"CURTAIN CALLS" #273
By Pat Launer
1/30/09
Comedy and tragedy to last through the ages:
Love Song and Trojan
Women on our stages,
And also considering humor and sorrow
Are the budding Young Playwrights of tomorrow.
The Power of Love
THE SHOW: Love Song, a 2006 romantic
comedy by New Yorker John Kolvenbach, who admits to
having been inspired by a sentimental old Phil Collins song. The show premiered
at
THE STORY: Harry and Joan are
workaholic yuppie types, who live in a slick apartment. Joan’s brother Beane is a weirdo, something of an agoraphobic autistic. He
can’t quite function in society. He lives in his own world. The simplest
questions elude him. His sister defends him, but his brother-in-law thinks he
needs help. At times, Beane has flashes of insight.
But mostly, he stays holed up in his ratty, dark, apartment, where the walls
sometimes seem to close in on him. He has few possessions – a shirt, a spoon, a
cup. One day, his apartment is broken into and he’s robbed of even those meager
things. But the thief, the enigmatic, aggressive, sometimes lyrical Molly, also
walks away with his heart. This causes Beane to
realize the power of life and love, which he manages to communicate to Harry,
who’s swept up in the lure of amour.
Tough-as-nails Joan is a lot harder to convince. She thinks it’s her job to
take care of Beane; he’s not supposed to want to go
out into the world on his own. But love conquers all in the end.
The play is a quirky romantic fantasy, a paean to
the power of passion and imagination. It’s not a new line of thinking, but Kolvenbach writes quick-witted, acerbic dialogue.
THE PLAYERS/THE
PRODUCTION: A good deal of behind-the-scenes drama attended
this comedy. The original director and one cast-member abruptly left the
production about a week before opening. Cygnet artistic director Sean Murray stepped
in, as did actor Daren Scott. And they made magic happen. The opening was
smooth and extremely well executed. Scott reportedly learned his lines in
record time, and he’s terrific as the sharp-witted but loving Harry. His
sparring with Jessa Watson’s Joan is enormous fun. Their ‘playing hooky’ scene
is a particular delight. Joan is something of a harridan, who makes her office
interns cry and fires them on a whim. Watson can toss off a caustic comic line
with élan; she’s a hoot. Francis Gercke is perfect as
the inert, inarticulate Beane, rendering believable
both his catatonic stupor and his newfound philosophical ramblings. Jessica
John is both fearsome and fun as the mysterious Molly. Nick Fouch’s
scenic design is a marvel of inventiveness; it actually does close in on Beane, repeatedly. His
bare-bones abode is nicely contrasted with Joan and Harry’s
upscale digs. It’s entertaining to watch the proceedings unfold, in sometimes
surprising ways, even if the payoff isn’t quite significant enough for a fully
satisfying theatrical experience.
THE LOCATION: Cygnet Theatre, through 2/22
BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET
Death and Despair
THE SHOW: The Trojan Women, the Euripides tragedy written in 415 B.C., during the Peloponnesian
War, an excoriating commentary on the treatment of the playwright’s Greek
countrymen of the vanquished Trojans. The production was an “unplanned”
occurrence for ion theatre, which had scant time to prepare this dark, timeless
and deeply disturbing drama.
THE STORY: Hecuba, the Queen of Troy, has become a prisoner
of war. Agony and misery are heaped upon her in a relentless stream, as she
learns that her city has been sacked and burned, her husband and children
murdered, her young grandson flung to his death from a parapet, and she and her
remaining daughters, Andromache and Cassandra, are to be given away as slaves.
There is no arc, no plot, no release, no catharsis. Just a potent statement of the spoils of war, the horrendous
treatment of women and children, and the stoicism of females under extreme
duress. Hecuba comes to question her faith in the gods, and humans’
dependence on them. She recognizes the futility of expecting wisdom and justice
from deities.
THE PLAYERS/THE
PRODUCTION: The new translation, by UCSD scholar Dr. Marianne
McDonald, is crisp and comprehensible. In the most horrific and harrowing
scene, when Andromache is forced to give up her baby to the barbaric Greeks,
the language is lyrical and heart-rending. But this scene marks the oddest
choice of director Claudio Raygoza. Instead of using a doll, or swaddling
(though the child is described as considerably older than an infant), he had
the anguished Andromache (Amanda Cooley Davis) cuddle a wrapped plastic flower.
That inexplicable decision robbed the scene of its power, as we strained to
understand this sole symbolic act in an otherwise realistic presentation. The
wailing, moaning and keening of the women underscores most of the action, and
it begins to grate. The performances show apt agony and commitment (especially
Veronica Murphy as Hecuba, Sara Beth Morgan as the defensive temptress,
Helen; and Morgan Trant as wild-eyed Cassandra).
Walter Ritter was also potent as Menelaus, the put-upon but easily entranced
husband of Helen. But there was a sameness to the
tone, both physical and emotional. And that made the intermissionless 95
minutes seem like a long, dark night, indeed.
THE LOCATION: ion theatre, through 2/1
Gone, but not
forgotten….
1. As Much As You Can, by Paul Oakley Stovall, at Diversionary Theatre. The playwright took
the opportunity to revisit his 2008 script, in the wake of the Obama election
and the Prop 8 debacle. He added new scenes and a new ending, which allowed him
to consider the Diversionary production a world premiere. Just before it
closed, I caught a performance of this comedy written very much in the vein of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner -- with a
couple of twists. First, the family is black and the lover is white. And oh
yes, the mates are gay. Jesse hasn’t fully come out to his clan. And when he arrives
in
2. Plays By Young
Writers, the 24th annual statewide contest
sponsored by the Playwrights Project, was held this year at the Old Town
Theatre, pleasantly conducive venue. Four plays were selected from the 352
statewide submissions by writers under age 19. And there were readings of four
plays by younger writers, age 11-14. The performances were consistently strong:
Mark Burton, Leah Garland, Fred Harlow, Jess Jacobs and Nick Steklov in the readings, and some
of
The darkest and perhaps deepest was A+B ≠ AB, by 19 year-old Colette La
Pointe. The depth of understanding represented here is way beyond that of a
teenager. A couple is driving in a car. They’re married; she’s three months
pregnant. But over the course of the extended car trip (during which they
narrowly avert two accidents), she confesses that she doesn’t want to have the
baby. Not only that, but she doesn’t want to be married any more (“Our marriage
is evolving into some 1950s nightmare,” she says). Her husband is crushed; he
wants to be “a freakin’ cliché,” a Dad, a coach, a
teacher of reading. You think they’ll work it out. They don’t. It’s a
disturbing, very adult, gut-wrenching piece of work, outstandingly acted by
Rhianna Basore and Steven Lone, expertly directed by George Yé.
A devastating piece of work from an already-accomplished
writer.
If I Were Your Superhero, by 16 year-old Laignee Barron, focused on a lonely teen abandoned by her
father and brother, stuck with her depressed and alcoholic mom. She meets an
odd but intriguing little boy, who turns out to be autistic (actually, with his
high verbal skills, he’s more likely to have Asperger Syndrome). She becomes
his babysitter and through him, learns about love and commitment, family and
responsibility. The depiction of the young boy was extremely realistic; the
playwright apparently worked with an autistic kid in her fencing class. The
inspired little actor who played him, 8 year-old
Andrew Poole, was absolutely riveting. He perfectly captured the moodswings and unpredictability of an odd but precocious
and insightful young man who isn’t in full control of his emotions or
perceptions. Andrew hasn’t had acting experience, but he brought a different
kind of knowledge to the production: he has an autistic older brother. This
young performer is a charismatic stage presence; he should be watched, hired,
coddled, developed into a full-blown actor. He’s
superb. Caroline Rose Markham did an totally credible
as disaffected, lost-and-found Kylie. Trevor Bowles was just right as her
slacker/musician brother, and Frances Regal was wonderful as the young boy’s
angelic mother (the only false note in the script was when Kylie said she was
leaving, and the mild-mannered mom was placid and totally accepting, rather
than angry, frustrated, disappointed or distressed to lose a good sitter, which
is very hard to come by with this type of child). Patricia Elmore Costa did a
fine job as the drunken mother and the free-spirited grandma. Liz Shipman’s
excellent direction was assured and un-fussy. Lovely work all
around.
The Stationmaster, by 17 year-old Jacob
Axelrad, was a poignant fantasy about a train to the
afterlife, and a gentleman whose job it is to ease the way of the newly
deceased and disoriented. Great to see Pat Moran onstage again, solid as The
Conductor, and June Gottlieb was delightful as a frazzled older woman who’s
lost the picture of her husband and can’t go on without him. Javier Guerrero
had an aptly otherworldly demeanor as Mr. Dunning. The other travelers -- Eric Martin-Richardson, Matthew Bacis, Soroya Rowley -- did well
under Chelsea Whitmore’s direction.
The themes weren’t all dark. There was nothing but sheer, outrageous
delight in Prom Night, by 17 year-old Bishop’s School student Emily Reit, of
Some very impressive work, and seeing it
performed for a young audience (junior high and high school kids) was, as
always, thrilling. And they were riveted. Bravo once again to the Playwrights
Project, for developing the theatermakers – and theatergoers – of tomorrow.
NEWS AND VIEWS
…Another chance for a taste of Patté… The 12th Annual Patté Awards for
Theater Excellence will be broadcast on Friday, February 6 at 8pm on Channel
4. If you missed it live, don’t miss it on TV! Catch the passion….
… Tickets are selling fast for The Vagina
Monologues, presented by InnerMission
Productions, in association with Triad Productions and StepUp
Theatre. Carla Nell directs, for the
8th year in a row, and I’m thrilled to be part of the large cast,
which also includes actors Jo Dempsey, Kym Pappas, Wendy Maples, Wendy Savage
and KUSI’s Kristen Cusato. The performance, which
takes place on February 26 at the Birch North Park Theatre, will be followed by
a gala in the large community room of Claire de Lune, across the street,
featuring bands, belly dancers, food, drink and a silent auction. Two days
later, on February 28, check out the San Diego premiere of the male
counterpart, The MENding Monologues (conceived by
Derek Dujardin, directed by Christopher Burger), at
the 10th Avenue Theatre. The beneficiary of the performances and
fundraiser is the
… Doubtful?… The San Diego Repertory Theatre has been
keeping tabs on the response to its current production of John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt. After each performance, they
ask audience members to weigh in on Whom they Believe.
Results are updated weekly; so far, it looks like nearly half have faith in the
affable Father Flynn and nearly a quarter trust the
hidebound nun, Sister Aloysius. More than a fourth of respondents are ‘Still in
Doubt.’ And that’s as it should be; it is,
after all, the name of the play!
… Get in on the ground floor… of a world premiere
musical, The Toughest Girl Alive, based on the wildly dramatic life of
blues singer/activist/punk rocker/ex-gang member and former adult film star, Candye Kane (music and lyrics), directed and
arranged by Javier Velasco. This weekend
only, at Diversionary Theatre: 1/29-2/1. Reserve tickets at thetoughestgirlalive@yahoo.com.
… “VoiceBody, An
Experiment in Song and Dance” is a program of guided
exploration/improvisation in harmony, rhythm and movement. Bring your favorite
songs and instruments. Facilitated by butoh
dancer Charlene Penner. February 8, 3-5pm. charpen@pacbell.net.
… Moxie
Theatre will receive an award at the Global Leadership Conference, for an
event they co-hosted for the Young Presidents Organization (YPO), which
combined excerpts from Paula Vogel’s searing drama, How I Learned to Drive, with a panel discussion on child sexual
abuse. Director Jennifer Eve Thorn will fly to
Readers’ Corner
… Write Out
Loud, the unique program of short story readings, is back for V-Day, with “Hearts Afire: Unexpected Stories of Love
and Passion.” Spend the afternoon with your sweetie: Saturday, February 14
at 2pm at Cygnet Theatre’s Rolando Stage.
… An all-star cast is lined up for a staged
reading of the Thornton Wilder classic, The Skin of Our Teeth, at Scripps
Ranch Theatre, on the campus of
'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)
Love Song – quirky, dark comedy, excellent performances
Cygnet Theatre, through
2/22
Doubt –
stellar performances, provocative play
San Diego Repertory
Theatre, through 2/8
The Dresser – a tour de force at the center of this fine drama, with fine
performances surrounding it
North Coast Repertory
Theatre, through 2/8
Six Degrees of Separation – wonderful ensemble, intriguing play, excellent production
The Old Globe Theatre,
through 2/15
American
Compass Theatre, through
2/11
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love – superb
writer/actor/director showcase, wonderfully executed all around
Laterthanever productions at the
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, extended again, through 2/15
Valentine’s
Day is coming up… surprise your honey with theater tix!
© 2009 PATTÉ PRODUCTIONS, INC.
For nearly 25 years, Pat Launer has been the only regular broadcast theater critic in