SAN DIEGO THEATRE SCENE

"CURTAIN CALLS" #276

By Pat Launer

www.sdtheatrescene.com

02/20/09

Room Service is a comical view

Of a Red Light Winter that stars Don Q.

STARRY, STARRY KNIGHT

THE SHOW: Don Quixote, Jules Massenet’s rarely performed opera (Don Quichotte in French), a comédie heroique loosely based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes. First performed in Monte Carlo in 1910, the opera was last seen in San Diego in 1969; this is an all-new, $2 million production.

THE STORY: The libretto (Henri Cain) was more influenced by the 1904 play Le Chevalier de la Langue Figure (The Knight with the Long Countenance) by poet Jacques Le Lorrain than by the Cervantes masterwork. The central character is still the wandering knight, an aging romantic with old-fashioned notions of chivalry and honor, accompanied by his faithful squire, Sancho Panza. But the only episode that actually comes from the novel is the windmill-fighting scene.

In this version of the story, the heroine, Dulcinée (Dulcinea), who never actually makes an appearance in the book, is a flirtatious local beauty who is the object of the Knight’s fantasy of perfection; he seeks to woo and marry her, just like all the other men in town. Instead, she sends him on a quest: to retrieve the pearl necklace that was stolen from her by a band of bandits. Thus, he embarks on his adventures, confronting the windmills and then the bandits, who capture, beat and threaten to kill him. But just before they do, he intones a prayer that shames and humbles them. Not only do they let him go, they ask the noble knight to bless them. When he returns to the village to claim his bride, he is once again roundly ridiculed by the townsfolks. Dulcinea gently rejects him, saying that her lot is to be free, and to give love freely. She kisses his forehead and he leaves, disconsolate and inconsolable. On a starry night, in a mountain pass, he lies down to die, and when he sees a vision of Dulcinea, he is released.

THE PRODUCTION: This new SDO production is beautiful and elaborate. The scenic design is by Ralph Funicello, making his debut with the Opera, though he’s created award-winning theater sets around the world. His small Spanish town settings are quite attractive, stone buildings festooned with flowers, backed by an evocative, fresco-like sky. There’s a stark simplicity to the mountain scenes (one tree à la Godot for the bandit mountain retreat and, for the final moments, a clump of rocks framed by a dark night sky and a vast expanse of stars (one magically shines extra-brightly at the end, the ‘vision’ of a beckoning Dulcinea). The lighting (Marie Barrett) is lovely, including projections of windmills and excerpts from the original Cervantes text (which don’t really seem all that necessary, though they pass the time during the long scene-changes; I never can understand why scenery is altered so rapidly in theater and takes eons in opera). The costumes (a design debut by longtime SDO costume supervisor Missy West) are varied and attractive, especially colorful for the townspeople. The dresses for Dulcinea are splendid and the knight’s armor is particularly well done. The choreography (Nicola Bowie) is enchanting, with excellent precision and energy in the flamenco flourishes. Graceful Denyce Graves (Dulcinea) is engaged in the dance at one point. The production boasts two wonderfully whimsical touches. The horse and donkey of the knight and his squire are life-sized, wheeled in on platforms, and the horse’s head even bobs up and down. The windmills, besides being thoroughly credible, sport a ‘dummy’ Don sprawled across one blade, spinning helplessly, seemingly hanging on for dear life.

THE PERFORMANCES: San Diego Opera general director/artistic director Ian Campbell brought together an outstanding creative team, and the unified collaborative vision shows. Campbell has staged the piece with simplicity, sensitivity and considerable attention to detail, while maintaining the primary focus on the central characters and their interactions. He also created the English supertitle translations, which are often poetic and lyrical, contrasting the colloquialism of Sancho, the bandits and the townsfolk with the old-fashioned ‘thee/thy’ formality of Don Quixote. Resident conductor Karen Keltner, who holds degrees in French from Indiana University and l’Université de Strasbourg, seems right in her Francophile element. The 68-piece San Diego Symphony orchestra sounds magnificent, thoughtfully attuned to every nuance of the beautiful score, from the brash, brass fanfares to the lilting, heartbreaking melodies. The two harps, the celeste and the castanets make their presence felt in delectable ways. There’s even an onstage guitarist in Act IV to accompany Dulcinea. The impressive 48-member chorus, under the direction of Timothy Todd Simmons, sounds vigorous and lively, particularly robust in the all-male, Act III bandit scene.

As Dulcinea, American mezzo soprano Graves is an appealing and attractive presence, though she isn’t often vocally commanding. She does get to flaunt her range, her forceful lows and rich highs. Similarly, Argentine bass-baritone Eduardo Chama fares better dramatically than vocally. He captures the comedic elements of Sancho, as well as his heart and devotion to his master, and this adds to the emotional underpinnings of the story. In terms of vocal prowess, there is no question who’s in charge. The Italian bass superstar, Ferruccio Ferlanetto, is magnificent, a marvel. His capacious, mellifluous voice is so smooth, so mellow, so effortless, and his emotional connection to the Don’s every gradation of feeling is so profound, we’re completely swept away by both his enormous talent and his compelling character. He is the romantic hero, the beatific dreamer. In both the quasi-crucifixion and the death scene, he leaves us breathless, and teary. And convinced of his vision of the world as a wondrous place, filled with sights, sounds and people to savor. His magic makes believers of us all. It’s a thrilling performance that absolutely should not be missed.

THE LOCATION: San Diego Opera, through 2/22 (final two performances: 2/20 and 2/22)

BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET

PostScript: Furlanetto has said that, in his three decades of performing (including 159 appearances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera), he’s already sung all the roles he ever dreamed of, except one – Baron Ochs in Der Rosenkavalier. SDO’s Ian Campbell is happily offering him the opportunity: Furlanetto will be back in San Diego in 2011, for the 100^th anniversary of the premiere of the Richard Strauss comic opera. He’s already preparing.

Three’s a Crowd

THE SHOW: Red Light Winter, a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize, written by Adam Rapp, the Juilliard-trained brother of that Rent-man, actor Anthony Rapp (coming soon to the Civic Theatre, courtesy of Broadway San Diego, on tour reprising his original Rent role, 3/10-15). Nocturne, another deep, intense play by Adam Rapp, was produced by New Village Arts in 2006. That same year, Red Light Winter received a New Play Citation as a finalist for the prestigious Steinberg New Play Award presented by the American Theatre Critics Association.

THE STORY: It’s a quirky and unhealthy 20-something love triangle. Davis, an expansively snarky, nasty man, brings home a window-sitting ‘working girl’ from the Red Light District of Amsterdam, where he and his friend are vacationing. It’s kind of a gift for his depressed buddy, Matt, a blocked writer who’s just about to kill himself when the lights go up. Once Davis splits, it isn’t a very satisfying encounter, but Matt becomes obsessed with Christina, who isn’t the insouciant French tart she seems to be. A year later, she shows up at Matt’s grungy Greenwich Village apartment. Matt can’t believe his luck. But it turns out that she’s really looking for, and obsessed with, Davis (though why is anybody’s guess. Ah, the vagaries of love). They’ve both been duped by Davis again (he told Christina he was giving her his address). He’ll screw them both, one way or another, before he’s done. And everyone will wind up unhappy, unfulfilled. The malevolent Davis, who seems to delight in awful acts (here, he even puts ketchup in Matt’s milk, just because) appears to walk away unscathed. But maybe not….

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The play has the glib, smart, fast-paced dialogue of the Mamet-meets-LaBute variety, only Rapp might be a tad more sensitive to women. But these witty, educated talkers can really… talk. If you like that sort of thing (and I do), it’s quick-witted and clever, if also smug and self-absorbed. Under the direction of Triad’s co-founder/executive producer, Scott Andrew Amiotte, the tempo is aptly rapid and the self-aggrandizement is perfectly balanced with self-deprecation and uncertainty. It’s a tragic tale, in a way, but there are many funny lines and moments, black and bleak though they may be. Amiotte’s set is basic but functional, his decision to reconfigure the 10^th Avenue Theatre space in the round, less so. From my vantage point, I spent most of both acts looking at the actors’ backs (though I did get a fairly good view of the nude/sex scene). The challenges of arena staging aren’t quite met, though the conceit serves to bring the audience closer to the action.

Charles (Chaz) Close, a UCSD Theater alum, has the perfect sad-sack, hangdog look for a depressive, and he’s thoroughly convincing as poor hapless, nerdy, neurotic Matt. Tess McIntyre, currently a theater student at SDSU (who previously studied at the British American Drama Academy), brings just the right amount of sensuality and vulnerability to Christina (even her cigarette-smoking, of which there’s a lot in this play, is sexy). Davis is the trickiest character to capture, and Stephen Schmitz, who graduated from the theater program at SDU and went on to pursue an MFA in acting from the University of Florida, effectively captures the unrestrained wit, humor, intelligence and take-no-prisoners command of a situation. But the character should have a tad more charm, so we could maybe understand why a young woman would be so hopelessly attracted to him. Still, the interactions among the three work wonderfully. The production should attract many young people (and older ones with an adventurous spirit and a tolerance for rough language and action).

This is definitely a fledgling company to watch; they certainly have the right idea: “to uncover small moments of perfection in an otherwise imperfect world” and “to reach a new generation of theatergoer… to help secure theater as a medium for expression for the next generation.” Sure can’t argue with that.

THE LOCATION: Triad Productions, at the 10^th Avenue Theatre, through 3/1

BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET

The Show Must Go On

THE SHOW: Room Service, the 1937 Allen Boretz/John Murray screwball comedy that went from a highly successful Broadway run (500+ performances) to a wacky Marx Brothers film. In troubled times, it’s been said, people turn to farce. Which is probably why the show was such a huge success at the height of the Great Depression; it’s all about manic, optimistic, illusory schemes for survival. And oh yes, the play within the play centers on the pursuit of the American Dream by an uneducated immigrant, laboring in a dangerous, underpaid job.

THE STORY: A fast-talking, unscrupulous Broadway producer struggles to find a backer for his new show. Holed up in a Times Square hotel with 19 actors and a ballooning bill, he suffers a never-ending series of near disasters and improbable reprieves. In one of his more inventive attempts to avoid eviction, he convinces the naïve young playwright (fresh off the bus from Oswego, a small town in upstate New York) to fake his own death. The boss, the manager, the waiter, the doctor, the Senator… everyone gets into the act. The plot complications and machinations escalate with velocity and ferocity. It’s not all inanity, though. There’s a strong sense of insanity, too – the abject craziness of trying to mount a play, on or off Broadway, in economic good times or bad. And that just adds to the self-referential fun.

THE PLAYERS/THE PRODUCTION: The very elegant-looking hotel (Mike Buckley) may be less seedy than it probably was written, but the multiple doors slam powerfully, and what would a farce be without them? Buckley also had to fortify a back-wall flat to accommodate the most hilarious prop (Cecilia Church), a humongous, 70-pound moose-head. Jeanne Reith has amassed a bevy of period-perfect costumes, featuring pleated pants, wide ties and lapels, and sassy little ’30s dresses. Director Robert Smyth has a field-day with the crack physical comedy and rat-a-tat timing; his 11-member cast is impeccable. There are many side-splitting moments, but two men putting on layers and layers of clothes is too funny for words.

Jon Lorenz is a lovably wisecracking, blustery wheeler-dealer as the play’s harried producer, and Kürt Norby is very funny as the quick-thinking director. Lance Arthur Smith is riotous as the frantic, perpetually nervous hotel manager (the producer’s brother-in-law, conned into becoming a partner in this theatrical venture). Jason Heil is amusing as the producer’s assistant, though he slathers on the Noo Yawkese a little heavily (and inconsistently). John Rosen is eternally over-the-top as the apoplectic boss, but he has some less histrionic (and more amusing) moments toward the end. The rest of the ensemble is outstanding: Dan Amos (perfectly wide-eyed and innocent as the playwright), Sarah Zimmerman (stunning in her various outfits), Elizabeth Pennington (pert and adorable), Ralph Johnson (alternating with Jim Chovick as the put-upon almost-backer) and Danny Campbell (comical as the doctor). But David Cochran Heath nearly walks away with the show. He plays four disparate characters and is more uproarious in each incarnation, sometimes making an appearance in a new getup mere seconds after he just departed. His Sasha, the actor cum room service waiter, is beyond description. The Russian accent -- and the speech in Russian, which sounds great but may actually be faux, ‘fractured’ Russian’-- are absolutely side-splitting. The Collection Agent has twitches and tremors, the Bank Messenger is a bit of a weirdo and the mustachioed, Stetson- and boot-wearing Texas Senator is an absolute hoot. See this show; I defy you not to laugh till you cry.

THE LOCATION: Lamb’s Players Theatre, through 3/22

BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET

GRAND OPENING

Schroeder’s is back! The local cabaret opened on Valentine’s weekend with a big bang! – a knockout show that featured ten killer performers… each riffing on the subject of love, often humorously. The host and centerpiece was Bettina “Pixie” Warren, who got to wear a lot of getups but her banter with the ever-wacky Phil Johnson, playing an un-PC Latino (Dr. Felip Weisenheimer), left something to be desired. Just the singing was plenty entertaining. Good comic writing is hard to come by.

The new venue is a show in itself: Tango del Rey in Pacific Beach, its overblown, faux Moorish architecture, all gilt and red and overly ornate (replete with red AstroTurf on the ceilings and walls). Each performance was better than the last, with ace accompaniment by Jim Guerin and Rayme Sciaroni. The comical highlights came from Melinda Gilb (“Happily Ever After”), Leigh Scarritt “Everybody’s Girl”) and Sandy Campbell, with her ode to dogs. Pixie offered the sultry “Relax Me Baby,” and Debra Wanger a torchy “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered.” Rayme sang a cute original song, then there were: smooth-as-silk crooner Ric Henry, singing solo and with lovely-voiced Eileen Bowman; Alexis Apostolidis (who said she felt at home in a venue that looked like a cross between a Greek Orthodox Church and the Moulin Rouge); a gorgeous French version of “La Vie en Rose” from Danielle Forsgren; and a funny bit from Ole Kittleson. The food was good and plentiful, and a terrific time was had by all.

Coming up next at Schroeder’s: Debra Wanger with Rayme Sciaroni, both promoting their new CDs (8pm, Feb. 28). www.tangodelrey.com.

NEWS AND VIEWS

… The 12^th Annual Patté Awards for Theater Excellence can now be viewed on The Patté Foundation website (www.thepattefoundation.org) and on facebook (Pat’s page). If you missed it live or on TV (or even if you didn’t), check it out.

… One V-Day down, one to go… Don’t miss The Vagina Monologues. Jenni’s in one (see her column), and I’m in another. Mine is produced by InnerMission Productions, in association with Triad Productions and StepUp Theatre. The large and impressive cast, directed by InnerMission artistic director Carla Nell, is gonna be great. We have a retreat (“Vagina Camp”) this weekend for bonding. So we should be in tiptop shape by February 26. The performance is at the Birch North Park Theatre, and will be followed by a gala at Claire de Lune, across the street. Two days later, on February 28, see the San Diego premiere of the male counterpart, The MENding Monologues, at the 10^th Avenue Theatre. This year’s VM beneficiary is the San Diego Center for Community Solutions. Tix/info at: www.innermissionproductions.org. Tickets also available at ArtsTix: http://tickets.sandiegoperforms.com

… Surround Sound… The San Diego Repertory Theatre is kicking off a series of events surrounding its upcoming production of the Brecht/Weill classic, The Threepenny Opera (previews begin 2/28) in a big musical way, with a one-night performance of The Toughest Girl Alive, a wild ride and high-octane lifestory of the San Diego music icon, blues/rockabilly recording artist Candye Kane, a piece conceived and directed by Javier Velasco. Sunday, March 1 (prior to the 7pm show). Info on this and other surround events, including lectures and conversations that are social, political and dramatic: at http://www.sdrep.org/event5_events.aspx.

… Be Moved… Sushi, A Center for Urban Arts, is presenting the San Diego premiere of Rammed Earth, described as an “intimate audience environment … where audience members are moved around the space, integrating them into the work.” The New York Times called it “a kind of poem of richness and emotional depth.” Feb. 19-22. www.sushiart.org.

…Making Miracles… Singer/songwriter Jessica Lerner, oldest of the three talented Lerner offspring, did a benefit concert last week at Horton Plaza, in honor of a young boy with a rare autoimmune disease, JDMS (Juvenile Dermatomyositis). As Mason Smedley lay, battling for his life, in the Rady Children’s Hospital Pediatric ICU, Jessica comforted him and his father with her touching song, “Miracle.” After Jessica sang, the nurse noted that Mason's levels became more stable than they had been the entire three weeks he’d been in the hospital; every monitor reading was picture-perfect. Later that night, the Lerners got an email from the father saying that Mason's "killer" cell levels, which had been between 12 to 36 (normal is 100 or over) had risen to 126. It was truly miraculous. All the proceeds from Jessica’s benefit performance went to the Cure JM Foundation, in which Mason’s father is very active.

… Arts, Back on the Table… In case you didn’t know, the Economic Recovery Plan signed by President Obama this week DID include the $50million in direct support for arts jobs through National Endowment for the Arts grants. AND the exclusionary Coburn amendment, that banned certain arts groups from receiving any other economic recovery funds, was successfully removed from the package. More than 85,000 letters and thousands of calls came to Congress. Stay active! Sometimes the magic works!

The Reading Corner

… The off-the-wall, thought-provoking classic, The Skin of Our Teeth, by three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Thornton Wilder, will be at Scripps Ranch Theatre (Feb. 20) and at Moonlight’s Avo Playhouse (March 9). The cast, directed by Esther Emery, includes Sandy Campbell, Alex Chernow, Jason Connors, Jill Drexler, Melissa Fernandez, Craig Huisenga, Aimee Nelson and Charlie Riendeau.

…All in Jest… Carlsbad Playreaders presents James Sherman’s gut-busting comedy, Beau Jest, directed by Charlie Riendeau, featuring Wendy Waddell, Wyatt Ellison, Greg Wittman, Rhona Gold, Allan Salkin, Daniel Kosoy and Frances Regal. According to the funny press release (written by the ever-amusing Playreaders artistic director, Jack Missett): “Knowledge of Yiddish not required, buy hey, it wouldn’t hurt!” February 23 at 7:30pm, at the Carlsbad Library. No reservations needed.

… The Write (Female) Stuff… Chronos Theatre Group presents a staged reading of Portraits of Women: Short Plays by Alice Gerstenberg, an innovative early 20^th century playwright who explored the psychology of women in her witty dramas. Harrison Myers directs Teale Bossen, Miranda Halverson, Justine Hince and Rena Lyan. March 2 at 7:30pm in the Lyceum Theatre. www.chronostheatre.com, facebook.com/chronostheatre, youtube.com/chronostheatre, myspace.com/chronostheatre

CATCHING UP WITH…
… Caridad Svich, a UCSD alumna, who wrote The Labyrinth of Desire (an adaptation of a Lope de Vega play which got a gorgeous production at UCSD in 2006, and was almost going to be co-produced this season by ion and Moxie Theatres), has just had her latest adaptation, Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits, open at the Repertorio Español in New York. It will be performed in Spanish, with a simultaneous English-language translation, through June.

… David Zellnik, New York based writer who created the book/lyrics for the winning production of Yank! at Diversionary Theatre last year, is currently working on another new musical with his brother, Joe Zellnik, as well as a play on his own ... and prepping for the November Off Broadway premiere of YANK! at the York Theatre. Stay tuned for more on the upcoming New York production. Once again, San Diego saw it first!

…Arts-Wise… I received a wonderful Forward from David Ellenstein this week…the welcome address to the freshmen at the Boston Conservatory, delivered by pianist Karl Paulnack, director of the school’s music division. Here are a few juicy quotes, written about music, but they apply to theater and to all the arts.

Art is part of survival; art is part of the human spirit, an unquenchable expression of who we are. Art is one of the ways in which we say, ‘I am alive,’ and my life has meaning.

Music (Read: Theater, or Art) is a basic need of human survival… one of the ways we make sense of our lives… a way for us to understand things with our hearts when we can’t with our minds.

Music can slip beneath our conscious reality to get at what’s really going on inside us.

You’re not here to become an entertainer … You’re here to become a sort of therapist for the human soul… someone who works with our insides… to see if we can come into harmony with ourselves and be healthy and happy and well.

If there is a future wave of wellness on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don’t expect it will come from a government, a military force or a corporation. I no longer even expect it to come from the religions of the world, which together seem to have brought us as much war as they have peace. If there is a future of peace for humankind … I expect it will come from the artists, because that’s what we do.

This should serve as an inspiration… and a reminder to ALL artists of why we do what we do.

'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)

Don Quixote – touching production, with a stunning performance at the center

San Diego Opera at the Civic Theatre, through 2/22

Red light Winter – dark and hip, and very well done

Triad Productions at the 10^th Avenue Theatre, through 3/1

Room Service – fast-paced, side-splitting, screwball comedy

Lamb’s Players Theatre, through 3/22

Bulrusher - intriguing if not wholly satisfying play; excellent production

New Village Arts, through 3/1

Pippin – exciting, inventive, bilingual production (English and American Sign Language)

Mark Taper Forum, L.A., through 3/15

Love Song – quirky, dark comedy, first-rate performances

Cygnet Theatre, through 2/22

It was President’s Week!… So do your part to help the inner healing and economic recovery -- Go to the theater!

© 2009 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.