Pat Launer on San Diego Theater
By Pat Launer, SDNN
Thursday, August
27, 2009
READ REVIEWS OF: “Leaving Iowa,”
“Shopping and F***ing,” “Annie,” “The Complete Works
of William Shakespeare (Abridged”)
READ MINI-REVIEW of “Julius
Caesar”
Road
Show
THE SHOW:
“Leaving
Raise hands if you’ve never sat in the backseat of a car during a family
road-trip. That’s what I thought. No one escapes. The
bickering, squabbling; the dissatisfactions with the driver, the route, the destination.
And (if anyone bothered to notice), the mounting frustration
in the front seat. Maybe now you’re the one in the front seat.
But either way, those are memories that stick in the mind – or the craw.
Don Browning is thinking back to those old summer journeys to obscure
We come along for the ride, as Don climbs into the backseat with his
annoying older sister (or is that redundant?), who pokes and provokes him, gets
him into trouble, steals his arrowhead (and denies it – for decades!), and
pretty much always gets what she wants, whining all the way. Mom is just trying
to offer snacks and keep the peace. Dad wants to stop at all the most obscure
and dreary places, refusing to go anywhere that sounds really interesting. He’s
a first-class skin-flint, a history buff fascinated by minutia, a silent and
serious kind of guy who’ll never acknowledge when he’s hopelessly lost – or
driving iresponsibly.
Surprisingly, as our narrator and guide, with all his guilt for having
missed his father’s retirement party and funeral, Don remains pretty much a
cipher. Kürt Norby does the
best he can with the uninspired role. Mom isn’t too well defined either, though
Kerry Meads is energetic as the sometimes flustered Earth Mother and arbiter.
The juicy parts belong to that grating and irritating sister, whom
Colleen Kollar Smith plays with great gusto and
humor. David Cochran Heath, ever the stalwart Dad (I still remember him as
Atticus Finch decades ago), is excellent as the earnest father, caring in his
own taciturn way. The uncommunicative interactions between father and son are
the most poignant moments in the play. But though it’s seen through the haze of
melancholic reminiscence, “Leaving Iowa” is really a light comedy, a first-time
play by two sitcom writers -- Tim Clue
and Spike Manton -- which might explain
why the plot and characters don’t run too deep.
Adept director
The floor of the set (designed by
The best part of the evening is what it invokes in the audience:
reminiscence of family fun, conflict and excursions gone by.
THE LOCATION: Lamb’s Players
Theatre,
THE DETAILS: Tickets:
$22-58. Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4
p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m, through September 20.
THE BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET
Hard Knock Life
THE
SHOW: “Annie,” the 1977 musical, at Starlight
Theatre
In “Annie,” there’s always another “Tomorrow.” The
musical perennial, set during the Great Depression, with political conflicts
and concerns similar to our own, is getting quite a nice airing as the final
show of Starlight Theatre’s 63rd season. Some of the political
references are a little arcane. How many in the audience will get those New
Deal jokes? Or the
Back to Starlight, and the planes, and the orphans.
The kids are adorable, ranging in age from 7-14. They’re not given too much to
do, dancewise; the show is limited in its
choreography. But they sing very well, and execute the moves they’re given with
aplomb. And they do convey the rowdiness, bonding and occasional bellicosity of
a bunch of young orphan girls forced to live together under the thumb of a
nasty, inebriated and nefarious matron.
Melinda Gilb, with her
strong voice and stage savvy, is a hoot as the dastardly Miss Hannigan. And as her even-worse brother, Rooster, Ryan
Fahey has just the right amount of slickness and sleaze. Fahey sings well and
looks like he can really move; Rooster’s big number (“Easy Street”) usually
features complex choreography. But throughout this production, the moves are as
basic and banal as can be. Still, the ensemble is vocally strong, and they’re
well outfitted (
At the center of the action, as the ever-optimistic
and plucky little orphan, there’s Hannah Rose Kornfeld,
a petite 15 year-old powerhouse who can sing (she doesn’t need to belt so much)
and act like the dickens. And there’s Gregory North as Daddy Warbucks, the billionaire who decides to bring an orphan
home for Christmas, and in the process, learns the power of love. And then
there’s
THE LOCATION: Starlight Bowl, in
THE DETAILS: Tickets: $10-75.
Thursday-Sunday at 7:30 p.m., through August 30.
Nasty Business
THE
SHOW: “Shopping and F***ing,” a
The title sounds so amusingly lighthearted. But
though Mark Ravenhill wrote what he thought was a
black comedy, there aren’t many laughs in this dark and deeply disturbing
production.
First produced in 1996, when the English-born Ravenhill was 29, the play was part of the “in yer face” theater movement in British theater, the aim of
which was to shock
audiences with everything in the extreme: language, images, emotion, amorality. “S&F” is true to its ‘in yer face’ origins, especially in the 49-seat Compass
Theatre, where all the ugly acts occur practically in your lap.
The Shopping mostly has to do with drug-dealing and
other unsavory commerce. As for the second part of the title, well, there’s
plenty of that, mostly homosexual, some of it vicious. So if you’re easily
offended, or if the title stopped you in your tracks, this one’s not for you.
Actually, Triad Productions isn’t attempting to do
theater for everyone. They want to stay pretty much out of the mainstream,
producing works that are on the edge, sometimes off the wall, often decidedly
off-color, and frequently violent. They’re trying to attract a young audience,
to show them that theater isn’t fusty and musty; it’s hip, sexy, relevant, even
shocking. So consider yourself forewarned.
Plot? There isn’t really much. Should we skip to the most scandalous parts? We
could start with the vomiting, fellatio and potential three-way sex. And climax
(so to speak) at the moment when a 14 year-old boy begs to be sodomized with a
knife. (Note to Self: What kind of year is it when there are TWO onstage scenes
with knife-sodomy?? The other was in Paola Hornbuckle’s
“Violets Bloom at Sunset.” But that was rape; this is a fervent request).
Comedy? Um, let’s see, there’s the fond retelling of the plot of “The Lion King”
as a statement on society. But it’s told by a distinctly sinister mobster who
cries at the violin-playing of his young son, in the same breath as he
threatens unspeakable violence. And there’s a funny scene of frantic phonesex.
There are more stories (everyone invents one for
him/herself, and they all love to have the tales retold) than story, in the
sense of narrative arc.
In a nutshell, Mark, a
narcissistic addict (Patrick Kelly, seeming more lost and confused than
self-involved) shares a ramshackle place with Robbie (Julio Jacobo,
compelling), another unnerving mix between sentimental and sadistic, and Lulu
(Katie Harroff, shrill but interesting), the only one
with a foot on the ground, sort of. Emerging from
their drug-addled, microwave-dinner existence, she tries to land a job. And
that’s where she meets the menacing Brian (John Whitley, creepy and scary), who
sends her and Robbie out to deal Ecstasy while Mark checks himself into rehab.
When Mark gets kicked out, he hooks up with the adolescent rentboy,
Gary (Kevin Morrison, who has a wonderful energy, though his age, nowhere near
14, skews the whole nasty proceedings).
On her peregrinations, Lulu watches a stabbing, and
can think of nothing to do except steal a chocolate bar. Robbie has a burst of
generosity, and gives all the Ecstasy away, which doesn’t exactly work out well
for him and Lulu, vis à vis Brian. Nobody ends up in any way satisfied, let alone
happy. But you could say that, in their own warped way, they do wind up taking
care of each other.
The problem is that Lulu loves Robbie, but Robbie
loves Mark. And Mark comes to love Gary, who doesn’t want to be loved as much
as owned. Like a slave.
It’s all a big old social commentary wrapped in foul
language. About rampant consumerism, dehumanization, the
death of real emotion, the lack of feeling and caring. Selfishness and self-absorption. Going
about our vapid everyday lives ignoring those less fortunate than we. And the fact that everything on earth has been reduced to an
economic transaction. Money is the root… etc. The F***ing of the title could relate to how everyone’s being
screwed, rather than loved.
The production begins with a slideshow that
juxtaposes the well-heeled (in color) and the homeless (in black-and-white).
Nice touch to have one photo pair that features the class-divergent uses for a
Gucci shopping bag.
The white-on-white set (by director Adam Parker)
features shards of mirror glass (a jagged, cracked reflection of our own broken
lives, perhaps?). The sound (Matt Lescault-Wood) and
lighting (Scott Andrew Amiotte) add to the chilling
environment. Parker’s direction keeps the focus and action intense, but even at
90 intermissionless minutes, we get battle fatigue; we feel battered. Kudos to Triad for going out to and over the edge. Their
idiosyncratic choices deserve an equally unconventional audience.
THE LOCATION: Triad Productions at Compass Theatre,
THE DETAILS: Tickets: $10-23.
Wednesday-Saturday at 8p.m., Sunday at 4 p.m., through September 14.
Special Offers:
“Hot Dog Thursdays” (a frank and soda come with your ticket) and Two-for-One
Night on 8/30
Battering the
Bard
THE
SHOW: “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged),” an Elizabethan romp, produced by Lotus Theatre Collective and Talent to aMuse Theatre
There is no
fourth wall when it comes to the Reduced Shakespeare Company. Their wacky,
comic creations are directed to the audience, involve the audience, sometimes even annoy the audience. Their first (and
greatest) creation – which they’re bringing to the San Diego Repertory Theatre
next summer -- is their outrageous homage to the Bard, with all 37 plays
presented, more or less, in two acts and two frantic, frenetic hours. Adam
Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield made some comic history when they set the
stage for the gory “Coriolanus” as a cooking show; all the histories presented
as a football game (less funny when the narration is done, as here, in
voiceover), and a one-minute “Hamlet,” forwards and backwards.
The Lotus
Theatre Collective cast is skilled, but they seem so hellbent
on making the mayhem relentlessly antic that they rush through (and, on the
night I was there, frequently fumble) the lines. There’s an overabundance of
yelling and screaming and cursing (which was never in the original; I’m not at
all sure that was the kind of comic liberties the creators encourage casts to
take). In the Swedenborg Hall, there’s absolutely no sound absorption, so those
yells and screams ricochet off the walls and your beleaguered temples.
The original
conceit is that the actors use their own names, cavorting as characters created
by the RSC. Tyler Richards Hewes takes on the role of
the know-it-all Shakespearean scholar, a pedant who’s not as smart as he thinks
he is, playing fast and loose with malaprop-ridden
information about the Bard. Kevin Six is the grounded, sensible, by-the-book
enforcer (and the only one who doesn’t shout his way through the evening); he
also displays the best physical comedy. Tom Hall is the doltish man-child who’s
not as naïve as he seems. Hall overplays the brainlessness, but he’s fine in
the female roles, which are funny when they’re not shrieked. When Hall gets
serious, and actually performs a Shakespearean soliloquy, it’s quite powerful.
I wish he’d bring a little more of himself, and less of the birdbrain, to the
proceedings.
Under the
direction of Sophie Anderson-Ziebell, there are some amusing scenes, but the
sum isn’t as uproarious as it should be. The second-act
progressively-more-abbreviated “Hamlet” scenes are fast and funny. The topical
references that creep into the script include the Governor of Alaska and San
Diego Shakespeare Society’s
There will
always be theatergoers who are game to play; and what do they tell the audience
member who steps up to help with their “Hamlet?” “In our version, all Ophelia
has to do is scream.” The guys are obviously working hard and having a terrific
time, but funnier is better than louder.
THE LOCATION: Lotus Theatre Collective, at Swedenborg Hall. (858) 245-4436 or (619) 282-8889; www.lotustheatrecollective.com
THE DETAILS: Tickets: $15.
Wednesday-Sunday at 8p.m., through August 29.
MINI-REVIEW
I’m often a
little wary of youth theater productions of Shakespeare. All
that declaiming, not so trippingly on the tongue. But director Steve
Lipinsky worked wonders with ”Julius Caesar” at North Coast Repertory Theatre. Every performer,
ranging in age from 9 to 17, spoke the language conversationally, as if he or
she genuinely understood what was said and intended. No declamations or
orations. Several rushed or swallowed their lines, but that happens in some
adult productions, too. A few youngsters didn’t project as well as others. But
the 90-minute, streamlined version worked really well, and captured the essence
of the story, even if it didn’t delve too deeply into character. As is customary
in the Theatre School @ North Coast Rep,
there are also adult performer/mentors onstage with the kids. In small and/or
multiple roles,
NEWS AND VIEWS
… Hooverville: The 31st
President is back, and he wants his reputation back, too. Herbert Hoover takes
the stage in the La Jolla Playhouse’s latest Page to Stage workshop
production, “Hoover Comes Alive!,” a musical by
Sean Cunningham with songs by Michael Friedman. It’s only running for a week,
and no reviews are allowed, since it’s a work in progress. The show is doing
double duty; it’s also billed as an EDGE production, which means it’s
experimental. Harry S. Truman will be onstage, too. The rock-infused musical
was inspired by Elvis’ 1968 ‘Comeback Special.’ So if you like Elivs, rock, new work or edgy fare, and you want to watch
an old President reclaim his legacy and save his country – in song! – check it
out. September 8-13, in the Mandell Weiss Forum. Tix and info at www.lajollaplayhouse.org
… Multiple Personality: For a little end-of-summer fun, Cygnet
Theatre has brought back “Fully Committed,” the hilarious 1999 solo
comedy by Becky Mode. This is a reprise production; it was hugely popular in
2004 and 2006, and
… Guys Getting Together: In unity, there’s strength. As of January
2010, the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego and the San Diego
Men’s Chorus will merge to create a new, united men’s singing group. As the
new artistic director, they’ve named Gary Holt, founding artistic director of
the Gay Men’s Chorus, who returned in 2005 to serve in that role again. The
choruses will present their first joint performance in December, a Holiday
Concert in the historic Balboa Theatre featuring more than 100 male voices
singing jazz and swing favorites, accompanied by a 10-piece band. This summer,
the group held an online contest to come up with a name for the new chorus.
Check back here for results. In the meantime, an “Info Night” will be
held for potential new members on September 9 at University Christian Church on
… Walt, Mickey and You: Orchestra Nova, under the direction
of charismatic maestro
… Leapin’ Lizards!: The Moonlight Cultural Foundation,
fundraising arm of Moonlight Stage Productions, kicks off its fourth annual “WordsWork” free play-reading series with Edward
Albee’s Pulitzer Prize winning “Seascape.” Equal parts satire, science
fiction, domestic comedy-drama and philosophy debate, the play tells the story
of a troubled American couple (played by Sandra Ellis-Tory and
… Pinter Politics: English PEN, the British division of the
worldwide writers’ organization, has established a new literary award in honor
of Nobel Prize-winning playwright Harold Pinter, who died last December. The
new award, called the PEN/Pinter Prize, will be bestowed annually to a
British writer or a writer living in Britain who best reflects what, in his
Nobel acceptance speech, Pinter said was the role of an author: to show an
“unflinching, unswerving determination to define the real truth of our lives
and our societies.” The winner will receive a check equivalent to about $1600.
Another award of the same amount will be given to an imprisoned writer. The
inaugural prize will be presented in October. Judges will include Pinter’s
widow, Lady Antonia Fraser, a former English PEN president; playwright Tom
Stoppard; and Nicholas Hytner, artistic director of
PAT’S PICKS: BEST
BETS
“Leaving
Lamb’s
Players Theatre/Coronado, through 9/20
“Alfred
Read
Review here:
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-08-19/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-39-steps
“Phantom” – compelling characters and
performances, lush production, gorgeous singing
Moonlight
Stage Productions, through 8/29
Read
Review here:
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-08-19/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-39-steps
“Wicked” – excellent touring production,
in all its glorious greenness
Broadway
Read
review here:
http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-08-05/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-wives-wicked
“Godspell” –
inventive, energetic and inspiring
Lamb’s
Players Theatre at the Horton Grand Theatre, open-ended
Read
Review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-07-22/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-42nd-st-twist
“Twelfth
Night” – not perfect, but perfectly good fun
The
Old Globe’s Festival Stage, in repertory through 9/27
Read
review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-07-08/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-coriolanus
“Coriolanus” – political and provocative
The
Old Globe’s Festival Stage, in repertory through 9/27
Read
review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-07-08/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-coriolanus
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” – funny, colorful, and very well sung and
danced
The
Welk Resort Theatre, through 8/30
Read
review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-07-08/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-coriolanus
“Cyrano de Bergerac” – stunning,
magnificent production of a timeless, heart-rending classic
The
Old Globe’s Festival Stage, in repertory through 9/27
Read
review here: http://www.sdnn.com/sandiego/2009-07-01/things-to-do/pat-launer-on-san-diego-theater-cyrano
Pat Launer is the
SDNN theater critic.
To read any of
her prior reviews, type ‘Pat Launer’ into the SDNN Search box.