SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE

"CURTAIN CALLS" #269

By Pat Launer

www.sdtheatrescene.com

12/12/08

 

Lyrics, Beats and Bricks are danced around

While a new play, Walls, gets Off the Ground.

 

Family Feud

THE SHOW: Off the Ground, reprise production (more or less) of the dysfunctional family comedy penned by local actor Tom Zohar and designer Amy Chini that premiered last December at New Village Arts. Much of the creative and design team remains the same.

THE STORY: This is a fun antidote to all the unrelievedly upbeat holiday fare. It has a relatively happy ending (more or less), but it’s all about the holiday nightmare of family get-togethers and the well-meaning horrors our families heap upon us. The person everyone seems to be trying to get ‘off the ground’ is Joel, whose divorce a year ago has crippled him socially and emotionally. He’s taken refuge in the Pennsylvania home of his still-grieving grandfather, whose wife of 62 years died four years ago. The two men live a scruffy and generally hermetic existence. Compounding Joel’s internal problems, his ex is already remarried and he can’t see his beloved young daughter for the holidays. Now the bachelor arrangement is being turned upside down by the onslaught of family, boisterously and aggressively converging for the holidays (a reunion that hasn’t occurred in more than a year – for good reason!). Turmoil, conflict, distress, unhappiness, door-slamming and screaming ensue, as Joel’s sister Susan tries to heal him, his mother tries to fix him up, and his father tries to save him tax-money when Susan and Mom give him a surprise piece of real estate for Christmas. Only pragmatic Grandpa Dick stays out of the fray, but he seems to have the best sense of what might be right for Joel in the long run.

 

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The script tweaks and revisions make the plot far more satisfying, if a little less definitive at the end. The production is delightful, with the humor underscored this year more than last. Charlie Riendeau is very funny as the crusty grandpa, and Jack Missett is a riot as Joel’s clueless father, Jim; all the henpecked guy seems to care about is money – and pie. While the family disintegrates into a full-tilt feud, he keeps eating, unperturbed. Wendy Waddell is wonderfully sarcastic and angry as Susan and Terry Scheidt is, once again, thoroughly credible as her out-of-work husband. Sandra Ellis-Troy is aptly expansive as the narcissistic smother-mother who always thinks she knows what’s best for her children, even if she hasn’t got the faintest idea. This year’s additions to the cast are John DeCarlo as hapless, pathetic Joel and JoAnne Glover as cautious, divorced Donna, who seems to have fallen into an intense, intimate scenario from which she’d just as soon disappear. Their awkward ‘first date’ encounter is one of the quiet high points of the production. The scream-fest is kinda fun, too, if you can tolerate that type of family carnage. The dialogue and interactions are believable and amusing, though there are also dark secrets revealed. Director Joshua Everett Johnson keeps the characters real, avoiding too much caricature and stereotype. It’s an entertaining evening to be sure, especially if it makes you go home and appreciate the lunacy of your own relatives at this time of year.

 

THE LOCATION: New Village Arts Theatre, through 12/28

 

BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET

 

Brick by Brick

THE SHOW: Lyrics, Beats & Bricks, a new hip hop production from Eveoke Dance Theatre, created and choreographed by Ericka Moore, in collaboration with poet Kendrick Dial.

THE PRODUCTION: This was the first production in a long time that really felt like the ‘old’ Eveoke, when dance and social activism melded seamlessly (not with brickbat intensity). And there was a lot of dance, not just minimalist movement. It was refreshing and exciting and energizing, which is just what Eveoke Dance Theatre was created to be. Moore is always a riveting performer, and she’s become a choreographer to watch, too. The two-act evening was divided, as Moore’s notes indicated, into Lyrics (“the conscience of the dance, the Soul of the show”); Beats (“the heartbeat… rhythm of the heart… important to understanding the Soul”) and Bricks (“the bones of the show… an obstacle”). Lugging, passing, hauling and withstanding 800 genuine bricks, the 12 dancers thrilled the sellout crowd, who understood, by means of the actions and the words (voiceovers by Dial) that we all have weights to carry around, that we sometimes try to pass them off on others, that we have to bear and deal with our burdens and go on. The moves were angular, energetic, exhilarating, especially the solo work of Yvonne Hernandez (in the antic “Lyric”), Nikki Dunnan (charismatic in “Let Go”), April Tra (sultry, sexy, beautiful in “Love”)and Moore (earnest and engaging in “My Heart”). The six young dancers (three of them high schoolers) did a fine job in backup, and in setting up those serpentine arrays of bricks that thrillingly illustrated the Domino Theory. They came into the audience and gave out a few bricks. At times, bearing the bricks, or the chains, seemed downright dangerous (no wonder they thanked the “company chiropractor” in the program!). The poetry was gritty at times, self-revealing, inspiring. And at times heavy-handed. But that’s how it often is with social activism, and you have to accept that along with the more elevated expressions of thought. “Dust off your dancing shoes,” Dial’s final poem exhorts us. “”This is your chance to be the change which you seek… These are the building blocks to a better day.” The joy of dance, the use of symbolic props…. Welcome Back, Eveoke1 You’ve been missed! 

(Production closed 12/14)

 

NOTE: Eveoke Dance Theatre’s next Outreach Day is December 13, when the company’s outreach education students from all over San Diego come together with their families for performances, workshops and community-building.

And continuing in that vein, Eveoke, along with Stone Paper Scissors, transcenDANCE Youth Arts Project and North Park Main Street are developing a neighborhood initiative called “Art @ the Core: Building Community.” This project, in North Park and City Heights, uses art as a catalyzing force for positive change. The dance companies’ goal is “increasing access, engagement and participation in the civic process through cultural development” in order to “enhance the cultural and economic vitality of the community.” A noble undertaking.

 

 

Boxed In

THE SHOW: Walls, workshop production of a new adaptation of the short story “The Yellow Wallpaper,” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, an important early work of American feminist literature. It’s a chilling indictment of the subjugation of women, in the form of 19th century attitudes toward women’s physical capacity and mental health. The BBC did a ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ version of the haunting tale in 1989. NPR did a radio drama, and a stage adaptation was performed at the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. A new feature film is reportedly in the works. The current incarnation was written by local playwright Kristina Meek, directed by Sophia A. Ziebell and choreographed by Yolande Snaith.

THE STORY: Gilman, a leading American feminist/activist at the turn of the last century, wrote this brief novella at the age of 32; it is considered to be autobiographical, a cautionary tale based on her own post-partum breakdown. First published in 1892, it’s the story of a dutiful wife's descent into madness as she attempts to conform to Victorian ideals of the proper behavior of a woman, wife and mother.

Charlotte is a young wife apparently suffering from post-partum depression. Victorian doctors call her a victim of ‘nervous fatigue.’ Her dictatorial and oblivious physician-husband treats her like a powerless patient. He rents an old mansion, far away from town, for her summer ‘rest cure.’ A strongly creative woman, Charlotte is desperate to read and write, but her husband insists that the best treatment for her problem is doing nothing at all. She’s confined to a top-floor room where, devoid of any stimulation whatsoever (including not being able to see her baby), she becomes obsessed by the wallpaper, a peeling assemblage of shapes and forms in a sickly yellow color that both fascinates and disgusts her as she tries to trace its intricate patterns. As she descends into insanity, a casualty of her time and sex, she thinks she sees the figure of a woman, trapped behind the bars in the paper’s design and shadows. The wallpaper’s tortuous pattern ultimately finds its way into her mind and she pursues (and becomes) the woman who’s been haunting her.

THE PRODUCTION: The collaborative direction, choreography and design by Ziebell and Snaith were an excellent representation of the cross-disciplinary nature and intent of the Theatre and Dance department at UCSD. The two elements were intricately intertwined; the dancers played characters at times; they also served to set the stage and illustrate the descent into psychosis, whirling, twirling, circling the room, just as the narrator did at the conclusion of the piece. Overall, this was a prodigious and impressive endeavor, very elaborate for a 2-night workshop. Since it’s a work in progress, I won’t provide a full-on critique. The story is told as a first-person narrative, a structure that poses considerable challenges for dramatization. Having different people voice the central character proved confusing and at times frustrating. Similarly, the husband was played by a man (Kevin Six) and also one of the women (dancer Alicia Peterson). At first, the three voices of Charlotte (Jennie Olson primarily, and also Jo Dempsey and Kathleen Masse) seemed like the character at different stages. But the program gave them different names. The four talented dancers (Peterson plus Sarah Larson, Sharon Skare and Sadie Weinberg) were excellent and compelling, but their fascinating moves sometimes drew focus from Charlotte and her story. It would be nice to think that this type of suppression of women is a thing of the past, but even a cursory glance at the news, from Africa and the Middle East especially (female genital mutilation to lye-throwing disfigurement) proves otherwise. Sadly, the horror story lives on. (Production closed)

 

NEWS AND VIEWS

 

… Cutting back and holding on… In addition to a bevy of premature closings on Broadway (including Spring Awakening and Gypsy) , the Alabama Shakespeare Festival has been forced by the economic crisis to cancel its ($1.3 million) production of Les Misérables, scheduled for summer 2009. The company is also postponing this season’s planned world premiere of Robert Ford's The Fall of the House. Meanwhile, somewhat closer to home (and new home to former Sledgehammer artistic director Kirsten Brandt), Shakespeare Santa Cruz is in severe distress. Due to the theater’s accumulated half-million dollar budget deficit, the University has given the 27 year-old company until December 22 to come up with $300,000. Many feared the demise of the company was imminent. But lovers of theater and Shakespeare, in the community and nationwide, have stepped up to help. As of Wednesday, December 17, more than $159,000 had already been raised. If you want to pitch in, go to their website: www.shakespearesantacruz.org. And if you want to help local theater companies… give money, or give the gift of theater this season.

 

… Picking up the slack… After the 23 year-old Opera Pacific of Orange County closed its doors recently, another casualty of the economic meltdown, San Diego Opera stepped in, providing special packages to opera-lovers left out in the cold. Among other offers, SDO is extending a five-opera-for-four deal of deeply discounted tickets to select performances.

 

… More Nun-sense… A little good news at last! Due to high demand, North Coast Repertory Theatre has added an extra performance of Sister’s Christmas Catechism. The part-improv, audience participation comedy will show on Monday, December 22 at 7:30pm. 858-481-1055, or www.northcoastrep.org.

 

… Ibsen’s Last Stand… ion theatre’s year-long “intimate ibsen” has reached the end of its Cycle. The 12th and final reading is When We Dead Awaken, in which a celebrated sculptor and his wife, traveling through a mountainous hinterland, encounter a brutal hunter and a mysterious woman. Memories re-surface and passions ignite, with tragic results. Glenn Paris directs Jeffrey Jones, Linda Libby, Eric Poppick, Celeste Innocenti, Dan Feraldo, Eric Grischkat and Sylvia Enrique. The season has been terrific; if you missed the earlier presentations, be sure to catch the final installment… Monday, December 22, 7pm at the Lyceum theatre.

 

… Sing Out, Louise!... Indulge your movie-madness and musical urges. The Birch North Park Theatre and Hawthorn’s Restaurant are offering a “Musical Sing-Along Movie Series” on select Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons from December 19 to January 11. The features are “White Christmas,” “Grease,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “The Sound of Music.”  Audience participation is encouraged. Tickets are at 619-239-8836 or www.birchnorthparktheatre.net.

 

… Hot News from the Heartland… The Mira Costa College production of Heartland, a world premiere by local writers Anita Simons and Lauren Simon, was one of only six productions selected (out of 89 submissions) and invited to compete in the regional American College Theatre Festival at Cal State Fullerton this February. Members from the Kennedy Center’s National Team will be on hand to consider the production for the national Festival held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. next April. At the same time, Heartland’s script is a finalist (one of only 15 nationwide) for the Mark David Cohen National Playwriting Award... But wait! There’s still more: Mira Costa College Theater chair Eric Bishop (winner of a Patté Award for Directing last year), was nominated to become the Vice Chair of the five-state Region 8 of the Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival.

 

… Don’t forget your Free Day of Dance at NTC, provided by Malashock Dance, Jean Isaacs’ San Diego Dance Theatre and the San Diego Ballet. Free classes for all ages and levels, December 26, 9am-7pm. 619-260-1622, or check out the offerings by each of the companies: www.malashockdance.org; www.sandiegodancetheater.org; www.sandiegoballet.org.

 

…Theater can be deadly (or nearly so)… Last week, an actor performing a suicide scene in Austria accidentally stabbed himself in the neck when the prop knife was replaced with a sharp blade. Daniel Hoevels, appearing in a production of Friedrich Schiller’s Mary Stuart in Vienna, was treated at the hospital and resumed his role the next day. Apparently, the prop knife had been damaged, and the replacement knife was “supposed to have been blunted.” The Vienna police are investigating the negligence. Heads may still roll.

 

… Saturday morning reprise… My theater reviews on KSDS, Jazz 88.3FM, are now re-broadcast on Saturday mornings. 9am both days. Tune in! Or, read/listen any time, at jazz88.org.

 

…Get ‘em while they’re hot…  Patté seats are selling fast!… Reserve your tickets or table NOW for the 12th annual Patté Awards for Theater Excellence. www.thepattefoundation.org.

 

… Okay, it’s time for you to Support Theatrescene!!... All we’re asking is that you donate a dollar a month, just 12 bucks, to help sustain sdtheatrescene. Send a check to San Diego Theatre Scene, Inc., c/o Dale Morris, 515 Pennsylvania Ave #1, SD 92103, or click here to make your tax-deductible $12 donation online. Thanks!

 

'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)

                                  

Off the Ground  - well-done comedy puts the fun in dysfunctional family

New Village Arts Theatre, through 12/28

 

A Christmas Carol – beautiful production, excellent design and ensemble (and it’s kinda scary, too!)

Cygnet Theatre at the Old Town Theatre, through 12/28

 

A Christmas Carol – short, family-friendly version; lots of music and laughter

North Coast Repertory Theatre, through 12/27

 

A Tuna Christmas – escape to small-town Texas mayhem with two antic comic performances

Compass theatre, through 12/28

 

The Princess and the Black-Eyed Pea – high-energy, vocally powerful, locally-produced world premiere

San Diego Repertory Theatre, through 12/21

 

U.S. Drag – darkly comic and wonderfully well done

Ion theatre, through 12/21

 

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play  – heart-warming adaptation, superbly presented

Cygnet Theatre (Rolando), through 12/28

 

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 2/22/09

 

 

 

Keep local theater alive and thriving… Give theater tickets for holiday presents!

 

 

© 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.