"CURTAIN CALLS" #252
By Pat Launer
07/25/08
What’s a queen like Helen to do?
Or the gay Yanks
of WWII?
Drama and musical co-exist
And The
Pleasure of His Company is hard to resist.
MEN IN UNIFORM
THE SHOW: Yank!, a new musical getting its West coast premiere at Diversionary Theatre. Created by a couple of
THE
STORY: This is the untold story
of WWII – gays in the military. The framing device is fictional; a modern-day
San Franciscan finds a 60-year old journal in the remainder bin of a bookstore.
As he reads the tattered memoir, he morphs into its main character, Private
Stuart (Stu), and re-enacts his experiences during the war. Most of the
musical’s situations and viewpoints come directly from the memoirs and oral histories
of gay – and straight – WWII service members.
Stu
is “different” from the start – weak, wimpy, unable to handle a gun,
uncomfortable in the shower with the other guys, who nickname him “Light
Loafers.” He can’t take his eyes off hunky, macho Mitch, who responds
inconsistently, with fleeting interest. Eventually, Stu meets up with Artie, a
totally ‘out’ gay serviceman who writes for ‘Yank,’ the morale-boosting,
gripe-airing WWII weekly magazine that was the most widely read publication in
the history of the U.S. Army. Artie takes a shine to Stu, and arranges for him
to become his sidekick and photographer. This would keep Stu out of combat, but
he’s reluctant to leave Mitch behind. Later, he even goes onto the frontlines
to be where Mitch is. How this romance plays out is the crux of the story, set
against a backdrop of camaraderie (“Your Squad Is Your Squad”), torch songs
(“Remembering You,” “Blue Twilight”) and fantasies of what a ‘normal’
gay-couple life could be (“A Couple of Regular Guys”).
THE PERFORMERS/THE
PRODUCTION: Both the
musical and the production are delightful: engaging, funny, and heartrending.
The energy level is high in the 12-member cast, but the acting skills are
stronger than the singing overall. Not so for the leads.
Covering
all the women’s roles, and looking gorgeous in a wide array of smashing period
costumes and hairdos (costumes by Jennifer Brawn Gittings,
wigs by Missy Bradstreet),
The
production values are simple (set and sound by director Goldin).
Army-issue, khaki-colored canvas screens are wheeled around to demarcate
playing spaces. Goldin’s direction is inventive and
lively. Music director/accompanist Amy Dalton, along with percussionist Nathan
Hubbard, provide basic but ample backup for the Zellniks’
lilting, evocative melodies and witty lyrics.
If you don’t find humor and poignancy here, if
this show doesn’t evoke a laugh and a tear, your heart is, like the Grinch’s a
few sizes too small.
THE LOCATION: Diversionary Theatre,
through August 17
NOTE: Don’t miss the lobby photos of
BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET
CHARMED, I’M SURE…
THE SHOW: The Pleasure of His Company, by Samuel Taylor with Cornelia Otis Skinner (who starred in
the original production). The show was a success on Broadway in 1958,
but hasn’t been revived since, though it was made into a Fred Astaire/Debbie
Reynolds/Tab Hunter film in 1961. The same year The Pleasure premiered in
THE STORY: A comic exploration of
charm, and family. Level-headed Jessica Poole, a wealthy San Franciscan, is
about to marry Roger, a fellow Stanford alum who’s taken over his family’s
cattle ranching business. Several days before the wedding, her father sweeps in
with considerable fanfare, determined to give the bride away, even though he
hasn’t seen her in 15 years, and his ex-wife (on whom he also may have designs)
is happily remarried. He’s just the kind of guy your mother warns you about:
showy, smart, ultra-clever, self-serving, self-confident and self-absorbed. He
could charm the skin off a skunk. He’s empty inside, but he fills his life with
adventure, travel and daring escapades. Ever-devoted Jessica has kept a
scrapbook of his exploits and conquests all these years. She says she sees
through his shallow façade, but she’s swept away by him nonetheless. Pogo has a
way of making everyone else’s life seem dull and gray. Now he wants to show off
THE PERFORMERS/THE PRODUCTION: The production
is stunning.
Tresnjak has, as always, given a great deal of attention to intricacies of
character and stage business, and there are many delightfully subtle little
moments. The cast is flawless, each creating a robust, full-bodied character
from what could be, in less skilled hands, sitcom caricatures or cartoons. At
the center of the action is Patrick Page, the 2008 Shiley Artist-in Residence
at the Globe. He’s had plenty of practice for a self-absorbed character; he was
the bombastic director Jeffrey Cordova in the world premiere musical, Dancing in the Dark at the Globe last
year. And he played The Grinch on Broadway (in the Globe-created How the Grinch Stole Christmas), as well
as Scar in The Lion King. So he fits
comfortably into the clothes of Pogo Poole, the consummate narcissist and
egoist. You want to hate him, but his self-satisfied magnetism draws us in,
just as it does the helpless characters. As Pogo’s
ex-wife, Kate, Ellen Karas is solid and assured,
except when she’s not; provoked by Pogo, she reveals her vulnerabilities and
regrets. As Kate’s second husband, Jim, Jim Abele is sturdy and stable, until
Pogo turns him into a bumbling idiot who tumbles down stairs and can barely put
two words together he’s so flummoxed and flabbergasted by the goings-on in his
family’s ancestral house.
Erin Chambers is precisely right as Jessica, sensible and frivolous,
skeptical and swept away. She turns out to be pretty callous toward her
upright, uptight husband-to-be, excellently inhabited by Matt Biedel (the Biedels are hard at work this month; Amy’s doing great work
at Diversionary in Yanks!, and Matt,
an alumnus of the Old Globe/USD MFA program, is holding his own at the Globe as
a hunky cowman). The comic relief comes from Broadway veteran Sab Shimono as Toi, the Chinese houseboy, saddled with some stereotypical
lines that he pulls off with panache. Ned Schmidtke,
who’s proven his marvelous dramatic chops at the Globe before (A Body of Water, Blue/Orange, Pericles)
has a terrific time as Jessica’s grandfather, Mackenzie, who looks decidedly
like Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain, with his shock of white hair and mustache.
Mackenzie is a ruminator, a cogitator, an iconoclast who fancies himself a
latter-day Thoreau. He doesn’t pull any punches, and he’s enjoying every minute
of the mayhem that’s descended on the Dougherty household. He’s a lovable
character, who surprises us at the end, nearly takes off with the others for
There are some quibbles about the ‘message’ this play is imparting. You may
think the production is Much Ado about too little, but it sure is a joy to
behold.
THE LOCATION: Old Globe Theatre,
through August 17
BOTTOM LINE: BEST BET
THE FACE THAT LAUNCHED
A THOUSAND SHIPS
THE SHOW: Helen, an
alternate telling of the story of the Greek world’s most beautiful and
intelligent woman, who was not, at least in this version, responsible for the
Trojan War. Euripides wrote the play in 412 B.C., at a time when his audience
was war-weary from the long-term, ongoing battle between
THE STORY: Helen, Daughter of
Zeus and Leda (remember when he came to her as a swan?), wife of Menelaus of
Sparta, is being held captive in
After Helen’s protracted weeping and wailing at the tomb of Proteus, the
late king who had protected her, Menelaus arrives (they haven’t seen each other
for 17 years) and is finally convinced that this is, in fact, the real Helen.
They plot to deceive the barbarian king Theoclymenus
and escape. In another of the play’s twists, the so-called ‘civilized’ Greeks
wind up being responsible for the deaths of many innocents (the Egyptian
‘barbarians’). The gods, too, are shown to be petty and self-serving. The
result, despite this being classified as a tragedy, is a happy ending for the
scheming couple.
THE PERFORMERS/THE PRODUCTION: The
translation is sharp, clear, concise and comprehensible (except for the
voiceover narration at the outset, which is difficult to follow and
understand). The set (Vince Sneddon) is minimal but
effective, the suggestion of a pyramid/tomb center stage. The costumes
(credited to director Douglas Lay) are beautiful for the divine Helen (Robin
Christ) but less flattering for the Chorus (Bianca Chapman, Vanessa Milton, Melissa Hamilton). The moves for the Chorus aren’t always well
motivated, but their words are well delivered. In a last-minute cast-change,
Lay stepped in as Menelaus, and he acquits himself well. Brian Abraham is a
commanding presence as Theoclymenus. But like its
title, the play belongs to Christ, who’s luminous as the whining, pining,
self-protective and calculating queen. It’s a lovely performance, worthy of
considerable attention.
THE LOCATION: The Theatre, Inc., at
Swedenborg Hall, through August 3
NEWS AND VIEWS ….
…TV-Time… I’ll be on KUSI-TV
this Sunday, talking about Yank, The Pleasure
of His Company, Sailor’s Song, Boomers and tick… tick…BOOM! Tune in,
drop in and check it out! July 27, 9:15am, channel 51/cable 9.
… BOOMER alternate… Lamb’s Players Theatre Communications
Director Chris Turner will step in for Bill Doyle, playing the overgrown
hippie in Boomers, from July 30-Aug. 17. The show
continues through September 28 and perhaps beyond, at Lambs’ new second space,
the Horton Grand Theatre in the Gaslamp. www.lambsplayers.org.
… FREE Pops Concert… on
the green at the California Center for the Arts,
… Art imitates Life… For
the July 31 performance of Stone Soup Theatre’s reprise production of tick, tick… BOOM!, Jonathan Larson’s roommate,
Matt O’Grady, the model for ‘Michael’ in the play, will be in attendance and
will participate in an informal post-show talk-back with the cast. Larson
created the small, autobiographical rock musical before he wrote Rent. O’Grady is sure to shed some
additional light on the talented composer who died way too young (just before
the opening of his award-winning work). At the
DANCE DEPARTMENT
… Small Space, Big
Ambition… Culture’s Edge, an arts presenting entity, is continuing the 4x4
Performance Series at Bluefoot Bar &
Lounge. Once a month, various performance groups come to do a ten-minute stint
on a 4-foot by 4-foot stage. The August edition is billed as “Ladies’ Night,”
curated by Culture’s Edge founder Jeremy Gaucher and
featuring performances by ‘some of
… More artform
collaborations… “Figuratively Speaking”
is a joint effort of Visions Art Quilt Gallery and Jean Isaacs San
Diego Dance Theatre. Sixteen contemporary quilt artists, whose work ranges
from the photo-realistic to the fantastic, were inspired by the human form to
make a political, cultural or humorous statement about the human condition. The
opening reception, on August 9 (5-7pm) will feature a performance by Annie
Boyer (from Jean Isaacs’ company), whose choreography was inspired by the art
works in the exhibition. Visions Art Quilt Gallery at NTC; www.quiltvisions.org.
… Dancing
'NOT TO BE MISSED!' (Pat’s Picks)
Yank! – West coast premiere of a delightful new musical. Funny,
poignant, moving.
Diversionary Theatre,
through August 17
The Pleasure of His Company – superficial play, spectacular production
Old Globe Theatre,
through August 17
Boomers -- you gotta love it,
even if you aren’t one. Fabulous bands, super songs, high-energy performances
Lamb’s Players at the
Horton Grand Theatre, through September 28 (and perhaps beyond)
Into the Woods - the singing’s great, it looks fun and
fanciful – but oh, Mamma Mia, those planes!
Starlight Musical
Theatre, through July 27
In repertory on the Old
Globe’s Festival Stage, through September 28
North Coast Repertory
Theatre, through August 3
The Merry Wives of
In repertory on the Old Globe’s
Festival Stage, through September 28
Robert Dubac’s Male Intellect: The 2nd
Coming – smart and funny,
political and often provocative
Miracle Theatre
Productions at the Lyceum Theatre, EXTENDED through July 27
Life may be a beach, but the theater is oceans of
fun and stimulation!
Pat
© 2008 PATTÉ PRODUCTIONS, INC.
For nearly 25 years, Pat Launer has been the only regular broadcast theater critic in