, the West coast premiere of a drama by Christopher Shinn, a three-character play performed by a cast of two. It premiered in London in 2006; after it opened the next year in New York, it was short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize.

THE STORY: The 33 year-old Shinn has said that he was inspired to write this play, set against a post-9/11, Iraq War backdrop, by the irrational and self-destructive behavior he observed in his peers. “Why,” he asked, “would someone hurt themselves? Why would someone not capitalize on his talent? Why would someone end a relationship that was a good one?” All these elements show up in his terse, intense, 90-minute play.

Peter, a gay, self-doubting actor, appears unannounced at the door of the empty New York apartment of Kelly, the widow of his identical twin brother who died in Iraq the year before, under still-questionable circumstances. Peter is traumatized by having walked offstage, mid-performance, on A Long Day’s Journey into Night, a reference to an even more dysfunctional family than his own. He comes seeking solace, but instead inflicts pain.

In the flashbacks to the night his twin brother Craig, a Ph.D. candidate at Harvard, left for Iraq, we see more of the brutality that seems to run in the family. Both boys were beaten by their father, a resentful Vietnam veteran. Peter was also abused by his brother (sexually as well as physically? It’s unclear). Kelly’s distant father was abusive, and her husband was consistently hostile, and forced sex on her nightly. All the men seen, heard or referred to here hate and demean women, verbally and sexually, including one of the most incendiary patients in Kelly’s therapy practice. Kelly seems to be everyone’s punching bag, a passive victim of the aggression of her husband and the insidious hostility of her brother-in-law. Promiscuous and narcissistic Peter feels sorry for himself, but not so much that he can’t show the still-grieving Kelly terribly incriminating and hurtful emails he received from his brother during his stint in Iraq, far more intimate and revealing interactions than he had with his wife. “We have no secrets,” he taunts her, though neither of them knows what happened on the night Craig died (and we never do find out).

The play takes a searing look at the wounds and betrayals people inflict on those they supposedly love. The ‘dying city’ of the title refers directly to Baghdad, obliquely to New York. Shinn apparently intended to show that the roots of violence in the home and the heartland give rise to horrors like Abu Ghraib. But he’s trying to do too much, and neither he nor the play wholly succeeds. It’s a slow and unsatisfying one-act that has more targets than hits.

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The drama is an actor’s dream, and in that way, it parallels Cygnet’s recent production of A Number, where several clones are played by the same performer (in that case, the actor was Francis Gercke, who directs this production). Here, the twins are played by Sean Cox, who makes rapid and convincing transitions from the sniveling, stammering Peter to the macho, belligerent Craig. There’s a fascination life-imitates-art backstory here; Cox actually did play Edmund in Long Day’s Journey into Night (Renaissance Theatre, 2001). Both the brothers are odious, but his Craig is never believably smart and academic, nor does he have the dangerous charisma of a Bad Boy who’d attract the slavish devotion of both a man and a woman.

Each time Cox shifts roles, the cutaway apartment (design by Nick Fouch) rotates a few feet on a turntable, and then moves back with the next character change, as if the noticeable alterations in lighting (Eric Lotze), costume (Jessica John) and demeanor aren’t enough to clue us in. As Kelly, the milksop Kelly, Christy Yael maintains a more or less depressed disposition throughout, though she shows some spunk (and desperation) in the scenes with her husband. Still, the character remains pretty much a cipher. None of these folks is in any way likable. We don’t really care about them; and nothing much happens to them. What does happen, happens slowly, with long, drawn-out pauses between utterances. At the end, we’re left with as many questions as when it all began. There’s a lot of emotional savagery on display, but the play doesn’t provide sufficient insight, revelation or catharsis.

THE LOCATION: Cygnet Theatre, through 10/26

Play Ball!

THE SHOW: Back Back Back, a world premiere by this year’s Old Globe playwright-in-residence, Brooklyn-born Itamar Moses, who created The Four of Us (Old Globe world premiere, 2007) and Bach in Leipzig (Actors Alliance ‘On Book On Stage’ reading, 2004).

Honest Admission: I don’t know anything about baseball (that’s the little round one, right?). So I went into this play armed only with the knowledge that it was about doping in America’s favorite pastime. Which left me pretty much behind the eightball (oops! Already mixing sports metaphors). I know a little about the Barry Bonds conflagration. But if I hadn’t run into Seema Sueko and her Sports Anchor/Reporter husband, Troy Hirsch (of TV’s Fox 5) after the show, I would have been out in left field. Troy clued me in to the real players these characters were representing: Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire and Walt Weiss, the three Oakland A’s players who, like those in the play, won Rookie of the Year “back to back to back.”

THE STORY: The bottom line is that the world of baseball has become too competitive to rely solely on native talent. We watch three teammates, over the years, as they cope with the stresses in their personal and professional lives and deal with the use of steroids, a word that’s never once mentioned in the play.

Though the drama is small and personal, the doping issue could be viewed on a larger scale (it’s also a problem among classical musicians), a symbol of an America that constantly strives for bigger, faster, better, harder, as embodied in the motto, ‘better living through chemistry.’ The audience has to bring a lot to the proceedings, reading not only the Sports pages but also between the lines.

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: All that said, my post-performance tutorial made the experience deeper for me, suggesting that the play was more than tangentially based in reality. I still enjoyed what I saw, even without the extra coaching. Moses has an excellent way with aggressive, competitive male dialogue, as he readily demonstrated in the two previous plays seen in San Diego. And as is so often the case among men, the moment any discussion gets intimate, there’s an immediate rubber-band effect, as one of the guys pulls back and resorts to a joke, or the verbal equivalent of a towel-snap.

The thematic undertone here is about honesty and honor, and whether candor or secrecy is doing a service to the team or the game. The arrogant, swaggering Raul, like Canseco, writes a tell-all memoir that blows the whole thing wide open. Kent (the sensitive, McGwire-like character) takes it personally, and hard. The rookie Adam is caught between them (though he’s actually sidelined for much of the play, only called upon occasionally to run interference between the two superstars).

Joaquin Perez-Campbell is terrific as Raul. He has the moves, the Rocky-like posturing -- and the abs and muscles, too, strikingly revealed as he undresses and bench-presses. As Kent, Brendan Griffin exudes a kind of calm control, though later he roils internally and externally. Adam, aka Rook (Nick Mills), is less well defined, but his final act is an aggressive one that takes a stand and alienates him from his mentor/idols.

The set (Lee Savage) gives the floor of the arena stage an angular, green/brown suggestion of a baseball diamond. Projections (Shawn Sagady) are brilliantly used to simulate a scoreboard that flip-changes with each of the nine scenes (there’s even a 7^th inning stretch, during which cotton candy is ‘hawked’ in the aisles). There could be more variation in the direction of Davis McCallum, and more depth to the issues raised. But even this non-sportslover was engaged.

THE LOCATION: The Old Globe (in the Museum of Art Auditorium), through 10/21

Hop on the Trolley

… for the 10^th annual Trolley Dances, the imaginative, site-specific urban dance offering that started in San Diego (the brainchild of award-winning, visionary choreographer Jean Isaacs, artistic director of San Diego Dance Theatre) and has been franchised to San Francisco. Each year, Isaacs invites a number of choreographers to choose a site along one of San Diego’s trolley lines and create a brief dance performance there. Attendees get on and off the trolley to view the performances. It’s a delightful way to spend a few Indian Summer hours. This year’s production was a long but enjoyable mix of comedy and drama (I was only able to spend two hours on tour, which means I missed the last two of the six dances. Sigh. A matinee called…).

One of the highlights of what I saw was the opener, “Life,” created by local dancer/teacher/ choreographer Terry Wilson and her dancers. It’s a moving testimony to the lives of the homeless. As you leave the trolley and move toward the bridge-and-tree area adjacent to the San Diego River, a dirty, limping homeless person approaches you. It’s unnerving, and it takes awhile to figure out that he’s one of the dancers, the very convincing Jesus Fonce. To the mournful music of 18^th century composer/cellist Luigi Boccherini, ten raggedy dancers fight for their little piece of turf and property (a blanket, a grocery cart). They hiss and sneer at the onlookers, at once frightening them/us and looking frightened. It’s an every-man-for-himself, dog-eat-dog world out there, but in a miraculous moment of unity, the group comes together, helping each other, partnering for a brief, joyful waltz. But it’s a transitory time of togetherness; the fantasy ends and they’re each alone again, furtively grabbing their goods and splintering off. Chilling images, excellently executed.

Isaacs’ work, “Untitled,” created in collaboration with the dancers of San Diego Dance Theater, is performed at the Mission Valley Preserve, to original music played live by Kristopher Apple. It’s a provocative piece, danced in and around the overpass and the foliage. We follow the musician and dancers to various areas, ending in a clearing where the tai chi moves intrigue. The male couplings, especially Greg Lane and Bradley Lundberg, are captivating.

The creations of New York-based choreographer Monica Bill Barnes are always highly anticipated. She’s been an exciting contributor to Trolley Dances a number of times. This year, her piece was staged in the pool at an apartment complex (The Village at Morena Vista). The initial image is stunning: ten black-clad women, posed at the edge of the pool (reminiscent of the press photos for The Women at the Old Globe). Gradually, they remove their shoes and dip a toe in the water. Some venture in; then they re-emerge, put the shoes back on, only to take them off again and repeat the process. Finally, they go all the way, dresses, pearls and all. They find imaginary objects in the water, with which they adorn themselves: an earring, a contact lens, a dental crown, a bra insert. Though separated at first, ultimately, they partner and offer support, floating, hugging and cradling each other to touching effect. Nice ending, but disappointing piece, that seemed silly at times, and didn’t quite match the tone or choice of music (Elvis singing an overwrought “Let it Be Me,” Willie Nelson’s “Falling in Love Again”).

The comic relief comes in Katie Stevinson-Nollet’s “Ode to a Cowboy,” set on the porch of the Machado Stewart Museum in Old Town State Park. Gunslingers stage a shootout, saloon gals lounge and tempt, cows low and horses neigh, to the wails of Hank Williams (“Lovesick Blues”), Johnny Cash (“Folsom Prison Blues”) and the theme from “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.” The Western-attired dancers romp and stomp and make great use of wooden benches and tables (sliding across, jumping over, lining up), but alas, they all wind up dead. Cute, fun and highly energetic.

This unique annual event provides a great opportunity to get out, ride the Trolley, watch some captivating dance, and see parts of San Diego you may not have experienced before. Such a deal!

THE LOCATION: Along the San Diego Trolley Green Line, starting at the Hazard Center Trolley Station (corner of Hazard Center Drive and Frazee Road, off Friars Road). Tours run from 10-3 this Saturday and Sunday, through 10/5

Swimming pool, riverside preserve,

NEWS AND VIEWS

GHOULS AND GHOSTIES FOR HALLOWEEN

… Chronos Theatre Group presents An Evening at the Grand Guignol, four short plays of “vintage horror, sex and humor” in the tradition of the classic French genre that celebrated the gory and gruesome a century ago. Directed by Marie Miller. October 8 and 9 at the Neurosciences Institute. info@chronostheatre.com; 619-615-8928.

NOTE: Chronos has had to postpone its staged reading of Fashion, originally scheduled for Monday, October 13.

… A Horror Movie Series, brought to us by Lyric Opera San Diego and Hawthorn’s Restaurant, will run every Wednesday in October, culminating Friday, October 31. Madness takes its toll… in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “The Exorcist,” “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and others. All movies rated R. 8pm showings, except for “Rocky Horror,” which starts at 10:30pm on All Hallow’s Eve.

… The National Comedy Theatre presents a “Halloween Spooktacular” on October 31 and Nov. 1 at 7:30 and 9:45, with an additional “Midnight Show” on Sat. Nov. 1. This is a variation on the company’s regular improv comedy show, with Halloween-themed subjects, spooky games “and an ending so bizarre it will be discussed until Thanksgiving.” Think ‘Friday the 13^th” meets “Whose Line is it, Anyway?” All ages welcome. 3717 India St. http://www.nationalcomedy.com

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE

…The Emerge Dance Festival, produced by the Patricia Rincon Dance Collective in association with the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, is the 5^th annual showcase of San Diego’s emerging contemporary dance artists. The work of nine emerging dance artists will be featured. One night only. Oct. 11, 8pm in the Garfield Theatre at the JCC in La Jolla. www.rincondance.org/events.html

… Stella Nova Dance Company, San Diego’s newest professional youth modern dance group, founded by former Butterworth Dancers Rayna Stohl and Molly Terbovich, will present its Premiere Fall Performance. October 17-18 at 8pm in the Garfield Theatre at the Lawrence Family JCC in La Jolla. www.stellanovadance.org

… Hangin’ on for dear life… A staged reading of a new play, Taxi Dance, written and directed by Joe Powers, will be presented by The Blue Trunk Theatre Company. The piece is set in a “run-down dance hall, where men feed a meter for a few minutes of human touch.” The high-profile cast includes Sylvia M’Lafi Thompson, TJ Johnson, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Monique Gaffney, Eric Poppick, Jason Connors, Sara Beth Morgan and Dónal Pugh. Monday, October 27, 7pm at Lamb’s Players Theatre.

… An ‘almost kiss’… That’s what 13 year-old San Diego actor Ari Lerner gets in his debut in a new CBS TV show, “The Ex List.”  The program premieres this Friday, October 3 at 9:00 pm, but Ari’s episode (#4) doesn’t air till October 24. At this point, it’s a "one time role."  But maybe he’ll ‘get lucky!’

… What happens in the jungle stays in the jungle… Disney Theatricals has announced that a permanent production of The Lion King will open in Vegas in May… at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. This will be Disney’s first long-term foray into Sin City, where many other musicals have failed to gain traction. Going against conventional wisdom about the floundering-flea attention spans of Vegas gamblers, Disney has decided not to shorten the show; it will be “virtually identical” to the New York production, which runs about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Whew. That’ll be interesting. Can you feel the strain tonight?

'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)

Trolley Dances – unique, fun, enjoyable

San Diego Trolley Green Line, starting at the Hazard Center Trolley Station, through 10/5

Candide – colorful, creative and fun, and wonderfully sung

Lyric Opera San Diego, at the North Park Theatre, through 10/5

The Light in the Piazza – beautiful, lush, luscious and romantic

Lamb’s Players Theater, through 11/2

The Women – elegant, glamorous and backbiting; sheer delight!

The Old Globe Theatre, through 10/26

Fat Pig – disturbing play, very well done

InnerMission Productions at OnStage Playhouse, through 10/4

No Exit – 64 years after it premiered, still packs a wallop; excellently executed

Diversionary Theatre, through 10/5

Boomers - you gotta love it, even if you aren’t one. Fabulous band, super songs, high-energy performances

Lamb’s Players at the Horton Grand Theatre, an open-ended run, now selling through 12/21

It’s Santa Ana time… cool off in the theater!

© 2008 PATTÉ PRODUCTIONS, INC.

For nearly 25 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 and celebrates the broad diversity of San Diego theater.