Go Geezers Guide: Theater in Portland

The Collaborators (National Theater Live) A

2012-01-16T15:55:00.000-08:00

--Thank you Third Rail for organizing these presentations of National Theater Live here in Portland. We are sorry you did not--for this presentation--as you have for all the others-- hand out an information sheet about the play and cast.

So I am lacking a lot of details as I write .. maybe I'll find the info on line and add it later. But while it is fresh in my mind I want to say..

this is a great play--It is about the nexus between 'art and politics' and covers lots of other territory in the process especially pertaining to personal responsibility and rationalizations while it suggests that governing really is hard -- that would include governing yourself--as well as a nation. Fabulous acting! Highly recommended

Collapse (Third Rail) Grade C

2012-01-16T15:44:00.000-08:00

by Allison Moore
Directed by Slayden Scott Yarbough

Cast:
Hannah   .....   Rebecca Lingafelter
David     .....   Jim Iorio
Susan   .....   Stephanie Gaslin
Ted   .....   Shelly Lipkin

sez says: humm -- this is suppose to be a comedy--but it is not charged with laughter. A few giggles here and there --but really funny? no, it is not. Partly that is the play--partly it is the production. The story is about a husband and wife suffering from the husband's lingering trauma (the result of being on a bridge that collapsed-based on a real event in Minnesota). Their lives have not gotten back on track since that event--and as we enter the story, things seem to be getting worse. The wife's black-sheep sister shows up saying she plans to live with them for awhile, and the sister seems to be working as a mule in a drug deal. The wife is worried she may be laid-off from her job. The traumatized husband is drinking more and more. Because the story needs to move-- a mistaken identify motif is introduced via an impotent sex addict --   In the end--husband and wife decide that so long as they are together they will be just fine ....

Now, if this were funny, maybe it would be worth watching.. but it doesn't make it to funny. The subject in not necessarily funny--so it would take some special acting to get it to be humorous. While most of the acting was ok, there was a big problem with Stephanie Gaslin's Susan. She was flat. Gaslin presents Susan by throwing her arms wide in big swooping movements -- over and over and over and over. You can not discover a character via overstated body movements alone. It was as if Gaslin couldn't find a way to bring her character to life--and her character needs to be brought to life to find the humor in the story.

In sum: A bit disappointing. Light entertainment at best. Not the best play--and a mediocre production.

Hunter Gathers (Theatre Vertigo) Grade B+

2012-01-16T15:18:00.000-08:00

by Peter Sinn Narchtrieb
Directed by Tom Moorman

Cast:
Pam   .....   Karry Ryan
Richard   .....   Mario Calcagno
Wendy   .....   Brooke Fletcher
Tom   .....   Joel Harmon

sez says ... here is something we have decided-- You Can Count on TheatreVertigo. This band of actors choose the best plays around to produce --and they add plenty of heart and heat to these great plays when they stage them. What more can you ask of any company? Ok -- so they are not National Theater of England level master actors--but they are GOOD. And, they seem to always come up with exceptional works: nothing hum drum is going to get on their stage.

And this is certainly true for their latest: Hunter Gathers. What a ride. A simple story about two couples, 30- somethings, who meet for an annual dinner..but what a dinner. From slaughtering their own lamb for dinner--so the meat will be truly fresh... to the discovery that each members of the dinner party seems to be at a different stage in human evolution, the story moves into territory too often ignored.    The beast in men that seeks to determine who is the ALPHA-dominant male. The imperative to procreate. Meanwhile suppressed sexual desires--and not so suppressed sexual desires are let loose --while we, as an audience, are left to ask just how good is it to be "close to nature".   Plus there are plenty of laughs to go around. All four actors do yeoman service to their characters --one being more fun than the next. Highly recommended. We give thanks for for a great show.

Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches (Portland Playhouse) Grade A+

2012-01-02T18:19:00.000-08:00

By Tony Kushner
Directed by Michael Weaver

Cast
Roy Cohn   .....   Ebbe Roe Smith
Joe Pitt   .....   Chris Harder
Harper Pitt   .....   Nikki Weaver
Belize   .....   Berwick Haynes
Louis Ironson   .....   Noah Jordan
Prior Walker   .....   Wade McCollum
Hannah Pitt + Rabbi + .....   Gretchen Corbett
The Angel   .....   Lorraine Bahr

Life has gotten too busy so I can't write the sort of review I would likt to--but I don't want to maiss a chance to at least says that this is a brilliant play and it is beautifully done.

Hats Off the Portland Playhouse for their latest in a string of winners. Bringing together some of Portland's best talent with just the right mix of imported help, making magic happen on stage with minimal sets and thus making The Play Be The Thing is the gift this company brings to our fair city --so we send thanks and look forward to their next offering.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue (Profile Theatre) Grade B

2012-01-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

by Neil Simon
Directed by Thom Bray

Cast:
Mel Edison   .....   Don Alder
Edna Edison   .....   Karla Mason
Harry Edison   .....   Thomas Bray
Pearl   .....   Jane Unger
Jessie   .....   Jean Miller
Pauline   .....   Jane Fellows

plot -- Don has lost his very good job, wife Edna has to go to work, brother Harry wants to help, sisters Pearl Jessie and Pauline are a riot.

sez says: Neil Simon holds up -- he is a very clever writer --and he also is willing to take on topics that have resonance in our culture. Here we look at unemployment, aging, male pride, family connections and contradictions - all with a light enough touch to make us smile in recognition--and serious enough to make us think about how the world works. (and my --how men's and women's relations have change since this was written-!)

Sherlock Holmes & the Case of the Christmas Carol (Artist Repertory Theatre) B

2012-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

by John Longenbaugh
Directed by Jon Kretzu

Cast :
Holmes .....   Michael Mendelson
Watson   .....   Tod Van Voris
Mrs. Hudson   .....   Vana O'Brien
Becky   .....   Amy Newman
Moriarity   .....   Tobias Anderson
Young Holmes   .....   Matthew Kerrigan
Spirit 1   .....   Nathan Crosby
Spirit 2   .....   Gary R Powell

a mixture of a Sherlock Holmes tale and the classic "A Christmas Carol". In general I am not a fan of Christmas Shows -- this was better than most -- but had I not been a subscriber I'd of skipped it...and not missed a whole lot. Light entertainment.

Animals & Plants (CoHo Productions) Grade B

2011-11-07T11:38:00.000-08:00

by Adam Rapp
Directed by Michael O'Connell

Cast:
Burris .....   Christopher David Murray
Dantly .....   Joe Bolenbaugh
Cassandra   .....   Nikki Weaver
Buck   .....   Jon Plueard

sez says: my-oh-my..what is this all about? Evolution I guess. The acting is top notch--esp Murray and Bolenbaugh, who both create amazing, believable, and rather shocking characters. (Drug Mules in a motel room waiting for their connection) They are shocking not because they are particularly evil or bad people--but because they are so 'Un-evolved". Their level of discourse, there ideas, their relationship...everything about them reeks of a kind of animal ignorance --but it is laced with a twinklings of wondering about the world and a yearning to be connected to the world in some way. Are these characters "real" or just in the imagination of the playwright? I suspect the former--and we (the average theater-going-audience) have so little contact with people like this --in real life or in the theater--that we don't know how to respond, or what to think. Theater should expose us to new ideas--and to new cultures--and to new characters--and maybe, most of all, to our own ignorance. So I have to say good job..and I am still thinking about these guys

mjc says: the two characters are well made by the actors and the playwright, at least in my prejudiced stereotypes of the "uninformed" who see to dominate the discourse on right wing talk radio. And, what more could you ask for in a play but well made characters who come and go and that's that.

The Last Witch (Theater Vertigo) Reading

2011-11-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

no cast list provided but most of the Vertigo ensemble were reading

Play by ... tk

sez says -- overly long for the subject. And the subject is how people try and capture a little power for themselves: the witch makes claims about powers she doesn't really have to carve out a place for herself; people with power can abuse it, ie the govt official who comes to town to investigate reports of a witch; sexual attraction is power (no big surprise there); anger and false accusations can result in getting power for a moment--but the result of its use can't be controlled and may result in things unwanted; the power in a mother's love can trump all else..and so on ... anyway, it is an ok play--but not really tremendously interesting. The topic has been done better elsewhere.

mjc says: dragged on, unlike other readings I have enjoyed this play could benefit from actually being produced.

BecauseHeCan (Profile Theater Reading) Grade D

2011-11-07T11:06:00.000-08:00

by Arthur Kopit
Director Jane Unger
cast:
Costa Astrakhan   .....   Paul Glazer
Joseph Elliot   .....   Shelly Lipkin
Joanne Summerhays Elliot   .....   Jami Chatalas
Orin Slake   .....   Todd Hermanson
Dennis McAlvane   .....   Dennis Kelly

Plot -- FBI interviewing publisher for activities on the computer: publisher claims he has no idea what they are interested in; maybe someone is planting information about his past and his activities that the FBI believes are true; publisher's life is now in jeopardy --or is it that his secrets are actually being exposed; either way--computers will disrupt life in a negative way for ever-more.

sez says -- the cast was fine, the direction was fine, the play is dumb. I am oh-so-tired of the theme: "computers are going to ruin our lives" -- sure the information/communication revolution is changing the world, and living through that change can be stressful--and has some negative aspects. And the negative things, things that frighten us about this new technology, has become common grist for the playwright. But this new technology also has freed us in so many ways -- made our lives more interesting --and has amazing potential. And, I am tired of the one-sided story---that says we are all in danger from the technology.   Sure, we need to be alert to the negative side of these changes--but let's not miss out on the positive side.   I will continue to rant against plays that do not explore both sides. Let's explore change for what it is--some good comes from it, some bad.. and not engage in hand-ringing and fear mongering.

mjc says: I am enthralled by the wonder of the gadgets that abound; perhaps I am naive but the dangers seem to me to be the same as the chance of being the victim of a robbery or murder or plane crash--these things happen there is nothing to say they couldn't happen to me or someone I love, but that doesn't mean I am going to live my life afraid or suspicious.

The Kitchen (National Theater Live) A+

2011-10-31T12:27:00.000-07:00

by Arnold Wesker
Directed by Bijan Sheibani

Magi,night porter....Tendayi Jembere
Max, butcher...Ian Burfield
Bertha, vegetable cook.....Tricia Kelly
Frank, second chef, poultry.....Neal Barry
Alfredo, roast....Vincenzo Nicoli
Hans, fry....Marek Oravec
Peter, boiled fish....Tom Brooke
Kevin, fried fish....Rory Keenan
Gaston, grill....Stavros Demetraki
Michael, eggs....David Benson
Nicholas, cold buffet....Craige Els
Paul, pastry chef....Samuel Roukin
Raymondo, assistant pastry chef....Gerard Monaco
Head Chef....Paul McCleary
Marango, proprietor....Bruce Myers
Anne, desserts and coffee....Siobhan McSweeney
Mangols, kitchen porter....Hambi Pappas
Dimitri, kitchen porter....Sam Swann
Head Waiter....Tim Samuels
Tramp....Colin Haigh

The Waitresses
Monique....Katie Lyons
Molly....Rebecca Humphries
Winnie....Sarah Mowat
Hettie....Rendah Heywood
Violet....Rosie Thomson
Gwen....Ruch Gibson
Daphne....Stephanie Thomas
Cynthia....Rebecca Davies
Betty....Sarah Sweeney

sez says: this is beautifully done (choreographed) so it is fun to watch -- and the topic is a perennial--because it is one that we as humans, keep asking and don't know the answer to. That is, what is your dream? What is freedom? What would a fulfilled life be? The answer is not some ephemeral, ie: that you want a car, or sex. Maybe you draw closer when you say you want a real friend, or a loyal spouse. But when your life is so hectic--busy--driven (preparing food for 2000 people a day in The Kitchen) you don't have time to think, to dream, to contemplate life. As one character says: "Put a man in a factory and he makes a little knob all day...eventually he becomes a little knob."

And in the end, The Owner asks: Is there something I don't know? Is there something I need to know? What is there more?

Also, this seems to be a metaphor for the international situation, after WW2. The play was written in the 1950s. The people who work in the kitchen are from all over the world--and they have a variety of problems getting along, that seem to mirror national antagonisms at the time. For instance Peter is a German who was in a fight with a crowd that has encircled him the night before the play is set--there is anger that in the end he just shakes everyone's hands and walks away. There is a lot of reference to people/nations who can't accept apologies and they must be brought to order by threats and being given a 'big scare'. Peter says yes, the Germans once built triumphant arches--but that didn't work out so now they are using their skills to build bridges.

Over the top outstanding is actor Tom Brooke, as Peter. What a fabulous performance. The acting all round was first rate but his was inspired.
mjc says: This was another wonderful experience at NT Live. The production values, choreography, acting, is just so superb.

Gem Of The Ocean (Portland Playhouse) A

2011-10-31T11:36:00.000-07:00

by August Wilson
directed by Michael Weaver

Eli ..... Victor Mack
Aunt Ester   .....   Brenda E Phillips
Black Mary   .....   Andrea White
Rutherford Selig   .....   David Seitz
Solly Two Kings   .....   Kevyn Morrow
Citizen Barlow   .....   Vin Shambry
Caesar Wilkins   .....   Kevin Jones

sez says: I've seen this play before (in Ashland) and this is by far the better production. It does not have the fancy set that Ashland used, or sadly, as big an audience. But it is a better production. It's focus is on the characters, their relationships and the situation the Black community faced (and indeed the nation as a whole faced) at the end of the 19th century. While the challenge was not fully articulated it was an ever present issue that required action. That was, to determine "what is freedom" and how to get it -- as individuals and/or as a community?

We have the two book ends: Solly and Caesar

Solly Two Kings had been a conductor on the Underground Railroad under slavery but when he got to Canada, he realized he could not live in freedom while others were still enslaved and he had to go back and do what he could to end slavery. He was still working to help others--and he would not ignore the need for action to end new forms of slavery and oppression that were being instituted under different names, like debt and exploitation in the workplace.

Caesar had fought hard and suffered to establish himself in the world as it existed. He was now wealthy and he was more than willing to accept his success alone. He had not come up easy--and he was fine with being the instrument of the status quo (a sheriff) to keep others down.

In the middle are the remaining characters: primary among them is Aunt Ester (who appears in other Wilson plays). She is nearly 300 years old and carries the memory of those years. She also knows about the City of Bones --the beautiful city of bones--where people speak with flaming tongues --and where there are 12 gate keepers. (And when you leave the play you might want to ask yourself :What is the City of Bones? One young man I talked to after the play told me he thinks that maybe we all have our own City of Bones, a place we need to visit and from which we might find what we need to direct us toward freedom.)

And there is Citizen Barlow--he wants his "soul washed" -- because he is carrying around a bucket of nails (things with which to build, or to use to crucify). His acquiring those nails led to a death that he feels guilty about. He is the future--a man given a name that will be hard to live up to.

There is so much going on in this play that it would take all day--maybe all week--to write about. And I've already said more than I should--giving away some of the story. In short, just go see this play, you'll be glad you did and I bet you'll feel better-off for the experience. It certainly will give you lots to think about. In fact we found a nearly identical topic being explored in "The Kitchen" at National Theater Live...see the next review

mjc: Portland Playhouse once again does a superb production of an August Wilson play. This is the second production which is outstanding, better than other productions in bigger locations that we have seen. Go see this play!

It Can't Happen Here (FUSE) Reading

2011-10-31T10:57:00.000-07:00

large cast-names not provided / done on a Monday night in Oct 2011

Sinclair Lewis wrote the (relatively famous) book, then he participated in turning it it into a stage drama--eventually it was even made into a movie... The story of a right wing dictator getting voted into office and democracy being destroyed, followed by the rise of resistance to the new regime. The resistance fighters must make many significant sacrifices --and the play ends with the movement on going, but not yet successful. A similar story was told by Margaret Atwood in The Handmaid's Tale. There are probably many others. It is a story worth retelling-- there are dangers we need to remind ourselves about.
There was a great deal of disparity in the skill demonstrated by the readers, a few were very very good, a few seemed like this might have been their first read through. Still it required a lot of coordination becasue of the number of characters in the play. All in all it was a fine reading..not brilliant, but fine.

No Man's Land (Artist Rep) Grade B

2011-10-31T10:29:00.000-07:00

by Harold Pinter
director
cast
Allan Nunce
William Hurt
...Hurt
Tim True

sez says -- I keep pondering Pinter..what is he up to? Here is a setting, a room, and four men who carry on conversations in that room. There is a poet (some what down at the heels); a successful man of letters (drunk most all the time); and two men who are the successful man's caretakers-one of whom might, or might not be, his son.
Some of the time the first two men are strangers who have just met. At other times the conversation pertains to their long history. Most of the time they are both drinking heavily. And what do they talk about? Male things, or at least things from a male perspective: women in their life and their past competitions for women; liquor; work; loneliness; who will be in whose favor ... but they do not talk about much of anything in a liner fashion; questions are asked and not answered; one man is locked in a room alone overnight with no explanation. (Is how power operates between individuals one of the non-verbal topics?)

And in the end..well, we "Change the Subject, Now and Forever" --and when the meaning of that is explained it is clearly horrifying. Certainly you'd be in No Man's Land at that point.

Language matters a lot in this play--and it might be worth reading it BEFORE you see it. I wish I had. The conversations slip and slid so much that it is a little hard to get your baring sometimes. I think I'd have gotten a lot more out of it if I'd read it first. But taking it on with no prep provides quite a ride -- it is worth the time. Fascinating stuff.
Te acting was all round solid--except Wm Hurt continues to mumble too much of the time. (He did this in Long Day's Journey Into Night also) He is a great actor, the physicality he puts to a character is fabulous..but we need to hear him better so I'd suggest he work a little harder at enunciation .

The Pain and The Itch (Third Rail B-)

2011-10-21T11:58:00.000-07:00

by Bruce Norris
directed by Slayden Scott-Yarbough

cast:
Mr Hadid .....   John San Nicholas
Kelly   .......   Valerie Stevens
Clay   .......   Damon Kupper
Cash   .....   Duffy Epstein
Kalina   .......   Amy Beth Frankel
Carol     .......   Jacklyn Maddux

sez says: Here is a bunch of good actors caught up in a play not worthy of their talents. I would like to see other works by this playwright but this one fell short for me in numerous places.

When you can't find anyone in a story that you can like --or identify with-- it suggests to me a problem. I'm not by any means suggesting characters have to be, or should be stellar individuals. In fact, I think characters need flaws to be realistic. That makes us (the audience) able to forgive them (and maybe forgive ourselves in the process) for having human imperfections. But to have an entire line-up of characters who are not just flawed--but who are hard to like--makes me wonder what the playwright is trying to accomplish.

SEMI-SPOILER ALERT
The characters are:

Mr Hadid..a third world person--he could have been from any part of the third world, a man who has come to America so his family can have a better life and whose wife has died as a result of ..... ( don't want to spoil the story entirely) He is a watcher as our 'family' acts out its dysfunctions. He knows what America means to the world's poor. He is too kind, decent and smart to be believed. He is a straw man USED in the play to make a point..but he is not a real person.

KELLY--a woman who gets what she wants via the manipulation of political correctness. She has highly developed verbal skills which she attacks people and demonstrates little to no humanity toward anyone.

CLAY -- Kelly's husband, who is, in general, an incompetent, whose only function in life is to attempt to please others but who is holding roiling anger and frustration at bay. He is still engaged in childish anger at his mother and sibling rivalry with his brother--but even in the face of a serious health problem that his daughter has he hasn't taken her to the doctor.

CASH - Clay's brother, who has a sexy very young girlfriend and who is generally caustic to most everyone all the time. He jealous of his brother. He has probably betrayed his brother in adulthood. He stole his brother's toys when he was young. He mistreats his young girlfriend.

KALINA: Cash's girlfriend --a super sexy East European woman who was abused by soldiers before leaving her country, who mirrors the worst of our culture's commodification of women -- who is a racist and an Anti-Semite -- who knows why third world people want to come to America--and who comes as close as anyone to being a sympathetic character--but who too easily fits into all the negative aspects of the culture she embraces.

KAYLA-- Clay and Kelly's daughter -- a little girl with no lines...who has a medical problem and is not an actual character in the play--but is more a point of reference.

CAROL mother to Clay and Cash -- a ditsy older woman--who mouth's platitudes --watches PBS and doesn't understand the material presented there, who espouses socialism and diversity but who doesn't seem to know what either of these things might actually mean. She is non-judgmental in all she says --but her actions suggest that the actual judgments she makes are insidious in their effects.

ok--so some good points are made when this crowd engages -- such as, people with wealth often feel guilty about their wealth and mouth concern for the less fortunate but given the possibility of losing that wealth they might do anything; that giving "your children" "advantages" means that some other child ends up with less advantage. That claiming family is what matters to you has to have content for it to be real--and if you haven't gotten over what happened to you at age ten you may have a negative experience of how 'family matters' in your current life. But even with these issues spinning about--it was hard to care about these people

--and as the last line of the play says "How do we stop this?" --well you start to stop this by presenting more realistic characters, engaged in behaviors we can recognize, and let them point us in a helpful direction. Rather than having a bunch of miscreants trying to outdo each other is a story that aims only to criticize--and look down on the people it presents.

Meanwhile there is really good acting here--and even with my criticisms -- I would recommend people see it because it can make us talk about what the theater can do and what we want it to do.

mjc says: there were times during the play when a particular misbehavior by one of the characters, or a misbehavior described by one of the characters resonated with my own experience of myself and others, but the story never coalesced into a gripping and realistic experience of what a family in 2008 might have experienced together, and, more vitally, how to find our way ahead together.

Cloud 9, Theatre Vertigo (Grade B-)

2011-10-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

by Caryl Churchill
Directed by Jon Kretzu
Cast:
ACT ONE
Clive   .....   Andy Lee-Hillstrom
Betty   .....   James Sharinghousen
Joshua .....   Joel Harmon
Edward   .....   R David Wyllie
Victoria   ..... AS HERSELF
Maud   .....   Kerry Ryan
Ellen   .....   Jane Fellows
Mrs Sanuders   .....   Melissa Whitney
Harry Bagley   .....   JR Wickman
ACT TWO
Betty     ... Jane Fellows
Edward   .....   Anyd Lee-Hillstrom
Young Edward    .....   R David Wyllie
Victoria   .....   Melissa Whitney
Martin   .....   JR Wickman
Lin   .....   Kerry Ryan
Cathy   .....   Joel Harmon
Gerry   .....   James Sharinghousen

sez says: this is a fabulous play--adequately presented--with some real highpoints and one big problem.

First the Play's subject is poignant, playfully done and important. That is: how is gender created. It is presented as much more complex than a 'fact of birth' What are the prices paid (individually and as a society) for accepting the mandates of mandatory heterosexuality. How are systems of domination intertwined: sexism, racism, patriarchy, etc. The dialogue is wonderful. It is a play that you could read and enjoy--and it proves again that Theatre Vertigo picks some of the best material around to produce.

The production's big problem is mostly a problem of staging. They have tried to do theater-in-the round...in too small of a space. And if you've got the wrong seats (as we did) you mostly sit and stare at one of the character's backs. The mirrors that are suppose to help the audience see, do not work. Nor do they address the problem of an actor speaking lines while facing away from you: The lines can get lost.

That aside ... the play is still well worth seeing.

Some high points are: Andy Lee-Hillstrom's CLIVE. He is on the mark with his character and it is fun to watch him. Kerry Ryan also finds just the right angle to breath life into Maud. The only really miscast character was JR Wickman as Harry Bagley. While Wickman is a fine actor this should have been a boisterous, big-chested, deep-voiced, Man's-Man's-Jungle-Hunter-Explorer. That way his homosexuality / and interest in little boy's would make the point stronger, that is, you never can tell who really desires whom.
And who desires whom is where all the fun / and the seriousness lies.

But finally, the peak is reached --and the whole play is worth seeing just to hear Jane Fellows present the ending soliloquy. She brought tears to the eyes of more than one person in our party.

It is by no means a perfect production--but it is still worth seeing. It is truly enjoyable

mjc says: This company is getting better and better. It is not up to top notch Off-Broadway but they are fearless in their selection of material without flaunting its edginess. This had the best of what I like in a play: the language, the twists and turns between horror, laughter, poignancy and desire. Looking forward to more and more from them.

God of Carnage, Artist Repertory Theatre (Grade B+)

2011-10-01T11:57:00.000-07:00

by Yasmina Reza
Directed by Denis Arndt

cast
Michael Novak .....   Patrick Dizney
Veronica Novak   .....   Allison Tigard
Alan Raleigh   .....   Michael Mendelson
Annette Raleigh   .....   Trisha Miller

Plot: two couples meet to decide how best to deal with an altercation their young son's have had--one boy hitting the other with a stick and damaging his teeth, the other boy excluding the first from a 'gang' and calling him names--which precipitated the use of the stick. Their civility is frayed as the conversation goes on--sort of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf style.

sez says: This play want's to know how deep is our civilized self? We can meet and be polite about things that are difficult -- but there is a point for each of us where the veneer is thin and once it is punctured we are capable of primitive behaviors. The use of the wrong word can set some of us off....but agreement can be found to use another word, or to express an idea slightly differently, to bring ourselves back to civility. And we move on. But additional little jabs transpire and the veneer can be penetrated in a variety of ways. Thus tension ratchets-up, and even while we try and calm it down, tipping points are reached and we see even those most dedicated to civility can act out of base animal instinct.

Or as in the case of Alan Raleigh (Michael Mendelson) one can avoid engaging the question of how to address the uncivilized behavior of his stick wielding son. He want's to leave that to the his wife Meanwhile his problem is to hide from the public the harm a drug can cause in order to protect the drug's manufacturer. So he has a bigger stick that will hurt even more people.

Throw in a little liqueur and the behavior gets more raw and the conversation circles around what chance does improving civilization really have... are we not, at core, all beasts...or at least capable of being beasts. Great questions, great show.

mjc says: the writer explodes into raw expression what lies just beneath the surface of our polite conversation. It is there, the actor's portrayal of it I thought was real, though not quite the seamless flow of the repressed thoughts becoming fierce reality.

Lips Together, Teeth Apart, Profile Theatre (Grade B+)

2011-10-01T11:24:00.000-07:00

by Terraence McNally
directed by Jane Unger

cast:
Chloe Haddock   .....   Susannah Mars
Sam Truman   .....   Darius Pierce
John Haddock   .....   Leif Norby
Sally Truman   .....   Karen Wennstrom

PLOT: Sally (Karen Wennstrom) has just inherited her brother's beach house on Fire Island, following his death from AIDS. She and her husband (Darius Pierce) have invited her husband's sister (Susannah Mars) and her husband (Leif Norby) to spend the 4th of July week-end with them at the house.

sez says-- we saw this in preview --so by the time you see it it will probably be an even better production than we saw--and what we saw (while not perfect) was very good indeed. It has a stunningly beautiful opening --which I will not describe--because words won't do it justice and you need to be there to see it. (I think we can thank Jane Unger for the opening).
And then there is the play. It was written in the late 1980s early 1990s when AIDS was still not well understood--and that is a backdrop that has to be recognized to really capture the fullness of this play. But it pulls it off--even with the distance in time. Because the play is not just about AIDS, it is about the things that frighten us: death is on that list, but so is living. So while no one wants to swim in a pool that once belonged to a man who died of AIDS --because just like it was said of polio--you might get infected if you swim in that water. So too is there fear of having a child, bringing a life into this world and teaching the child what life is worth, when you don't find your own life comfortable. Each character speaks lines that are their thoughts: and they all have a similar message--they are afraid to speak truth. As Sam (Darius Pierce) says to himself at one time: I talk to myself because when a second person is in the conversation truth disappears. And why are they afraid of the truth? Each character has their own reasons...but they add up to wanting to embrace life but feeling unworthy, or incapable, or too lost in disappointments. So, they move forward being civil, as best they can.
It is a great play, well done, and looking like it will improve.
mjc says: this a play which, as the author's notes suggest, comes alive as you recognize yourself in each of the flawed characters--bits and pieces of our own fears and disappointments. Great event!

OKLAHOMA, (Portland Center Stage) C+/B-

2011-10-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

by Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein II
Original Dances by Agens de Mille
Directed by Chris Coleman

cast:
Rodney Hicks   ,,,,,   Curly
Joy Lynn Matthews-Jacobs .....   Aunt Eller
Brianna Horne   .....   Laurey
Troy Valjean Rucker   .....   Ike Skidmore
Don Kenneth Mason   .....   Fred/Dream Curly/Ensemble
Tomothey Ware   .....   Slim/ Ensamble
Jarren Muse   .....   Will Parker
Justin Lee Miller   .....   Jud Fry
Marisha Wallace   .....   Ado ANnie Carnes
Jonathan Raviv   .....   Ali Hakim/Fight Captain
Kelcy Griffin ..... Gertie Cummings/Ensemble/Dance Captain
Shelia Jones ..... Ellen/Ensemble
Berwick Haynes   .....   ANdrew Carnes
Tyrone Roberson   Cord Elam/Ensamble
Gregory J Hanks   .....   Mike/Ensemble
Kemba Anika SHannon   .....   Dream Laurey/Ensamble
Sumayya Ali   .....   Virginia / Ensembel
Bianca Burgess   .....   Iilene/Ensemble
Marlene Villafane .....   Vivian/ Ensemble

plot --we all know this story, it has been in the culture for most all of our lives. Curley loves Laurey, Laurey can't make up her mind about him, Jud is a menacing man who also want's Laurie. Sub plot Will Parker loves Ado Annie--but Ado is a silly flirt who has her eye on Ali Hakim the Peddler. Fun and tension--songs and dances--all turns out as it should.

sez says: the best part of this is the all Black cast..thus playing with the iconic idea that only white folks populated the west, worked hard, had community and admirable dreams, etc. But certainly it is more than just reconfiguring the imagery of The West that is good here--there is also a band of very talented entertainers on stage. Some more so than others: Marisha Wallace (Ado Annie) and Jarran Muse (Will Parker) were stand-outs--making real characters appear on stage--instead of being just singers/singing well. And in parts the dancing was worth the price of admission..(but not all of it) Disappointing was the Dream Laurey dancer; and Curly, while he certainly has a great voice, seemed a little uninvolved in his part. To be fair I am not sure you can expect much from any dancer on the Stage at PCS--it is too small to allow ensemble dancing to be powerfully engaged, as each dancer has to work in a relatively small space. So the fact that some of the dances came out so very well is testimony to the talent of the dancers in this production. Finally, and this is just a personal preference, I am no fan of light opera. I like my American Musicals to be 'popular music'. and this production repeatedly pushed the music toward light opera--and that spoiled some of the numbers for me...but no doubt delighted those who are light opera fans. Overall it is a nice production, worth seeing, but it is not astoundingly fabulous.
mjc says: I am not normally a fan of musicals but this one is iconic, and I generally can indulge in a couple of songs and I love the dancing. But, I must admit, I am spoiled by seeing the Broadway productions, the exquisite perfection of the cream of the talent pool spoils me for even very good work. I would love to see this all black production again on a big stage with precision dancing and down home singing.

One Man, Two Guvnors, National Theater Live Broadcast via Third Rail (Grade A)

2011-09-26T00:18:00.000-07:00

based on The Servant of Two Masters by Carlo Goldoni
by Richard Bean
directed by Nicholas Hytner
cast:
Dolly   .....   Suzie Toase
Charlie 'The Duck' Clench ..... Fred Ridgeway
Lloyd Boateng .....   Trevor Laird
Pauline Clench   .....   Claire Lams
Harry Dangle   .....   Martyn Ellis
Alan Dangle   .....   Daniel Rigby
Francis Henshall   .....   James Corden
Rachel Crabbe   .....   Jemima Rooper
Stanley Stubbers   .....   Oliver Chris
Alfie   .....   Davie Benson
Ensemble: Polly Conway; Jolyon Dixon; Derek Elroy; David Hunter; Paul Lancaster; Gareth Mason; Clare Thomson
The Band ... "The Craze" with Benjamin Brooker; Richared Coughlan; Philip Jamesl Grant Olding

Plot: half-wit Francis needs work, he takes on two jobs as 'assistants' to two people who are at odds with each other--so he must keep his second job a secret from each of his employers. He does keep the secret but he does both jobs poorly--confusing instructions and generally being a buffoon...but a very funny buffoon, who in the first half is consumed by his desire for FOOD. In the second half he becomes a slave to his desire for sex.

Meanwhile employer #1 is Stanley. He has has killed Roscoe who is his fiance's (Rachel) brother. Rachel is is now pretending to be Roscoe (employer #2) so she can collect $ from Charlie THE DUCK. She is in love with her brother's murderer Stanley but needs $ so they can run off together. Charlie THE DUCK had promised Roscoe that he could marry his daughter and would pay Roscoe a large dowry--which Rachel --pretending to be Roscoe-- is trying to collect. The rub is The Duck's daughter (Dolly) is in love with Lloyd (an aspiring actor) and she doe not want to marry Roscoe.

sez says: this is a very funny, laugh-out-loud piece of theater. It is based on lots of odd identity twists and buffoonery--but it all comes together via outstanding acting..and timing..and posturing...and even audience participation. It is probably even funnier to people in Great Britain who would understand better than us Yanks references to Public Schools, and such. Sometime it was pretty bawdy--but it got away with the rank humor because of it perfect pitch. There are not many places where a laugh can be extracted from a line about 11 years old boys being gang raped in public school. Interspersed between acts is a Skiffle Band (British Country & Western) that had just the right spirit.   There is plenty of social commentary, including making fun of feminism, while, interestingly not being sexist. (Funny stuff about Margaret Thatcher, etc.)
mjc says: this was an unusual event for me--laughing out loud at the antics of these actors was pure pleasure. It was a demonstration of the impact of really skilled actors doing what they do best. See this if you can!

PERSONAL, a Made In Oregon JAW Reading, 2011

2011-07-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

by Brian Kettler
director Jessica Nikkel

cast:

Lucy   .....   Jennifer Rowe
Ronald   .....   Nick Schultz
Raef   .....   Casey McFeron
Greg   .....   Eli Blue Eagle
Alice Cain   .....   Lauren Luiz
Bixby Daniles   .....   Zach Virden
Kim   .....   Morgan Cox
Stage Directions .....   Kelsey Tyler

plot outline: Alice Caine is a 'perfect girl' beautiful, humble, friendly to all... and she is the star of a TV show that is about to come to an end, but wait the STAR-Alice has disappeared --all the kids in town are distraught--and many have been institutionalized because they are so depressed --and they need to be reprogrammed to forget about Alice. Ah but there is a twist ...

sez says: this was not very good. It has no idea about what young women are like--it is even rather unkind toward young women in general --at one point it even says a beautiful girl like Alice who is nice can not really exist--she has to be 'created' --and of course she is miserable. The readers all did a fine job --but the material was hardly worth the effort.

mjc says: childish, but without a child's perspective

ANTARKTIKOS a Made In Oregon JAW reading, 2011

2011-07-20T23:39:00.000-07:00

by Andrea Stolowitz
Directed by Gemma Whelan

Cast:
Susan    .....   Valerie Stevens
Hilary   .....   Amy Newman
Alex   .....   Isaac Lamb
Robert Falcon Scott   .....   Michael Fisher-Welsh
Stage Directions   .....   Sharon McDonald

plot: Susan thinks she is in Antarctica--but really she is in a coma following a bike accident--that followed an argument with her daughter Hillary. Susan thinks Alex is the welcome wagon at the South Pole--when he is really an EMT worker. Susan gets Alex to promise to watch over Hillary. Alex takes the promise seriously and will not leave when Hillary arrives at her mother's bedside. So various realities are set up.. .. the reality in Susan's head: she is in Antarctica talking with Scott about his trip to the pole and the reality in the hospital room.

sez says: the structure and plotting of this play are perfect. The story manages to hold the audience in suspense wondering what is real and where will this all go .. in the meanwhile some serious conversations take place..between Scott and Susan (about what is bravery and what constitutes a hero), between Alex and Susan (   ... ) and between Hilliary and Alex (about promises and loyalty) --and finally between Susan and Hillary (who needs whom in a mother daughter relationship that can so easily be taken for granted--and the whys and hows of this being such an indestructible bond). I'd get in line to see a full production.

mjc says: it was well written piece and especially enjoyable after having recently heard the story of Scott and Amundsen at a local Urban Tellers performance

FORKY, a Made in Oregon JAW reading 2011

2011-07-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

by Matthew B Zrebski
director Michael O'Connell

cast/readers
Banks   .....   Spencer Consay
Macy   .....   Melissa Kaiser
Evan, Karl, Mr Davenport Crispy Cash   .....   Gavin Hoffman
Jewel, Room for Cream, Victoria, Tonya   .....   Brooke Fletcher
The Sperm Coroner, Combo ..... John Steinkamp
Stage Directions   .....   Casselle La Tourette

plot: should have Banks and Evan followed the path of a gay relationship?

sez says: all decisions are not easy to make --and sometimes you look back and wish you had done things differently .. if you get caught in this loop you might even discover that you can't figure out how to order you coffee any more. Humm-- well if every decision you make is actually not a decision--but one path of many that are in fact transpiring in the universe (ie it is suggested that with every decision that is made a fracture takes place - ie: the decision makes a fork in the road -- and at that fork there is a fracture that sets off two realities, the reality that you are aware of, and, another reality, that is a reality that runs in the direction of the other fork not followed). OK, so you can buy that or not-- and I know string theory and alternate realities / parallel universes are all the rage in physics these days ... but this did quite get us to the meat of that science. But there was some fun dialogue here and the Sperm Coroner idea was fabulous. It worked well .. but more work is needed to tighten this up and I think it needs a new name

mjc says: clever premise, probably would have been better as a full production than it was as a reading

CONTINUUM, at Made In Oregon JAW-- 20011 Reading

2011-07-20T22:55:00.000-07:00

by Patrick Wohlmut
director Stan Foote
cast:
Peter   .....   Tim Blough
Craig   .....   Chris Harder
Guard   .....   Jennifer Rowe

story line Peter is an astronomer who blew his promising career for reasons of his own. Craig is a math savant who also has a history that compels him to have reasons to mislead people around him. The reasons are revealed --in flash back form -- while Peter visits Craig in a prison and tries to find out why Craig betrayed him by misappropriation of research funds. Hint hint--it is all about fathers and sons

sez says: a work in progress with great promise. A serious topic -- fathers and sons and agendas that at first blush seem mysterious. One thing is it needs to be cut/consolidated by about about 20% and the number of flashback jumps need to be reduced. Good job reading.

mjc says: a hard romp throuhg science and the heart

You Can't Take It With You, Annoynomus Theater, (Grade C)

2011-07-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

sez says: too bad the venue was changed--we were toward the back of the auditorium and we could not hear about 20% of the dialogue. But the parts we could make out and the frolicking on the stage WILL get us back next year to this much cherished and anticipated annual event! I recommend the 1930s Frank Capra film version for more fun than this particular effort offered.

mjc says--not as good as last year (Lend Me A Tenor) They just didn't reach the level that made you let go the hitches that are inevitable in such a production.

One Night With Janis Joplin, Portland Center Stage (Grade B)

2011-07-20T22:38:00.000-07:00

created and written by Randy Johnson
Musical Director & Arrangers Len Rhodes

cast:
Janis Joplin   .....   Moriah Angeline
Blues SInger   ..... Sabrina Elayne Carten
Background vocalist   ..... Marisha Wallace

sez says: hummm what are we to make of this--what exactly should we call it? It is not really theater, and it is not really a concert, and it is neither great nor awful. It is a form of entertainment--but a funny kind of entertainment. I guess I'd say it is neither Fair Nor Foul. Not fair--because it is usurious of Joplin and her name and her music while pretending to duplicate it --but it is not entirely Foul--because it is, in parts, an entertaining homage to Ms Joplin. Joplin was a somewhat tortured woman and you'd never know that by watching this..and as good as the singers were--they are NOT Joplin. And, a personal beef, while the imported black singers were very good--what's up with not using local talent? We DO have some amazingly great Black women singers in PDX..why are they never hired at PCS?

mjc says: musicians were great, the woman who did the Joplin singing hit the right spirit on a couple of songs, and the blues singer could have been more powerful in the play--and in her presentation of the music,

My Soul Grows Deep: Spoken Words In Harmony, 300 Years of African American Poetry / BASE ROOTS THEATER GROUP / Grade C+

2011-05-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Arranged by Bobby Bermea and Eric Hull
Directed by Bobby Bermea
Performers: Shuhe Hawkins, Anya Pearson, James J Dixon, Tyler Andrew Jones, Ambrosia Montgomery. RaChelle Schmidt. Tracey Turner, Brenda Phillips

sez says; what a great idea--and what a fabulous show...the poetry of African American men and women read with spirit and and intent to make clear the force of language as a tool of liberation. I enjoyed every minute of it-- but I also have to admit that the presentations were mixed--some were in tune and the timing was perfect--but then, with other poems the group lost its way--and performed like an instrument out of tune.

Particularly well done were: The Negro Speaks Rivers by Langston Hughes; Amethyst Rocks by Saul Williams; Liberator of the Spirit by Kamau Daadood. But my all time favorite poem Langston Hughes' Let America Be America Again--fell way short, In between it was up and down--with neither the up nor the down holding sway--but even weakness in the performances could not detract from the beauty--and importance of this poetry. So I'll be back to keep up with this troupe!

BUST, Portland Center Stage, Grade C

2011-05-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

written and performed by Lauren Weedman
Directed by Allison Narver

sez says: having worked in prisons as a volunteer I was looking forward to seeing this one woman take on that topic...and, maybe, I am too sensitive...but I was offended by some of the cheap shots she took to get laughs. But then she redeemed herself by mixing in some of the non-sense that you find yourself mixed-up with when you encounter 'the prison system' --where people --guilty and innocent alike-- get chewed up.
Ms Weedman is talented and energetic--and the topic is one that doesn't get much attention (that is why it can go on in the lunatic way it so often does). So good kudos to her for telling even some of this story--and maybe the cheap shots are required to get an audience to come and laugh--otherwise they might not show up at all.

MJC SAYS: this was a bust--perhaps I am too sensitive from my prison volunteer days--but late redemptive attempts failed to counter the early use of stereotypes

OPUS, Portland Center Stage, Grade B+

2011-05-30T13:27:00.000-07:00

by Michael Hollinger
Directed by Brendon Fox
Cast:
Elliot   .....   Chris Coleman
Alan   .....   Greg Jackson
Dorian   .....   Matthew Boston
Carl   .....   Chris Hietkko
Grace   .....   Sarah Stevens

sez says: a string quartet gives its all to making art -- provides a study of democracy functioning on a small scale -- and good people trying to live and work together with perfection as their goal -- wonderful topics - well produced and performed

mjc: excellent production, successfully creating an illusion of actors playing great music, fun to watch

The Cherry Orchard, Artist Repertory Theater, Grade C

2011-05-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

by Anton Chekhov adapted by Richard Kramer
directed by John Kretzu
cast:
Ruby Ranevsky .....   Linda Alper
Simon   .....   Todd Van Voris
Leo Gayev   .....   Michael Mendelson
Varya   .....   Val Landrum
Firs   .....   Tobias Anderson
Yermolay Lopakhin   .....   Tim Blough
Trofimov   ....   Blake Lowell
Dunyasha   .....   Victoria Blake
Simon Yepidikoff   .....   Andy Lee-Hillstrom
Anya ..... Amy Newman
Charlotta   .....   Vana O'Brien
Chekhov   Jeffrey Jason Gilpin
Woman in White   .....   Siobhan Caverly
Yasha   .....   Colton Ruscheinsky
The Boy   .....   Logan Tibbetts, Beckett Parker-Lisk

sez says--again Chekov -- what is the fascination with him that make his plays so often produced? This is a fine rendition --noting special-- but still worth seeing, as is the case with all this so often produced playwright -- So why won't the landed aristocracy do what is required to keep their land and move into the future? What we lose as we change is always a subject worth thinking about?

mjc says: attempt at clever staging fails with plastic water --better sets would make for better productions, actors in this case are all ok

Reason to Be Pretty, CoHo Theater, Grade B

2011-05-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

by Neil Labute
Directed by Gretchen Corbett
Cast:
Greg   .....   Casey McFeron
Stephanie   .....   Nikli Weaver
Kent   .....   John San Nicolas
Carli   .....   Kelly Tallent

sez says: this turned out to be so much better than I expected it to be--and that, because the acting was really first rate. I hesitated about this play because I am not sure what I think of Neil Labute. My sense of him is that he takes on really serious issues regarding interpersonal relationships but somehow falls short of bring the issues he raises into a full flowering of their importance. So it is good that he raises the issues--but then the issues can seem trivialized in the shallows of his presentations.

For instance: this play takes up the issue of the importance of "HOW WE LOOK" -- are we thought of as pretty, or handsome, or ugly? -- Do you think your neck is to short, or that your butt is too big -- or do you have a pretty face? How we value--and hurt ourselves and others --based the superficial and uncontrollable aspects of physical appearance -- the unavoidable facts of our appearance -- is a huge topic...and one worth some serious 'literature' And here we have a case study of what happens if your lover learns that s/he does not think you are as attractive as, say, the new person working in the office. Can you really make love with someone who does not think you are physically attractive? You'll have to see the play to see how LaBute answers that--and you can decide f you think he is able to make important observations--or if it is just a topic on which to write some funny lines.

Meanwhile this production does all it can with the topic..and that is a lot.

MJC says: weeks later and I still have vivid images of this --well written dialogue--actors did their jobs well

Last of the Boys, Third Rail - Grade B

2011-05-30T12:43:00.000-07:00

by Steven Dietz
Directed by Slayden Scott Yarbough

Cast:
Ben   .....   Damon Kupper
Jeeter   .....   Michael O'Connell
Slayer   .....   Laura Faye Smith
Lorraine   .....   Valerie Stevens
The Young Soldier   .....   Justin Mark

sez says: there is a lot of 're-viewing' (ie looking again at) the Viet Nam War and its aftermath in our literature and this is a middle-of-the-road example of that genre. In this case we learn that 'The Father' turned against the war while his son was a soldier who, even after the war is over, is still trying to hold Robert McNamara up as an example of a good American. So this story switches the generations roles. Most Viet Nam stories have the youth against the war. In any case, to tell this story it might be important to know more about this particular war--and why it divided generations -- indeed divided the nation / the way it did...and that seems to be lacking here. First clue to that is in the Playbill Glossary: The Viet Cong are defined as "South Vietnamese guerrillas fighting in opposition to the Republic" WHAT??? hum .. OK so what about the play..

First the Acting:
Valerie Stevens should get the Drammy this year for her role as Lorraine--the girl who got pregnant and married a boy-soldier who died in Viet Nam leaving her a single mother who has now grown old and ironic --and now she is not very successfully trying to keep her now grown daughter out of harms way. What a talent Stevens is proving to be. And the play is worth seeing just to see her performance.

Michael O'Connell, on the other hand, did not fulfill the needs of the special mix his character required, that is of a counter culture academic / Vietnam Vet / Lonely Womanizer.   These men, in real life, are both damaged and arrogant and O'Connell never got into that groove.

Smith & Kupper were fine--but Mark Justin should have been given a starched costume. No soldier at the time would be in an ill fitting, saggy uniform. Soldiers were stiff -- starched --spit-shined shoes --, jar head hair cuts -- those were the symbols of the army/ and the war, and the culture that backed the war and which stood in opposition/contrast to the anti-war counter-culture of long haired hippies.

So again we are back to some fundamental lack of knowledge of the era and the weaknesses that permeated the play are not the plays fault.. I fear it was the Direction that didn't understand the details of how to portray these people who were caught in the grips of this most agonizing bit of our history.

MJC SAYS: no comment

COBB, Profile Theater Reading -

2011-05-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

By Lee Blessing
Directed by Jason Maniccia
Cast:
Mr. Cobb .....   Dick McMahon
The Peach   .....   Andy Lee-Hillstrom
Ty   .....   Todd Hermanson
Oscar Charleston .....   Victor Mack

sez says: this is a near perfect play..the main character is represented by three characters (the kid-Cobb; the in his prime Cobb, and the old man-Cob) and by the knowledge of his worst shortcoming. Played by Victor Mack, Oscar Charleston (aka the Black Cobb) haunts Ty Cobb--becasue his refusal to play against blacks means he would never know if he was really THE BEST. And being THE BEST was all Ty Cobb ever wnated to be--no matter what it took. And he was willing to use any means available 'to win'--including slamming his cleats into a catchers chest--and attacking fans who heckled him, etc. Cobb wanted to be remebered--and maybe he wanted to be loved-- but being remembered, being 'a winner' (in baseball and in finance) is what drove him--- so he was not a nice man. But he still thought of himself as a winner-- 'the best'--but then there was Charleston--who sits in the shadow oif his memory/consciousness and will always be the block to knowing if he was really "the best." Since he wouldn't play againt Charleston he/we can't know who 'the best' really was --and even with all of his talent--it would be hard for any one to walk away from this story saying "I like Ty Cobb' there is nothing to like about him --but this play about him is a fabulous study in looking at skill and ambition gone ugly. RECOMMENDED

mjc says: revived my interest in baseball, great way to tell a person's story with multiple generations on the same stage.

Fortinbras, Profile Theater - GRADE B+

2011-05-30T11:52:00.000-07:00

by Lee Blessing
Director Jane Unger
Cast
Hamlet   .....   Matt Volner
Osric   .....   Samuel D Dinkowitz
Horatio   .....   Jonah Weston
English Ambassador/Polonius   .....   Ted Roisum
Fortinbras   .....   Leif Norby
Capt of the Norwegian Army   .....   Alan King
Marcellus   .....   Matthew Pavik
Barnardo   .....   Bobby Ryan
Polish Maidens   .....   Chelsie Kinney, Sarah Farrell
Ophelia ..... Greta West
Claudius ..... Stephan Henry
Gertrude ..... Paige Jones
Laertes ..... Dennis Kelly

sez says: this is a wildly funny--and serious..play. And it was well done by this troupe. How important is honesty? And what is the meaning of life? If a person has any hope of being remembered can that happen when the telling of history (or current events) is up for grabs? We all know that history is written by the victors, in real life and in this play. But here we see how the lack of honesty about events can be (and is) used by those who seek power and who use the means of communication to manipulate people. Only Horitio remains wed to the truth--while the 'frat boy' Fortinbras gallops about trying to have a good time...but --what's this--the dead are still with us--and what an intersting take they have on all of these goings on! And while all the cast did good service to the story I have to give a special nod to Samuel Dinkowitz for his delicious performance. RECOMMENDED

MJC says: very funny

A Walk In The Woods, Profile Theater, Grade A

2011-04-18T15:09:00.000-07:00

written by Lee Blessing
Directed by Pat Patton

cast:
Andrey Bootvinnik ..... Ted Roisum
Jone Honeyman ..... Karen Trumbo

sez says--this was a perfect piece for a reading--there is little staging required and the fact that the actors were holding their scripts was nearly unnoticeable. It is a well done piece that takes on the question of why the US and Russia could not stop the arms race. Both entertaining and worth thinking about --and very nicely presentd.

mjc says- Enjoyable presentation of the issue of the time.

The Adding Machine, Theatre Vertigo, Grade A

2011-04-18T15:00:00.000-07:00

written by Elmer Rice
directed by Jane Bement Geesman

cast
Mr. Zero ..... Gary Norman
Mrs Zero .....   Jane Fellows
Daisy Diana Dorthea Devore   ..... Jenn Hunter
The Boss / Policeman   ..... Tom Mounsey
Shrdlu   .....   Joel Harmon
Mr. One / Lt Charles   .....   Mario Calcagno
Mrs. One ..... Clara-Liis Hillier
Mr Two / Fixer   .....   Drew Danhorn
Mrs. Two / Judy O'Grady   .....   Brooke Fletcher
Mr. Three / Young Man / Joe   .....   R David Wyllie
Mrs. Two   .....   Natasha Terranova

sez says: Here is a timeless story. Try mixing this up: 1) Technology. that keeps changing the world and at the same time undermines relationships in the workplace. 2) People who too often don't live up to their dreams and fall into a hum-drum life, disappointing themselves and their families. 3) Add to this some eastern religion and the idea of the transmigration of the soul (which was all the rage in the 1920s when this was written) 4) Then juxtapose a moralistic, self defeating culture (doomed to degradation and an ever declining situation for it inhabitants) against the the dreams of an Elysian Field (where people are gay, making art and watching the flowers grow without need for purpose and who don't make judgments about each other.)

Give this material to a fabulous cast and you've cooked up one great night at the theater. Vertigo may be the most interesting theater in Portland -- I am shocked that they are not mobbed every night.

mjc says: a nice piece of writing--imaginative staging.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Portland Playhouse, A+

2011-04-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

written by August Wilson
Directed by Kevin Jones

cast:
Irvin   .....   Duffy Epstein
Studyvant   .....   Bruce Burkhartsmeier
Levee .....   Victor Mack
Cutter   .....   Wendell Wright
Slow Drag   .....   Jerry Foster
Toledo   .....   Wrick Jones
Ma Rainey .....   Julianne Johnson
Dussie Mae   .....   Andrea White
Sylvester    .....   Deion Guice
Policeman   .....   Gavin Hoffman

sez says: Do you remember the song "Blue Suede Shoes"? You can do anything but don't you step on my blue suede shoes? How important are "those things you walk around in"? Both as a metaphor and as a concrete symbol of style, shoes are capable of being powerful presenters of much more than protection for your feet. You might want to think about this on your way to the Playhouse.

This is a an amazingly perfect play--and this production is near perfect.

Set in the 1930s, Chicago, and the world of blues music. Ma Rainey has made her way in this world and she has no illusions about how it works. "They want my voice --they don't care about me" she says and she balks and refuses the best she can to "do it their way" And there is the band, each member as interesting as any other. An amalgam of lives lived inside the constraints of a racist society. There is Toledo, who spends his free time reading, and who sees the larger picture and rages in frustration at the blindness of this companions. Cutter and Slow Drag find life in their music, the church and with women. Finally there is Leeve, who wants to be heard and who is alive with creative energy.

Wilson puts his characters --and especially Levee --in a pressure cooker of a world: one that gives little opening for creative energy to find a home -- a world where talent is thwarted and exploited and violated. This is a place where any straw might break a camels back. That these characters carry the loads they do --that they have found ways to cope in good humor--finding joy where they can and defining for themselves what is important make them all heroes of a sort. But then there is Levee, we learn he copes better than anyone might imagine a person could cope, given his history --and still he is driven to make his music heard. That he will be robbed seems likely--and he knows that is the likelihood as well as the audience.

And what a cast has been assembled here for this presentation! We find we have an abundance of talent that really ought to be seen more often in Portland's theaters.

MJC Says -- this is theater as it should be--brilliant play engaging and moving at the same time

Jack Goes Boating, Artists Repertory Theater (Grade B+)

2011-04-18T13:51:00.000-07:00

written By Bob Glaudini
Directed by Alan Nause

Cast:
Jack   .....   Tod Van Voris
Clyde   .....   John San Sicolas
Connie   .....   Emily Sahler
Lucy   ..... Tai Sammons

sez says: This is a sweet work that mimics an increasingly familiar story-line. It is represented by such works as "Forrest Gump", and Kurt Vonnegut's "Galapagos", and the best selling "All We Need to Know We Learned in Kindergarten" etc. It is about how those who are 'slow' --(or in the case of Vonnegut, those with slightly smaller brains) understanding, better than the rest of us, the world and what is really important. Jack wants a girlfriend and he is willing to learn new things and to take his time to develop a relationship. ie: He will learn how to swim before he goes boating. His more "sophisticated" friends don't have the success that will be Jack's --they have outwitted themselves. Ok--it is a sweet story and nicely done. But is it true? Does one have to be a nerd, or a simpleton to figure out how to be a happy, moral, successful person?

The production of this story was strong--the weakest link was Van Voris. We have seen him in roles where he has excelled. But it seems he if being pushed into territory for which he is not well suited. He played the part as if he were a bit bored by it. It is not so much that he was bad--he just was not as great as the others were in the production we saw .. maybe it was just a bad night for him.

mjc says: It was a nice little romantic story from a male perspective about just trying to do the right thing with another person. Good acting by all but Jack.

Frankenstein, National Theater Live via Third Rail (Grade A)

2011-04-03T08:42:00.000-07:00

Director: Danny Boyle
new play by Nick Dear--based on the novel by Mary Shelly
cast: Benedict Cumberbatch/Johnny Miller ---- Frankenstein/The Creature these two actors alternate roles every other play

other cast members include: Ella Smith; John Killoran; Steven Elliot; Lizzie Winkler; Karl Johnson; Daniel Miller; Naomie Harris; George Harris; Haydon Downing; Wm Nye; Jared Richards; Danial Ings; Martain Chamberlain; Mark Armstrong; John Stahl; Andreea Padurariu; Josie Daxter

sez says: world class performance by Cumberbatch as 'The Creature' --and what we could see of the staging, it looked brilliant. It really made you want to see the show in person. It was clear that the cameras could not fully convey the experience of being in the room. It was almost, but not quite, good enough to want to go back and see it again with Miller as The Creature, to see how he explored The Creature's character.
The telling of the story is from The Creature's perspective. And in making it such a lot of philosophical questions were posed. Maybe a few too many. I love drama that makes you think --but this was an unfocused case, with lots of questions asked. What is creator? What is the relationship between creator and created (us and God)? What is a parent and what are a parent's responsibility -- (much was made of the abandonment of a child.) Is humanity doomed by its own actions? What is paradise? What is our relationship with science and knowledge? Are we moving ahead or backward -and is our only real motivation --underlying all that we do --to destroy what we have created ? -- and on and on the questions were posed. I never thought I'd say this: It got to be a bit too much. Some focus would have helped--but still, it was a masterful bit of work and it is easy to recommend.

FUTURA, Portland Center Stage, Grade C+

2011-03-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

by Jordan Harrison
Directed by Kip Fagan
Cast:
Lori Larsen ..... The Professor
Christopher David Murray ..... Gash
Kerry Ryan ..... Grace
Phillip Clark ..... Edward

sez says: future time--the virtual world of letters has replaced the written word. the result: No books, No hand writing, No privacy. We open with a professor lecturing her class about Fonts and the written word. She is kidnapped by people who want to stop the consolidation of all knowledge 'by any means necessary' ie: they are terrorists. Lots of conversation takes place about the dangers and changes that accompany the technological changes we are experiencing today. The first half of this show was great--'the professor's lecture' --the second half was less engaging because the issues and their implications were not clearly delineated....and what was suggested was not fully thought out. So it seemed like a good idea--but needed to get sharper toward the end--not duller. The acting was very good but the play, while not BAD--was also not GOOD either: It needs more work. It was fine for a JAW reading (which is what it was--a work in progress) but it seems like it was choose to fill space, cheaply, in the season's offerings.

The Scene (Portland Playhouse) Grade B+

2011-03-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

by Teresa Rebeck

directed by Tamara Fisch

cast:

Clea ..... Nikki Weaver

Charlie ..... Leif Norgy

Lewis ..... Ty Hewitt

Stella ,,,,, Laura Faye-SMith

sez says: Bravo / Brava -- wonderful acting here!

Nikki Weaver is marvelous in any role that requires physicality. She moves and poses and stretches and slinks and bends and presents a fully engaged presence when she is given a part that provides her an opportunity to use 'body language'. When, in the end, she has to stand and deliver lines her oomph is diminished--but her character is still strong enough to take us to the conclusion of the play based on her earlier development of the character.

Leif Weaver turns himself into Charlie--the man who will criticize "the party" --seeing how vapid it is --but who really only wants to be the one people are sucking up to. His decline is well observed

Ty Hewitt has a smaller part but he does it well and is ever so likelable

Laura Faye-Smith also portrays to a "T" the good people that make "the party" possible: competent, precise, under appreciated but paid enough to support a family and who can live in the aura of those who are at the center of 'The Scene' --ie the dramatic arts, TV, the Stage, acting, the media.

The play seems to say: accept it, this is how it is, maybe in a different academic --or moral -- universe we would seek enlightenment and art for the betterment of humanity. But the reality is different, There is "a party" that goes on that requires 'ass licking' and 'selling out' -- and that most people who complain about it are just people who wish they were at the top of the heap.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, (Portland Center Stage) Grade B+

2011-03-13T11:31:00.000-07:00

by Dale Wasserman from the Ken Kesey novel
Directed by Rose Riordan
Cast:
Chief Bromden   ..... Tim Sampson
Dale Harding   ..... Stephen Caffrey
Billy Babbitt .....   Ryan Tresser
Scanlon ..... Ebbe Roe Smith
Cheswick ..... Craig Bockhirn
Martini ..... John Shuman
Ruckley ..... Rich Cashin
Randle P McMurphy .. PK Sosko
Patient Ensemble ..... Logan Loughmiller; Noel Plemmons; Nick Schultz; Robert M Thomas

Adie Warren ..... Vin Shambry
Adie Williams ..... Bobby Bermea
Dr Spivey ..... Michael Fisher-Welsh
Nurse Ratchet ..... Gretchen Corbett
Nurse Flynn ..... Amy Newman
Aide Turkle ..... Tracy S Turner

Candy Starr   ..... Sara Catherine Wheatley
Sandra ..... Val Landrum

sez says: Rose Riordan is one of my fav directors --she always brings life and meaning to the work she does. This story is well known --and continues to be lived..even though I have to wonder why. It is sexist to the core. And it could be argued that is is also racist too. Plus do we see the mental health profession in the same light today as it was suggested here in the 1960s?-- ie: people are not sick but the world around them is and the sane thing --even the brave thing to do is to struggle against illegitimate authority.

Well, good news, Riordan pulls something more from the story--the humanity of people, even when they are struggling to figure out there place in the world..and that made the play solid and sound. But you can't get away from the story line problems of sexism and an entirely simplistic presentation of mental health issues. Sure, people get into places of power and while claiming to be benevolent abuse their power. And certainly there are people who think they are doing 'good' for others that are indeed malevolent --but those stories can be told in a way that actually mirror society--then they have power and meaning. As is, this Kesey romp is a reminder of days gone by and a time of simplistic social analysis.

And, not to be forgotten here--the acting was good all round. Ryan Tresser, in particular, did a first rate job of bringing Billy Babbitt to life; Ebbe Roe Smith's Scanlon was perfectly tuned; Amy Newman shined in her small part as Nurse Flynn. All round the acting held up well.

Independance (Profile Theater) Grade C

2011-03-13T10:14:00.000-07:00

Directed by Amy Gonzalez

Here is a not at all believable story of a mother and her three grown daughters in a small Midwestern town. The daughters are suppose to be concerned for their mother’s mental health and how to live their own lives in the face of their mother's erratic behavior. The eldest daughter, a professor and a lesbian, has moved away and not been back for years..now returns believing the middle sister has been badly hurt. She discovers her sister was not as badly hurt as she had thought she might be and that she is pregnant. The baby sister meanwhile has had a child has been forced (by the oldest sister) to give it away, and is now apparently the town slut, waiting to finish high school and get out of town as soon as she can. Mom mean while (Jackie Maddux) is mostly sane--but breaks things from time to time.

Well-what is the 'drama' here? Mom has already spent a short stint in a 'hospital' for here nutty behavior (again something orchestrated by the eldest sister. But now, who will take care of her? That is the drama. Mom does not want to be left alone Number 1 & Number 3 sisters are clear they are not going to stay with her. Number 2 sister is torn---pregnant and wanting to marry the child's father..but feeling obliged to stay with mom. She loses her boyfriend and must decide if she will leave with her older sister or 'stay forever' in service to mom.

Well they all see no answer but to walk out and 'abandon' mom. That is where this story falls entirely apart and loses all meaning. Anyone of us with aging parents knows that making sure they are well situated is a task that, while hard and draining, can be accomplished, If you have money there is a growing industry emerging to assist you. So how about assisted living? Never mentioned. How about seeking help from some of mom's peers (she has lived in this small town all of her life) she must know someone who might be recruited to keep an eye on her. How about taking Mom home with you--rather than be stuck in her home and the small oppressive town? Ther are options --none necessarily great--but still options that were not considered here--and that make the story pointless.

The acting was standard--but the play/story is a waste of time.

The Wonderful World of Dissocia, Third Rail (Grade A)

2011-02-19T12:34:00.000-08:00

by Anthony Neilson
Directed by Slayden Scott Yarbrough

Cast:
Lisa ..... Maureen Porter
Ensemble: John Steinkamp, Damon Kupper, Stephanie Gaslin, Valerie Stevens, Philio Cuomo, Isaac Lamb, Tim True

sez says: what a grad bit of fun this is! The first half is a presentation of mania--both joyous and frightening. The second half asks the question: is a numb life --that is being forced to 'accept reality' -- a humane solution to impose on people with psychological/mental 'disorders' The cast was wonderful in the first half: Third Rail Actors seem to excel at presenting the nutty side of thing. And the second half was dull and boring--which was the point. Take away the mania and life turns dull.
Maureen Porter is certainly going to be a Drammy Award candidate for her work. She was perfect is every way as Lisa. The only person who seemed out-of-step in the production was Stephanie Gaslin. She missed lines and just didn't seem to be able to find the groove required to play the parts she had.

mjc says: this was quite a production, trying to portray the call of the wild that is creativity, how do you do that without losing your way?

FELA, National Theater Live, ( Grade C)

2011-02-19T12:20:00.000-08:00

Based on the Life of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
Conceived by Bill T Jones, Jim Lewis and Stephen Hendel
Director & Choreographer: Bill T Jones

cast: very large...Sahr Ngaujah as Fela

sez says: I was all geared up to be lifted by this piece. I expected the music and dancing to be up-beat, exciting, full of life and powered by resistance to oppression. What I found was some of that but not nearly as much as I expected. The filming was off: the camera did not follow the dance well, it didn't allow the viewer to see the entire activity on stage. It did too many close-ups when what was needed was a view of the whole. Filming dance takes special skill and that skill available was not top notch.
On the other had the story is powerful --and an important one for a western audience. We are failed by our news media when it comes to reporting on Africa and African affairs. And you could not have found a more talented performer than Sahr Ngauhah for the part of Fela. We will actively watch for his work in the future.

mjc says: music and band was great was fun to watch--the second half was boring.

Thief River, Profile Theatre (Grade B+)

2011-02-19T11:44:00.000-08:00

by Lee Blessing
Directed by Pat Patton
Cast:
Gil at 18 / Jody ..... Andy Lee-Hillstrom
Ray at 18, Kit ..... Jack Morrison
Gil at 43, Harlow ..... Jason Maniccia
Ray at 43, Reese ..... Todd Hermanson
Gil at 73, Perry ..... Shelly Lipkin
Ray at 73, Anson ..... Tobias Anderson

sez says: anyone who has seen the film Brokeback Mountain already knows this story. There are story line difference: this is set in the mid-west and the men who love each other are farmers not cowboys; one of the young men knows he is gay form the get go and is an out, gay man for the whole story; there is a murder in this version; but the point of the two stories is the same. Worthwhile subject, well performed, nice stage set too.

mjc says: great story, acting was good. I am finding I enjoy these kind of stories more than the psychological explorations. I like this kind of story telling

99 Ways to Fuck A Swan, Theatre Vertigo (Grade A)

2011-02-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

by Kim Rosenstock
Directed by Megan Kate Ward
Cast:
Dave ..... Mario Calcagno
Fiona ..... Brooke Fletcher
Leda/Servant/Tammy ..... Danielle Larson
Tyndarcus/ Bembo/Joey ..... Tom Watson
Alfonso/Rudolph/Dr Hirschberg ..... JR Wickman
Michaelangelo/Terrance/Birdman ..... Joel Harmon
Mary/Mother Nature/Amy ..... Megan H Carver
Francesco/Clyde/Hal ..... R David Wyllie
Lucrezia/Waitress ..... Dainichia Noreault

sez says: this is a fabulous play well presented. The underlying theme is the diverse sexual proclivities of humans: do cats turn you on?; would making love with a swan be heaven?; should you shave your head if that is what turns on your lover? and so on .. The one thing you shouldn't do is get locked up in an ice cave...where sex is forbidden. The entire cast seemed to be having fun and that lifted the performance out of the ordinary and made it one of the best shows we have seen in this little theater...and that is saying a lot, becasue they often do better than the average work.

Polar Opposites: Amundsen, Scott and the Race For the Pole. Portland Story Theater Armchair Adventurer, Grade B+

2011-01-30T21:18:00.000-08:00

Story told by Lawrence Howard

sez says: what a wonderful evening, sit back and listen to this tale of adventure about two men (Amundsen & Scott) with contrasting temperaments who find themselves setting out to accomplish the same task: To be the first to the South Pole. Well guess what, Amundsen had a life in snow country to draw upon. He was Norwegian who had 'found' the northwest-passage and crossed the North American continent in what we would now call Northern Canada; He had been on various other expeditions to the North Pole and even had experience in the area of the South Pole. So when he decided to take on the challenge of being first to reach the South Pole he was well experienced and he accomplished the task without more hub bub than required.
Scott on the other had was and Englishman who had little experience in snow--and he made BIG mistakes. He got to the pole a few days after Amundsen--and he paid for his mistakes (that stemmed from arrogance) with his life. A fascinating tale--well told. I look forward to more!

mjc says: wonderfully enjoyable story telling. The only thing that could have improved it is an armchair.

Body Vox 2 (Grade B)

2011-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

Director: Zachary Carroll
Choreography: Jamey Hampton, Ashley Roland, Eric Skinner, Eowyn Barrett
Costume Design: Ashley Roland
Performers:
Jeff George, Kara Girod, Chase Hamilton, Melissa Kanavel, Josh Murry

sez says: to be honest I have not been as impressed with Body Vox as I want to be. I WANT to like them, they are cleaver, creative and a hometown original..but it seems they too often fall short of my desire to love what they do. Indeed, I have thought that I might give up my subscription. Wait a couple years, and check back in later. So I went to this show hoping against hope that it wouldn't be another disappointment. Maybe becasue I had reduced expectations I came out of this show happier than usual. There are some rough-diamonds here. But before I talk about the dances I do want to say something: I am never disappointed with Body Vox costumes. Ashley Roland is a genius. Thank you Ashley! There are times when the costumes are so inventive that they take over a performance. There were two examples of that in this show: 1) Foreign Trails--with its white skirts and 2) Tangled with it gold gossamer gown. There were plenty of other great costumes but these two really stand out.
Probably the most emotionally moving dance of the night was The Obliged which led us down a path of magical realism and heartfelt relationships. Equally moving was the sultry Shake in which Jeff George and Melissa Kanavel hold each other and the audience captive to their explorations. Jamey Hampton's new piece, Snap to the Grid was enjoyable and contained new arrangements of some of his classic moves, like the limp wrist twirling and body gestures with a special Hampton-signature. But why did we see The Usual Suspects and Shed again so soon after there last performances. They are ok dances but they don't need to be in ever-other show...that goes for the Films too. The Mitch Films are fun--but no single film ought to be show more than once every 3 or 4 years.
But all in all the enjoyment know was turned up a notch. The Vox 2 dancers were in sync with the evenings demands--and I just might subscribe again.

MJC Says: I was moved and had some visual delights, much better than our last outing with them

Neighborhood 3: Requisition of Doom, Theatre Vertigo Reading

2011-01-24T21:52:00.000-08:00

by Jennifer Haley
read by Eric Lynus;

story line: kids are hooked-on /addicted to a violent video game and begin killing people in the neighborhood--including their parents because they can't tell real life from their on-line life.

sez says: well read --interesting/contemporary subject -- but ultimately simplistic about relationships between parents and children (do children really want to kill their parents--can they be confused and manipulated into violence). An alarmist look at the changes going on in our society that accompany our on-line relationships and only seeing the negative. Kids need to learn how to relate and communicate via an on-line world to prepare themselves for the future. Yes some games have a lot of violence --graphic and gory--but I am not convinced that exposure to that will tun them into psychopaths. When I was youg parents were breaking little Richard recored for fear the lyric were going to turn all of us int nymphomaniacs --that didn't happen either.

mjc says: has a great deal of potential to raise a number of issues from suburban isolation to gaming addictions. Unlike many reading we have gone to this one could benefit from being produced.

Superior Donuts, Artist Repertory Theatre (Grade A)

2011-01-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

by Tracy Letts
Director Allen Nause
Cast:
Max Tarasov ..... Michael Mendelson
Officer Randy Osteen ..... Linda Alper
Officer James Bailey ..... Victor Mack
Lady Boyle ..... Vana O'Brien
Arthur Przybyszewski ..... Bill Geisslinger
Franco Wicks ..... Vin Shambry
Liuther Flynn ..... Pierre Brulatour
Kevin Magee ..... Paul Glazier
Kiril Ivakin ..... Matthew D Pavik

plot summary: a depressed ex-60's war resister from Chicago still owns the family business, a Donut Shop in Uptown, on the north side of town--a working class neighborhood. He tells his story as the play goes on--he wonders if he was a coward--as his father has said he was, as well as honestly being against the war. His father had died--days befroe Kent State and while he was in Canada, so he had been unable to attend his funeral and had never been able to reconcile with him. His marriage had ended in divorce and he had proved to be a bad fater, not staying in touch with his daughter. Next door to the donut shop is a recent immigrant with a video rental store--he wants to buy the Donut Shop and expand his business. The shop is not for sale. A new employee is hired--a literate and optimistic young black man--who has dreams and plans and tries to talk our depressed ex-radical into truing the Donut Shop into a hip coffee shop, place with poetry readings and healthy food alternatives. Then the young black man's past come back to haunt him in the form of a major gambling debt -- and each character has to react.

sez says: this story could have been told about anyone, of any class, in any time. It is a well enough known, maybe even a humdrum story, about the power of friendship, the never ending possibility of renewal and redemption and finding hope where hope has been lost. It is not the story that makes this a great play. It is great because of the setting--the place and its people make it special. It illuminates a world often overlooked. It understands that world with an affection for the past and with an understanding of its power and place in our country's history. And this production does justice to this sensitive and moving bit of drama. It is reminiscent of August Wilson's Jitney --but in this case featuring an ethically mixed cast of characters.

mjc says: engaging and enjoyable yet stirring up some reflections on racism and politics

The Shape of Things, Public House Theatre (Grade C-)

2011-01-22T09:45:00.000-08:00

By Neil LaBute
Directed by Dustin Milberg
Cast:
Robert Alsman ..... Adam
Kacey Griffin ..... Jenny
Briana Ratterman ..... Evelyn
Schuyler Schmidt ..... Phillip

plot w/ SPOILER ALERT: female art student seduces frumpy boy and makes him into her 'art project' Ie she is molding human flesh. Using her 'attractiveness' / powers of seduction / sexuality / and his desires as tools she suggests changes he might make in his appearance--which he willingly agrees to and which alter his appearance for the better (lose weight, be healthier, dress more fashionably etc) making him a more 'attractive' person. Everyone notices the change--he is happy and she records it all in diary, film video, etc. What she also records are changes in his moral character--which are not improvements. IN the end she revels she has no love for him--it was all an art project--and then they discuss what is and isn't art.

sez says: The play itself is rather interesting--it does bring up worthy subjects for discussion: how we can be influenced the surfaces of things --and how we might do better to pay attention to the content of those things; what is free will and how is it influenced by desire; to what extent is it acceptable for the making of art to ignore the moral universe, especially if its aim is to make us see the moral universe; and if we are happy without knowing the truth, would we be better off not knowing the truth if that truth will make us unhappy...and more. The content of this play is packed with powerful questions..and to its credit it does not try to answer those questions. It offers material for discussion and argument: to paraphrase one of the characters, the play says: you don't have to agree with me but you need to respond. Well done that...

But here is the rub--this version was not very well done. We are told Adam has gone through an amazing transformation--but we don't see it on stage. This transformation is supposedly accomplished by the replacement of an oversize coat with a designer jacket and by taking off his glasses. It doesn't work. Adam needs to be altered in order to convey what the script says is happening--and he is not altered in any substantial way. Not in his appearance or in the content of his behavior. There are plenty of ways this change might have been conveyed--but evidently the director did not think it necessary, making us wonder if he had any idea what this play might be about. Overall the acting was rather lackluster: Griffin and Ratterman did their parts well--but Alsman was flat --and Schmidt did not make himself into the jerk that the script called for. Again, we can suppose this was a problem with directing --as a problem with casting.

mjc says: a transformation project that wasn't transformative. I am realizing that I am weary of minimalist sets and washed out directing.

The Imaginary Invalid, Portland Center Stage, (Grade B)

2011-01-21T09:27:00.000-08:00

by Moliere --adapted by Constance Congdon
Directed by Chris Coleman
Cast:
Beline   .....   Christine Calfas
Dr. Purgeio   .....   Barry Del Sherman
Angelique   .....   Hollye Gilbert
Toinette   .....   Sharonlee McLean
Argan   .....   David Margulies
Cleante/Fleurant   .....   John Wernke
DeBennefoi / Claude   .....   Danny Wolohan

plot: hypochondriac dad wants daughter to marry a doctor so he will have medical attention for free (a doctor in the family) but the man he has picked is a fool and she loves another. Meanwhile the evil step-mother wants to secure control of the dad's money and she wants to send the daughter to a convent so no dowry will have to be paid and there by leaving more $$ for her to get her hands on. Surrounding this is the good servant (who is on the daughters side and understands exactly what is going on) and corrupt notary and bad doctors and the girl's suitors.

sez says: this old French farce has a few laugh out loud moments and many lesser giggles. We think that any thing that can make us laugh is good. It certainly had the necessary elements to make it great. The adaptation is good. And the acting was all round fine--and had a few stand outs: Marguiles fit his character to a tea; Christine Calfas is a joy to watch, her training in classical Indian dance shows as she floats around the stage striking poses that are full of grace and still fulfilled the need to be larger than life. Barry del Sherman turned his minor character into a major part of the play; and Danny Wolohan was more fun than the whole troop put together as he strutted about the stage as a chicken. Maybe not for everyone--but certainly fun from some. Grade STRONG B GOOD

mjc says: recent adaptation of ancient farce left farce ancient -- adaptation did not add anything to the humor--it was funny to begin with

When We Go Upon The Sea, Profile Theatre Reading (B)

2011-01-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

By Lee Blessing
Director Kathleen Worley
Cast:
Don Alder ..... George W Bush Jr ( ex-US President)
Jami Chatalas ..... Anna-Lisa (the professional soother/prostitute. Piet's wife)
Chris Maslen ..... Piet (the Butler)

sez says: this is a somewhat confusing piece..Bush has been called to The Hague to face War Crimes--for which we are told he will be convicted. But the essence of the play seems to be how dare we blame GWB for doing the hard things that are required of our leaders. We are told that there are "the leaders and the masses" and the leaders are expected to take care of the masses, at great expense to themselves. And, if we are to understand the characters of Anna-Lisa and Piet, as our guides then our desire should be to selflessly work to 'sooth' those who 'keep us safe'. But then GWB does not seem to understand well why Piet and Anna-Lisa offer their services and in face, one than once, he is made the butt of jokes.
When Piet talks of his grandfather's role in WW2 he understands that once you engage in war, once you commit to one side, terrible things WILL happen--that anyone in a war will do terrible things and that can not be avoided. So committing to anything past his Hotel--where he feels safe--is the greatest commitment he can make. He offers his all (including his wife) to 'the leaders' who keep him and safe in this little world.
At one point GWB says if people didn't want me to do what I did why did they let me? -- Why weren't they in the street....? Well, they were...so why is he asking that question?
In sum--the acting was strong--especially Chris Maslen, who in new to Portland, and we hope to see him well employed here -- but the story was less thought provoking than it was unfocused and confused.

mjc says: some speeches reminiscent of Jean Anouilh's Antigone about the hardships of leadership but the play lacks the moral challenge provided from Antigone's daughter. Acting was generally fine but certainly we can celebrate the discovery of a new talent in town--Chris Maslen!

Going to St. Ives, Profile Theater, READING

2010-12-13T23:57:00.000-08:00

by Lee Blessing
Directed by ANdrew Golla
CAST
Dr Cora Gage ..... Karla Mason
May N'Kame ..... LaVerne Green

plot summary; IN BRIEF ... May N'Kame is the mother of an African 'strong man' ruler who is brutally destroying his country. She needs eye surgery and has come to England where Dr Gage is about to operate on her. The women meet and talk before the operation and it is revealed that Dr Gage's young son was killed by black kids in the ghetto in Los Angeles -- and her life has been a guilt ridden misery every since. But she asks May N'Kame if she can intervene in the case of a4 doctors in her African country who have been condemned to death for not being willing to participate in torture. N'Kame says she will if Dr Gage will help her kill her son --and thus help stop the reign of brutality that he has orchestrated. Six moths later, the deed done, May N'Kame is now slated to be executed for crimes she did not commit and Dr Gage is trying to get her to admit to the crimes and escape the country.

sez says: intricate exposing of relationship between empire and brutality..what is civilization--and isn't the idea of civilization itself just a cover-up for atrocity. This is the sort of play that would be worth READING slowly to yourself--so you could stop and ponder the issues that are explored. A worthwhile piece.

mjc says the crimes of every civilization are inescapable even for the generations that follow the generations who perpetrated the crimes

Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks, Portland Civic Theater Guild - READING

2010-12-13T23:45:00.000-08:00

by Richard Alfieri
Dirtector Trish Egan
Cast:
JoAnn Johnson ..... Lily Harrison
Duffy Epstein ..... Michael

plot summary: older woman/widow --hires caustic gay man to come the her high rise Miami Condo and give her dance lessons, not becasue she needs the lessons, but becasue she needs human companionship. They spare verbally and come to be close friends.

sez says: predictable story--but with good social issues woven into the story--the problems of gays men in abusive relationships, not being able to get help from the police; the way the wold makes women invisible as they age; the stereotyping we do when we hear a gay man lost his love (not from aids--but from cancer) It is full of these sorts of social commentary..and it was well read,,, so it was entertaining. But is is not particularly interesting or heady stuff. Johnson and Epstein did a nice job bringing these folks to life

mjc says: a fun but totally predictable romp--good repartee

Dying City, Portland Playhouse, (Grade A)

2010-12-13T23:22:00.000-08:00

By Christopher Shinn
Directed by Brian Weaver
Cast:
Peter/Craig ..... Wade McCollum
Kelly ..... Cristi Miles

plot summary Craig has been killed in "the war." (Maybe it doesn't matter what war. He had become a disillusioned soldier.) Peter is Craig's twin brother, Kristi is his widow. We enter with Kristi alone packing and watching TV -- doorbell, brings a surprise visit from Peter. K & P have not seen each other since the funeral which was a year ago... story jumps back and forth from discussions between Peter and Krisi --to flashbacks whit Craig & Kristi... along the way the story unfolds and much is revealed about what war does and struggles in the heart's of men.

sez says: this is the sort of thing that draws us to the theater. People struggling to understand the world, themselves and each other. Peter/Craig are the SUBJECTS of this story--they are the characters whose actions move the issues we are to consider to the surface. Kristi is the OBJECT of the story. Without Kristi, Craig and Peter would have little meaning to us. It is what happens to her/us that makes P/C actions matters. How do we deal with men like this? Craig is a man barely able to suppress his rage -- his anger at women-- the sickness he finds in himself. But Kristi loves him and works hard to find a way to hold her own ground while reaching out to him. In the process she is rung dry and left hollow. Peter is lost without his brother--who loved him --but who also abused him. Peter has no one to share his loss with, except Kristi -- and he wants the loss to be his alone -- while she wants to get past the dull ache that her life has become. Beautifully acted, intense piece of work. Well done all around.

mjc says: one of the best pieces I've see on the Iraq War--glimpses of the anguish here and there.,

A Christmas Story, Portland Center Stage (Grade B)

2010-12-13T23:01:00.000-08:00

Adapted by Philip Grecian
Based on the Mothin Picture written by Jean Shepard, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark and on the book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, by Jean Shepherd
DIRECTED by Rose Riordan
CAST:
Aliemah Bradley   .....   Ensemble Girl
Michael Cline   ..... Ralphie
Dylan Earhart   .....   Flick
Harrison Goyette   .....   Randy
Aimee Martin   .....   Helen
Henry Martin   .....   Ensembel Boy
Eathan McKay ..... Schwartz
Darius Pierce   .....   Adult Ralph
Laura Faye Smith   .....   Miss SHields
Ebbe Roe SMith   .....   The Old Man
Valerie Stevens   .....   Mother
Calvin Whitney   ..... Scott Farkus
Hannah Wilson   .....   Esther Jane

sez says: attended with the family -- kids loved it -- from the film by the same name. Boy child from mid 20th century America wants a BB Gun -- what he does to try and get it--and what happens when he does got it//"You could Shoot Your Eye Out' with this one. We've come to anticipate work well done when Rose Riordan in involved--and this is no exception. Darius Pierce and Ebbe Roe Smith proved again that they are wonders to behold -- we are lucky to have them here in Portland.

mjc says: enjoyable--looking forward to seeing the moive

Patient A, Profile Theater (One Night Stand Reading)

2010-11-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

Writer: Lee Blessing
Director: Bruce Hostetler
Cast:
Kimberly ..... Amy Newman
Lee ..... Todd Hermanson
Matthew ..... Matthew Sa

sez says: Given Blessing's large body of work I am not sure why this play was picked for a reading. It is dated and it does not work to make universal the problems that are brought to the surface when people are frightened. This was written early in the early days of the AIDS Epidemic. It is about a young woman who was infected with the AIDS virus by her dentist. The story could have lifted itself up if it had dealt with humans as fragile and easily frightened --and capable of cruelty when kindness is called for. But it somehow never gets to a place past dealing with AIDS specific issues.
Possibly the whole problem was not with the play but with the reading instead, The play presents a poem that is read in parts --while the story is being told. Todd Hermanson was the reader of the part / he is playing a writer/ who is drawing on the poem to understand the situation..but he read it so quietly we could not hear much of it. So...not knowing what was in the poem / or only hearing part of it / made the poem burdensome to the reading.
Meanwhile Amy Newman and Matthew Sa did a fine job holding up their ends. Generally we like Hermanson, and he would have seemed a likely candidate for this character, but he was weak here. We all have bad nights.

MJC Says: made in 1984, missed the potential exploration of the interconnectedness of humans --unless it was in the poem I couldn't hear.

Hearting Beatings, CoHo Production (Grade B)

2010-11-24T18:26:00.000-08:00

Book, Lyrics and Music by Mark LaPierre
Director, Diane Englert
Music Driector Matt Isley
Cast: Andrew Bray; Chrissy Kelly-Pettit; JP Latchaw; Leah Yorkston (each playing multiple parts)

sez says: this is series of musical vignettes having to do with things of The Heart. They have a fabulous logo/graphic done by Mark Fearing--of a heat in a boxing ring looking a pretty done-in but not out cold: Kudos for that. The various piece varied in appeal-- par for the course. None were bad--all made it to better than good and none quite made it to exceptional. The performers were fine--and, like the music none bad, all generally good, but no one excelled. One problem was the venue did NOT have good acoustics, so voices drifted and just were not big and powerful enough for the space. An pleasant evening's entertainment --but not art and not exceptional.

MJC Says: Fun romp through some contemporary stories set to music.

Chesapeake, Profile Theatre, (Grade A)

2010-11-13T14:41:00.000-08:00

Written By: Lee Blessing
Director: Scott Yarbrough
Cast:
Todd Van Voris ..... Kerr

sez says: BRAVO.... this was great entertainment--and based on Blessings definition of ART.. a piece with an artistic flare too.* If you are a bi-sexual performance artist from a southern state where a nationally prominent homophobe and an all around right-wing scoundrel what do you do? Move to NY of course. But even in NY you can't escape being uses and abused by the aforementioned scoundrel when he wants to run for Senator. You are angry and you decide to kidnap his dog (a creature used by the scoundrel in advertisements as an icon of his own classic American values --a man and his dog, etc). The kidnapping goes wrong and the next thing you have become the bad-guy Senator's DOG! But you can type--so you communicate with the Senator, who thinks you are a messenger from God. That sounds pretty wacky now doesn't it. But is works. And there is plenty left out in my short replay--and Van Voris is on the mark here. He is perfectly cast and he reads this piece well. It is fun--it is funny--and it is dead serious. (Grade A)

mjc says: we saw this performed at Second Stage in NYC in 1999 with Mark Linn-Baker. It holds up fine. But then it is my cup of tea. I want to believe that even the most retrograde politician can brought to see the light and if there is a way to do that a dog is the way.

* Blessing defines art as follows: (paraphrased) art only exists if it contains controversy. If there is no controversy than what you are engaging is entertainment--not art. There is nothing wrong with entertainment--but don't confuse it with art.

A Disappearing Number, National Theatre Live, Presented by Third Rail in Porrtland Oregon (Grade A)

2010-11-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

Conceived and Directed by Simon McBurney
Devised by The Cast
The Cast:
G H Hardy ..... David Annen
Al Cooper ..... Firdous Bamji
Aninda Rao ..... Paul Bhattacharjee
Tabla Player ..... Hiren Chate
Mother/University Cleaner/Dancer ..... Divya Kasturi
Surita Bhogaita / Barbara Jones ..... Saskia Reeves
Ruth Minnen ..... Saskia Reeves
Srinivasa Ramanuhan / Dancer ..... Shane Shambhu

sez says: these NTL productions are first rate. Everything about every one we have seen has been brilliant. This is a story about numbers--and mathematics--and how in both math and in art we are striving for beauty. Math is about patterns and has a world and a reality of it own. Some people are born with access to mathematical reality (ie Srinivasa Ramanujan and maybe G H Hardy) --they see what most of us can't--that is the beauty and pattens that numbers possess and that numbers can provide. Numbers/mathematics also might well be the path to finding the physical laws of the universe, demonstrating the magnificence of all creation and ultimately solving the mystery of life and the mystery of existence itself. (ie: like String Theory--and it multitude of realities)

Meanwhile this play has parallel and overlapping stories of love and exile and racism and death, class privilege and the ravages of war and it takes up the gifts and difficulties that accompany cultural diversity. And it wonders about death and what math can tell us: Is there really such a thing as infinity? If all things are connected --past to future with no end ever -- then can there be such a thing as an end at the point of death? And as we the audience engage in imagining the play is real -- which is required in order to create the possibility of understanding what it is trying to convey, we are also reminded that, that is what mathematical imagining is also doing--trying to convey meaning and understanding.

Imagination is the underpinning and a requirement to understand both the complex elements of the play and to conjure up the relational patterns of numbers. What fun to encounter so much content and so much talent in one place. It even ends quotng one of my favorite writers; John Berger. Grade A

Dead Man's Cell Phone, Theatre Vertigo (Grade B)

2010-11-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

Writer Sarah Ruhl

Director Buck Skelton

Cast:

Jean ..... Kerry Ryan

Gordon ..... Mario Calcagno

Mother ..... Jane Fellows

Dwight ..... Joel Harmon

Hermenia ..... Heather Lundy Kahl

Gordon's Lover ..... Jenn Hunter
Ensemble ..... Clara-Liis Hillier & Nico Marquez

story outline: woman (Jean) sitting in cafe discovers a man at next table (Gordon) is dead. She takes over his cell phone and decides--for no particular reason--that she loves the dead guy. She takes charge of his cell phone and begins to tell anyone who calls lies about how he felt about the caller. Her lies are meant to make people happy and to think well of Gordon. The callers include business associates, lovers, his mother etc. She does this to keep him alive and to make him the good person that she wants to believe he is.

But he (Gordon) was not such a nice guy. He got rich selling body parts on the international market. He explains his work as a form of helping people. Meanwhile Jean meets Gordon's brother, Dwight, and they fall in love. They speculate about love and where do all the contents of cell phone calls go--off into the infinity of the either, etc. Jean decides to try and help one last customer of Gordon's by delivering a body part to South Africa--and insisting the body parts be given away for love and not sold for $$. She is dealing with some very shady characters--she get knocked out and has a near death experience--where she meets-up with Gordon on a far away planet. Luckily she isn't really dead but she returns from this experience to warn other about loving the wrong person.

sez says...there is just the right bit of camp in this production. And what a great play this is. We saw it in Ashland a few years back and while they had a bigger venue and more $$ to spend on props and costumes and staging, Vertigo did a better overall job telling this story. They built up a "Tim Burton type" atmosphere, not dark and morbid but quirky-dark with a touch of vamp-satire. There are many themes running around it this loony story. The whole thing is played straight but with a cartoon-esq, flat edge. And as we go along we are asks profound and inane questions: Are Jean's lies better than Gordon's lies? What are the unimagined and unknowable impact of communications becoming increasingly electronic? How many kinds of love are there? Who owns the cell phone?

While the production as a whole was on the mark--there were some disappointing aspects. Most distressing is that the acting was uneven. Fellows and Ryan held up their ends but esp Calcagno fell off his sharp edge more than once. That is really too bad. We have seen him do ever so much better and here, in this play, he was cast to type to a T. He could have done so much more with Gordon. Maybe Calcagno needs to take a trip to New Jersey and meet a real-life witness protection guy. The kind of fellow who wears Gucci Loafers and gold chains and who is overly aggressive in his presentation of slimy business propositions -- (these guys do exist but they are not so very common in Portland) Such an example might have suggested where he could take this character. And Kahl was great one moment--and then would drop away and seemed to repeat her lines as if she were still working on memorizing them. I can only guess that a little more work all around would have lifted this performance onto a substantially higher plane --but even as it, it is fun and worth seeing.

Bloodyvox, Body Vox, (Grade C)

2010-11-06T10:36:00.000-07:00

Co-Directors Jamey Hampton & Ashley Roland

Performers: Jamey Hampton; Matt Hope; Heather Jackson; Daniel Kirk; Ashley Roland; Eric Skinner; Zachary Caroll; Jonathan Krebs

sez says: hummm, this was a real mixed bag which I guess can be expected from a show that is made up of many short pieces..but overall this was a disappointment. It felt like too many of the pieces were more circus acts than dance. (ie George & George) I know, I know we don't what to limit what falls into the definition of dance--and I love Body Vox for that--even their name (Body Voice) conveys that notion. The body can and does talk...etc etc. But, when I go to a dance show I expect certain things..and again (this is at least the 2nd time I felt this way after a Body Vox show) I felt that some of the dances where not well enough rehearsed. There was too much choppiness and off kilter action from the dancers.
Not so in all cases. For instance Little Miss Tough It was masterfully choreographed and performed. It required precision and the job was done to a tea. But what could have been a lovely piece, The BloodyVox Ball was a mess of people not handling their costumes correctly (lots of cloth needed to be integrated into the dance and it was slipping and having to be grabbed up and in general not handled well by the dancers) which suggests not enough rehearsal time. It is frustrating to watch this sort of thing -- you can see there is a beautiful dance possible but it isn't happening.
I do have to say that again I was totally impressed with the costumes. Ashely Roland does most of the designs and she shines: out doing her self again and again. The designs, the cloth, the colors all work to make each dance something special.

MJC says: fun innovative not necessarily dancing...

Kiss Me Like You Mean It, Third Rail (Grade C-)

2010-10-31T12:10:00.000-07:00

by Chris Chibnall
directed by Slayden Scott Yarbrough
cast:
TONY ..... Isaac Lamb
RUTH ..... Lauren Bair
EDIE ..... Jacklyn Maddux
DON ..... Brian Thompson

sez says: oh my-what has happened to Thrid Rail's Cutting Edge? In past years you could count on them to pick provocative plays that challenge an audience. This play is not bad..but it is not the least bit edgy. It seemed to me to be more like a TV Sit-Com than a play. It is a pleasant little romp but it does not stimulate thought. It does not push us to think about or reconsider the world in any way at all. It has a few 'bad-boy' moments -- like talk of testicles and senior citizens who enjoy sex and and older women who know curse words and can use them properly. (Ho hum--don't the young ones know that us geezers have sex and have been known to curse?) This sort of stuff got a few laughs--but why I am not really sure.

Here is what we are given in this story: Young folks need to find mates--and that is not always easy to establish. But when the opportunity arises it is important to be bold and to act, rather than miss the opportunity of finding a life partner. And, two, when you know you are going to die, it makes sense to take matters into your own hands rather than to allow a disease to be in charge of your last days. OK --and.... there is no more here than that...and all of this has been done much better elsewhere. I would have given this eve a lower grad if it were not for the acting--which was solid. Also, the set was well done....but we need content for our good actors.

Touch, Theater Vertigo (Reading)

2010-10-27T12:44:00.000-07:00

Writer Toni Press-Coffman

Director: Tamara Carroll

Cast:

Danielle Larson
Brooke Fletcher
JR Wickman
Andy Lee-Hillstrom
Jenn Hunter

sez says: this is a wonderful play--the reading was a little bumpy at times but overall well done..and the story is really appealing. Telling the story of a young man--geek/science student in high school. who falls in love with Zoe, marries her and lives, mostly happily every after, until the day she disappears and is later found murdered. With many long monologues buttressed by dialogue that fills out people who encircle the primary character, this story explores the realm of the ways and means of human connectedness. How strongly we are able to bond, how the tearing of that bond can leave us drained. How life without feeling or passion is deadening. How physical reality, emotional reality and even intellectual reality are tied together. Our Vertigo Ensemble sure does pick great work to read and to perform, and that is appreciated.

Telethon, Portland Playhouse (Grade B)

2010-10-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Written by Kristin Newbom
Directed by Rose Riordan

Cast:
Scott ..... Michael O'Connell
Anne ..... Valerie Stevens
Shelly ..... Nikki Weaver
Lewis ..... Casey McFeron
Larry ..... Gary Norman

sez says: two care takers (Scott & Anne) and their flock (Shelly, Lewis & Larry) who are a trio of people inflicted with Cerebral Palsy, sit in a donut shop after various holiday fundraisers and unwind. They are a family of sorts--or at least a community of individuals who know each other intimately. They banter and brag and fight and joke-around like any group of close friends..except in this case, two are paid (paid very little $$ wise) to care for the other three. The three who are the cared-for are part of the invisible word--the world we would rather not look at, so we shy away from them and their awkward jerky physical motions, and we seldom see them as people in the world. But here, in this play, the audience is forced to see them as they are, just as nutty and aggressive and helpful and belligerent, and wanting to be accepted as the rest of us. And they are sometimes care givers themselves--connected to each other and to their care givers via the interactions of everyday life.

This is not specifically about cerebral Palsy--it is about people caring about each other..and then moving on. It is about ephemeral relationships, that can be intense when they exist and then can be gone in the wink of an eye. This is not told in a linear fashion, but rather it is presented as the sum of shared experiences and told via snippets of time that our group spends together. And then about how all that seems solid turns to dust, as life moves on and changes come from unexpected places.

Well acted. A gathering of people who won't be easy to forget.

MJC SAYS: The acting pool has deepened and gained in skills since our arrival in Portland as demonstrated by this production.

Great Falls, Profile Theater (Grade A)

2010-10-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

by Lee Blessing
Director, Jane Unger
Cast:
Monkey Man ..... Tim True
Bitch ..... Ana Reiselman

sez says: this is the story of a step-father and step-daughter who are deeply connected (as father and daughter) but who have been torn apart by a difficult divorce. They are on a car trip across country initiated by the step-father and begrudging supported by the step-daughter. Step-dad says he wants to talk--but does not do it when the opportunity is available; Step-daughter is caustic, angry, verbally abusive, and very much in need of an adult to help her through a serious problem. Neither party here is all right--or all wrong. They struggle to find a way to heal the past and the present but there is no easy fix. Dad claims there must be a place --a time--when he will no longer have to pay for his past discretion. The daughter can not imagine a man --even a son--that deserves to exist. Both are wrong.. there is no point when the the past is wiped away and there may be men in the world who are not monsters --one might be her step-dad, but the bridge to that place is tenuous. Step dad sums it up with the line that was something like: I wish I could do you good with doing you harm.

Great acting and a really moving, contemporary story.

MJC Says: well acted, solid story, got emotionally engaged, what more can you ask. Thanks for making a step parent into a caring person and not a villain.

An Iliad, Portland Center Stage, Grade A

2010-10-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

Written by Denis O'Hare and Lisa Peterson, based on Homer's The Iliad
Directed by Penny Metropulos
Staring Joseph Graves

sez says: this is what theater is suppose to be, engaging, serious, alive, even breathtaking and full of purpose. Rage is the beginning, an epic is told, but what is the human reality underlying the emotion and the history? Why do humans war? Strife raises its head and grows till it fills the sky, says our one man singer/storyteller. He asks repeatedly, do you see what I am saying? can you really see it? And no one can ignore what his words bring into the room. He makes us see even if we don't want to look. The energy required to provide this performance is extraordinary--but Graves ran this marathon--a full hour and 45 minutes, non-stop, without skipping a beat, or resting in the process. This is a suburb piece of theater, beautifully done.

Sunset Blvd, Portland Center Stage (Grade C)

2010-09-15T14:50:00.000-07:00

Music By Andrew Lloyd Webber
Book & Lyrics by Don Black & Christopher Hapmton
Based on Billy Wilder Film
Directed by Chris Coleman
cast:
Norma Desmond .....   Linda Mugleston
Max von Meyerling   ..... Larry Daggett
Joe Gillis .....   Kevin Reed
Betty Schaefer ..... Sarah Stevens
also...Michael Brian Dunn; Jessica Lisa Elovsson; Tony Falcon; Courtney Freed; Lisa Karlin; Robert Andrew Koutras; Emily Leondar; Paul Louis Lessard; Lindsay Luppino; Leif Norby; Jeffery Pew; Kurt Raimer; Robert Stoeckle; Tracy J Wholf.
Orchestra Conducted by Rick Lewis

sez says: too bad, this just doesn't have much spunk. It reminded me of something you might see on a cruise ship--with maybe more talent than you'd find on an average cruise ship but less energy than those cruise ship kids generate. Mugleston (as Norma Desmond) did the best among them -- you have to give her credit for holding-up her end of the job-- but Reed (Joe Gillis) was weak. He even made the title tune, "Sunset Blvd"--which is a passionate piece of music--feel forced and heavy. A couple of cast numbers tried to build-up some steam : 'The Lady's Paying' and 'This Time Next Year' provided some moments of hope that the show would get up on its feet...but it didn't manage to do it. Can't say much in its favor, it is a middle of the road event.

Ah, Wilderness! - Artist Repertory Theatre

2010-09-12T23:37:00.000-07:00

writer: Eugene O'Neill
directror: Pat Patton
playing Sept 7th to Oct 10th 2010

cast:
Nat Miller   .....   Michael Fisher-Welsh
Essie Miller   .....   Sharonlee McLean
Arthur   .....   Nathan Crosby
Richard   .....   Philip Orazio
Mildred   .....   Helena Fisher-Welsh
Tommy   .....   Blake Peebles
Sid Davis   .....   Don Adler
Lily Miller   .....   Vana O'Brien
David McComber / Salesman   .....   Gary Powell
Murial   .....   Amaya Villazan
Wint   .....   Samuel Benedict
Bella & Nora   .....   Amy Newman
Bartender   .....   Grant Turner

sez says: Given that A Long Days Journey Into Night depicts a version of O'Neill's real family, you can imagine he wrote this as an offering of what he thought a 'good family' might look like. The Miller family is one to love--and to emulate. It has plenty of quirks but it is held together by love and respect for each other. It nurtures its children and does the right thing all the time. It is rather refreshing--and while parts of the Millers are familiar to all families--they are not like any family I've ever seen outside fiction. It may be what we yearn for--but it is a far cry from what most people actually experiences.

Well written (as you'd expect from O'Neill), well acted all round, very nice costumes, and then comes the one strange flaw. The set is second rate. It seems to be half done with poles and ropes exposed hanging above the stage area. Even the furnishings were shoddy. The lace table cloth didn't fit the table, the book case was half-full of what looks like old Readers Digest reject books, and such. This is suppose to be the early 20th century...this set didn't look it. It looked a bit too much like a second hand store.

Oh, The Humanity, Our Shoes Are Red / Performance Lab @ Portland Playhouse

2010-09-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

Writer William Eno
Directed By Devon Allen

cast: Tim Stapleton, Casey Pfeifer, Matthew Dibiasio, Jennifer Rowe Hadley Boyd, Hans Eleveld

Sept 2010

sez says: I sure like William Eno, we attended a reading of his play GNIT, at JAW last summer--it was wonderful. So we jumped at the opportunity to see another of his works, this being the "Portland Premier" of OH, THE HUMANITY, which is is made up of five short piece. This is not a standard narrative/story. Rather it is 5 separate vignettes--tied together loosely by a concern with the "Majesty" (Eno's word) and complexity of life and by the fact that all life is ephemeral but even-so it provides a kaleidoscope of action, emotion, yearnings, awe and sorrow--any and all of which can be altered by the way it is viewed.
For instance, one scene is of a woman, representing an airline, taking to the friends and family of an airplane that has just crashed , and from which there are no survivors. She has no standard rap to give (which she reminds us is a good thing--because seldom do planes fall from the sky) but as she gropes for something worthwhile--or meaningful to say--she reminds us that we are all on our way down. She hopes the passengers never realized they were falling as she stumbles around imagining their last minutes of life and trying to find words, any words, to make meaning of life, anyone's life.
In another scene a photographer and his assistance bring the audience into the show by making the audience the subject of a photograph. They talk about another group photo, taken of soldiers during Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Rider Adventures in Cuba. They tell the audience that they are seeking to find our souls in the photo and suggest we adjust our gaze to seek our highest moral selves, to look concerned for the world, to demonstrate an expression of compassion..and so on..so these elements of our humanity can be caught on film.
The acting was fine, not exceptional, but solid.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of Eno's work.

Stones In His Pocket, Public Playhouse (Grade B)

2010-09-11T00:16:00.000-07:00

By Marie Jones
Director Michael Mendelson

Cast: Dustin Milberg as Charlie & Christopher David Murray as Jake

At CoHo Theater 2257 NW Raleigh, Portland Oregon -- Sept 10, to Oct 2, 2010

sez says: This play requires tremendous dexterity from the actors. Milberg and Murry must portray 15 different characters--and they do it so well that they make it look easy: a turn of the head and a new person appear, or a step is taken in one direction, there is a short halt, and seamlessly another character appears. At times there were dances of twists and turns that accompanied a bouncing back and forth between characters: Very impressive stuff, indeed fun to watch and well done. Not just any one could pull this off but Milberg and Murry proved they have the required skill.

The play itself is about lots of things and it is simply laid out. What is the impact of Hollywood on people's dreams? What happens to traditional cultural when it comes face to face with the dream makers and fakers? Who is responsible for telling / remembering truth? It is not deep--or complex--but it is honest and it has entertainment value. I certainly would not hesitate from recommending it to kith and kin.

But I do have a gripe. And I would ask anyone who sees it to think about this: Why are the women characters so hideous? Is it necessary to the story? The first time a female character appeared I thought the character being portrayed was a send-up of a fastidious gay man who was working on the set. As it turns out the character is an impatient she, who is generally hysterical and unkind. Similarly the 'famous actress' was played as if she were a drag queen. Both of these characters were set-up as entirely unattractive people. I am not sure that this was in the script. There is no question that the skill of the actors would have allowed them to play these characters in a variety of ways. So it must have been the director who wanted it this way. It would be interesting to read the script and to see if the author intended the misogyny that was displayed. I suspect not. I'd have to get a copy of the script to really answer this question . But it seemed a curious and sorry aspect of an otherwise good show.

Stage Left Lost, IMAGO (Grade B+)

2010-08-28T09:44:00.000-07:00

Imago Theater, 17 Wast 8th Ave, Portland, Oregon

Director/Writer An original work by Jerry Mouawad

sez says: wish I could list the cast --but the Director's note we got at the performance does not have their names--nor do they appear at the web site. It is a cast of 12 and they do a strong performance--as a company--and yet each individual very specifically adds something extra to the whole. No talk here -- but the story is clear: jealousy, spurned affection, betrayals of the hearts, these things can lead to tragedy. This is a take-off of Othello, sort of--but certainly not a version of Othello. It is an adventurous combination of theater and dance and performance art and I found it entirely enjoyable.

Long Day's Journey Into Night - Artists Repertory Theatre (Grade C)

2010-08-23T16:55:00.000-07:00

Director: Andrew Upton
Venue Newmark Theate
Cast:
James Tyrone   .....   William Hurt
Mary Tyrone   .....   Robyn Nevin
James Tyrone, Jr.   .....   Todd Van Voris
Edmond Tyrone   .....   Luke Mullins
Cathleen   .....   Emily Russell

sez says: Robyn Nevins is extraordinary--and even with the faults this production has, and it has faults, it is worth seeing if only to watch Nevins fully inhabit, pitch-perfect, the character of Mary Tyrone. I sit here still awe-struck by her performance. She is a great gift.
And, of course this is a great play. The story is well enough known: Dysfunctional family--mom is a morphine addict; dad is a miser; older son is a drunk; younger son has consumption. Each has reasons for being the way they are and those reasons are reveled -- and they all even know their shortcomings --but none seem to break the pattens that beleaguer them--as individuals, as a family. Yet they do care deeply for each other--while they abuse each other.
BUT THERE WAS A BIG PROBLEM: The dialogue was at times hard to hear. I wondered if it was the acoustics, then I wondered if it was my ears, than I realized I could hear Nevins fine, all the time. It was Mullins that was hardest to hear: I probably lost at least a quarter, or more, of his lines. And it was Hurt too -- he slurred his lines at times -- possibly trying to push the dialogue to quicker pace, or to portray himself as a drunk -- but regardless of the cause, words were getting lost. Losing words in the theater is not ok..esp so in a play like this one.
I was greatly looking forward to seeing this. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I did expect something better than was delivered.

London Assurance, NT Live Presented by Third Rail (Grade A)

2010-07-18T15:39:00.000-07:00

NT Live is a HD broadcast of performances by The National Theater of London , Third Rail is hosting this series in Portland
Director Nicholas Hytner
by Dion Boucicault
cast:
Cool, a valet   .....   Nick Sampson
Martin, a man servant .....   Richard Frame
Charles Courtly, Sir Harcourt's Son .....   Paul Ready
Richard Dazzel   .....   Matt Cross
Sir Harcourt Courtly .....   Simon Russell Beale
Pert, servant to the Harkaways   .....Maggie Service
Squire Max Harkaway   .....   Mark Addy
James, servant to the Harkaways .....   Simon Markey
Grace Harkaway   .....   Michelle Terry
Mark Meddle, attorney at law ..... Tony Jayawardena
Lady Gay Spanker   .....   Fiona Shaw
Mr. Adolphus Spanker   .....   Richard Briers
Mr. SOlomon Isaacs .....   Junix Inocian
Doctor .....   David Whitworth
Servants   .....   Mark Extance; Prasanna Puwanarajah
Doctor's Daughters .....   Fiona Drummond; Laura Matthews

sez ...thank you Third Rail for hosting these broadcasts. This was a hoot. It is a play from 1841 that holds strong in the 21st century, with disdain for lawyers; parent's who have fantasies about who their children really are; asking should you marry for love or money; presenting women who are smarter thatn all the men around them; and providing a array of characters that are much bigger than life--and, most important, who are all played to perfection..
I don't remember when I enjoyed any single performance by an actor more than I did Simon Russell Beal's Sir Harcourt Courtly. His physical presentation of this character was a full blown delight. And Fiona Shaw's Lady Gay Spanker blew the top off any other possible presentation that could ever be of this wild woman...who even circa 1841 is presented as wearing the pants in her family--and happily so according to her husband.
The story does not seem to matter a bit (we all know wht is going to happen) - the fun is in the characters--and it is quite possible that they could have been doing anything, in any story, and they would have been fun to watch.

Night Terrors, JAWS Reading at Portland Center Stage July 2010

2010-07-18T15:16:00.000-07:00

by Ebbe Roe Smith
cast
Evelyn   .....   Darius Pierce
Horse & Alien   .....   Casey McFeron
Incubi, Maga, Sucubi   .....   Ebbe Row Smith
Stage Driections ..... Jennifer Rowe

sez says: there is a lot of laugh out loud material here--especially so since it was very well read by Pierce & McFeron. Author Smith did his lines ok--but he isn't an actor--he certainly knows what he wants his character to say/do but the pros did a better job in creating characters.    And of course, it seems that Pierce can do no wrong. How lucky we are to have him here in Portland So this was fun to hear read.

But ...

Re; The play/script/story: It is a BOY STORY. Aging and Ego and Competition in the workplace align with bad fiction to create unhappy nights full of monsters. And while McFeron & Pierce made as much as they could of the characters--there really is NO character development. There is just a guy and his fears --those malevolent powers that want his sperm / read manhood. And, pity be, there are female characters who are crafty enough to get what they want. There is just a slight hint of rancor toward women showing in the presentation of 'the feminine' --be that in women's books, or female characters dishonest and manipulative ways (saying one thing when they want something else) ... which the male characters don't stoop to.

I think this would make a find graphic novel -- but to become a piece for the theater I think it needs a lot more work.

Live Girls, CoHo (Grade D-)

2010-07-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

Written by Natalie Rose
Directed by Toni McDowell
Cast:
Baby..... Pat Janowski
Fantasy ..... Meegan Anslee
CHerry   .....   Alyssa Roehrenbeck
Jason   .....   Jonah Weston
Tigress .....   Danika Louise
Divinity   .....   Rocket
Juli / Extacy   .....   ilena herrin
Sapphire   .....   Briana Ratterman
DJ Prik   .....   Stephan Henry

sez says: too bad about this--what a great topic/ Strip Clubs / and what a failure at providing any insight at all into this culture: there is NO STORY and there is NO Character Development in the play. This is a fly-on-the-wall observation of conversations, which revels small amounts about the characters but nothing more. You've got: an aging stripper with dreams of marrying a customer; a mom stripper hooked on drugs who might lose her child; a new stripper, who takes to the profession like gang busters; an exotic stripper who has moved deeper into the world of porn and is making movies and doing light S&M at the strip club. Meanwhile, you've got a stripper that gets pregnant and doesn't know who the daddy is, but who leave the club. You've got a Catholic girl, who hates cursing, has bruises she can't explain, and who overdoses. You've got women who give there money to men who are obvious using them. You have a woman who has become a lesbian because she has had it with men. You have a club manager who falls in love with strippers and is always disappointed and drinks his way out of misery. The acting was really mixed and needed some stronger direction. But mostly this material needed a story. It needs to get us into the whole life of at least one--or more--of these characters and thus to actually provide insight into this world. Nothing that was presented was news. In fact it was generally rather boring. It gets a D-minus from me--and that is only becasue it attempted to approach an important topic..but it fell way short of doing anything interesting.

Backs Like That, Imago Theatre (Grade B)

2010-06-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

Backs Like That was written by Carol Triffle
cast
Danielle Vermette ..... ChloeJerry Mouawad ..... business Owner Morton
Darren McCarthy ..... Donnie the boyfriend
Kyle Delamarter ..... Joey the brother
Robert Gaynor ..... the Dad

sez says: this piece tends toward the Avant Garde -- it is about dysfunctional families, about people who think they have secrets, it is about trying to find a place in the world..., it is about having to carry around all the baggage of your life where ever you go.
In this case, a lot of Chloe's baggage is in attendance at her first day of work at a new job. --that baggage would be her family --father, brother, boyfriend. There are some very funny bits; some songs that won't make it to the top 40, but that fit snugly into this exploration. The acting is wonderful, physical, comic, exploiting telling movements eloquently ... and the script is certainly thought provoking. There is good reason it is not suggested for children --not so much becasue of sex or violence--but because the underside of family life is hard to explain. Original work, made in Portland and to be appreciated. (grade B--for good job)

Little Ugly, Vertigo (READING)

2010-06-12T04:57:00.000-07:00

Playwrite: Jen Silverman
Director Jane Fellows

Cast:
Darios Pierce   .....   Ze
Mario Calcagno   .....   Roma
Brooke Fletcher   .....   Little Ugly
JR Wickman   .....   Mikhail
ileana herrin, Jean Hunter & R David Wyllie --Chorus

sez says: this production, presented in conjunction with The Classic Greek Theatre of Oregon, was a reading of a new play by Ms Silverman. The play is harsh--and the reading was not always smooth--but the whole was more interesting than the sum of its parts. Harvesting blood --killing dreams -- exploitation and suffering form the larger contours of the play. It is supposed to be loosely based on the Greek myth of Prometheus --who steals fire from the Gods and gives it to humans--then he must live in chains and literally be food for the birds for the rest of his life. How the myth and the play fit together is not immediately apparent --but Roma does set Little Ugly free (gives her fire?) and his life is not looking too pleasant as a result. This felt a lot like a work in progress from start to end and team Vertigo did a fine job getting it up off the ground to look at it. As a work in progress it is hard to grade. It contained interesting stuff, It was well written. But it seems to me like it belonged at JAWS where it could be worked on properly and brought into shape. no grade

Lime Tree Bower, CoHo (Grade A)

2010-06-12T04:36:00.000-07:00

Playwright: Conor McPherson
Director: Devon Allen
Cast:
Joe   ..... Matthew Micucci
Frank, Joe's Older Brother   .....   Matthew DiBiasio
Ray, their sister Carmel's boyfriend   .....   Dennis Kelly

sez says: this play is a series of monologues --all pitch perfectly done. Using Irish accents that were realistic but never hard to understand we are given three characters who are storytellers of the first rank. They are: A young man--coming of age; An older brother, whose first concern is to help his father and who engages in daring -do to accomplish that end; A college professor who is a narcissistic prig of the first-order and who is an alcoholic--who provides never ending crude comic relief. Mixed in there is rape and robbery and finally a resolution of sorts--for all but the girl. Wonderful story telling--well done all round --and a beautiful set to-boot. Grade A

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Portland Center Stage (Grade B+)

2010-06-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

Director: Rose Riordan
Lyrics and Music by William Finn / Book by Rachel Sheinkin
cast:

Leaf Coneybear   .....   Connor Bond
Marcy Park   .....   Ka-Ling Cheung
Mitch Mahoney   .....   Gavin Gregory
William Barfee   ..... Isaac Lamb
Chip Tolentino   .....   Raymond J Lee
Rona Lisa Peretti   .....   Susannah Mars
Logainne'Schwartzy' Schwartandgrubeierre   .....   Ellie Mooney
Douglas Panch   .....   Darius Pierce
Olive Ostrovsky   .....   Sara Catherine Wheatley

sez says: this was a lot of fun. The personalities of pre--and early--pubescent children are a treasure trove for comedy. And this story puts that gawky, awkward, ever so serious and delicate time of life on display without mockery. Two performers stood out: Isaac Lambs and Ellie Mooney. Both of these people put something extra into their parts that made them shine. Everyone else did great jobs -- but the physicality of Lamb and Mooney made the whole performance special. The story is unmitigated fun, as contestants engage The Bee. And the audience participation was just right and added a touch of knowledge that every performance was being made into its own unique presentation based on strangers to the cast appearing on stage. The dancing too was top notch. The only down side was that some of the lyrics were impossible to hear/understand. That made a near perfect production lose some luster. (grade B+)

Dividing The Estate, Profile Theatre (Grade B)

2010-05-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

Playwrite: Horton Foote
Director: Pat Patton
Scene: Harrison Texas, 1987

CAST:
Cathleen   .....   Shoshana Maxwell
Lewis   .....   Duffy Epstein
Lucille   .....   Mindi Logan
Pauline   .....   Brooke Fletcher
Sissie   .....   Brittany Burch
Emily   .....   Amy Newman
Son   .....   David Sikking
Stella Gordon   .....   Eve Roberts
Doug   .....   Kenneth Dembo
Mildred   .....   Jocelyn Seid
Mary Jo   .....   Jane Unger
Bob   .....   Jason Maniccia
Irene Ratcliff   ..... Briana Ratterman

sez says: This reading was well done and the story a fine cap to this series of Horton Foote plays. 'The children' of 'The Estate' are an unwieldy group--selfish and yet defined by their relationships to each other and the land from which their wealth is derived. Mama--is a domineering matriarch who wants to control the future far after her death; few of the family have ever worked; selfishness has gone ballistic; and the family sings Christian hymns together. Meanwhile money holds them together and divides them at the same time. Great entertainment and a look at America c. 1980s--needing to rill up its shirt sleeves and get back to work.
P.S.We will be missing Brittany Burch as she takes off for Chicago to study with Steppenwolf. We would be happy if she came back to Portland. But we also wish her well and hope her career takes her where ever she wants to go

Gracie and the Atom, Artist Repertory Theatre (Grade C-)

2010-05-18T00:37:00.000-07:00

Written by McKinley
Directed by Allen Nause
World Premiere
Cast:
Gracie ..... Beth Soto
Angela ..... Brooke Markham
Beth ..... Marissa Neitling
Gabriella ..... Melissa Murry
CHrista ..... Kylie Clarke Johnson
SIster Lidwina ..... Emily Beleele
Sister Francis ..... Mary Baird

sez says: first off Mary Baird was perfect! What a great performance. And this I say in the face of strong performances all around. To a person all the woman in this play did a fine job creating their characters --but no question about it Baird's Physics teacher, Sister Francis was an outstanding delight. That makes it sad that the show was not worthy of their work. It is a musical -- and a couple of the song are clever -- but none are particularly good. The idea of the story is o.k.-- not a grand achievement -- but a structure to hang the songs on (my dad id dead and who is my mother). But again, the songs just didn't have what it takes to pull the story up out of ho-hum. But good for ART to give this a whirl--and how nice it is to see anything at all that tries to depict honestly the lives of adolescent females. We really do need to find some good material to begin exploring that strange land -- Grease and its progeny really are not what the average girl's life is about. But we will have to keep waiting becasue that mystery is not really explored here either. (Grade C-)

The Habit of Art, NT Live Presented by Third Rail (Grade A)

2010-05-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

NT Live is a HD broadcast of performances by The National Theater of London , Third Rail is hosting this series.
a new play by Alan Bennett
Director Nicholas Hytner
cast:
Frits (WH Auden) ..... Richard Griffiths
Henry (Benjamin Britten) ..... Alex Jennings
Donald (Humphrey Carpenter) ..... Adrian Scarborough
Tim (Stuart) ..... Srephen Wright
Kay (Stage Manager) Frances De La Tour

sez says: what a joy to see such a perfect production, with wit and irony and snide asides those people who we are suppose to see as 'the great ones' are played as people with flaws. Their talents and contributions are not denied: they continue to be held in the highest esteem. But they are also human and the play focuses heavily on the underbelly of who they were. From Auden peeing in his kitchen sink, to Britten's admiration of little boys. And while we may be told in art classes that we stand on their shoulders and that we must genuflect to the creative genius they left for us--we also need to remember that they too stood on the backs of others, in order to do the work they did. There are the house cleaners that keep their homes and the 'rent boys' whom they desire and toss aside--and, as the play says, 'there is always somebody left out of the story.' Indeed isn't that always the case--how often do any of us acknowledge our debt to all the invisible people who hold the social order in place. (Grade perfect A)

The Young Man From Atlanta, Profile Theatre, (Grade C)

2010-05-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

Playwright: Horton Foote
Director: Pat Patton

Cast:
Will Kidder   .....   Tobias Anderson
Tom Jackson   .....   Jonah Weston
Miss Lacey   .....   Briana Ratterman
Ted Cleveland Jr. ..... Jason Maniccia
Lily Dale ..... JoAnn Johnson
Pete Davenport ..... Scott Malcolm
Clara ..... Jocelyn Seid
Carson ..... Schuyler Schmid
Etta Doris ..... LaVerne Green

sez says: this Pulitzer Prize winning play is a wonder of language and characters. Foote's style is so easy, so invisible, so perfectly pitched, that you feel like you are watching real people talking to each other in the most ordinary way. And you wonder what is this about --and then 'life' happens to the character and they stand their ground and take it and find ways to prevail by simply being themselves.
This performance was mixed: Tobias Anderson certainly made Will Kidder come alive but JoAnn Johnson struggled with Lily Dale. She just didn't meet the bar. The rest of the cast were fine--not great but perfectly adequate to tell the story.
And here are some issue the play gives you to chew: How well do any of us know our children. How much do we want to know about them? If the Young Man From Atlanta comes to tell us about them, will we let him in? And how does anyone cope with loss?   How do you know who to trust? If you only child kills himself and you don't know why how do you cope? What might you do / or what might you be willing to believe to find solace? As you turn the corner and head down the last part of life how do you keep going when everything you believed in and worked for begins to unravel? And there is more--presented in the most everyday sort of talk with everyday activities going on all around. It is a wonderful piece of work -- and it is well worth seeing, even in a production that is not perfect.

The Pavilion, Third Rail Reading (Grade A)

2010-05-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Playwright: Craig Wright
Read By: Valerie Stevens; Damon Kupper; Michael O'Connell

sez says: wonderful play, well read--exploring such topics as: everything you do has consequences and moves the universe forward; at the same time everything you do is insignificant as the universe moves forward. The universe does not go backward we cannot change what's happened. Each of our actions--no matter how seemingly big or small--shapes our existence and the way the world works all around us: to sit down or not to sit down, which door you choose to use, to smile or not--all have consequences. And nobody "has it together' everyone is struggling with something --but this isn't bad--right now is an opportunity to try again. The danger lies in living in the past--not ignoring the past--but not letting go of the past. To linger in the past is to abdicate the future: and all hope dies there. You must keep moving forward with the universe. All of this demonstrated at a High School reunion where the 'Cutest Senior Couple' find each other and must deal with their past and their futures.

mjc says: this was my kind of play--lots of interaction, wonderful words and images, philisophical as well as religious as well as intensely personal. So, thank you for the experience.

The Gray Sisters, Third Rail (Grade B-)

2010-05-08T03:10:00.000-07:00

Playwright: Craig Wright
Director: Slayden Scott-Yarbough

Cast:
Sarah ( not called Sarah in the play, called Pokey) ...    Stephanie Gaslin
Pam    ...    Maureen Porter
Anya    ...    Valerie Stevens
Dina    ...    Gretchen Corbett

sez says: this play was written for Third Rail--and that is a wonderful and deserved compliment to the company but--the play itself feels unfinished, not fully fleshed-out. That is not the company's problem--but the play's problem. It is a good play in many ways..but it is rough in places and doesn't quite all hang together. The women of the company did fine jobs with the material--esp Stephanie Gaslin and even more so, Valerie Stevens. But fine performances can't fill in for the empty spots in the play.

The play is about a family that has baggage. The men of the family have been either 1) absent/unavailable (even when present) and, when a replacement is found step-dad turns out to be 2) a good-dad/bad-dad. Meanwhile mom is an oblivious sidelight with her own weaknesses. We learn this -and much more -- via four monologues (one for each actor/sister) that build upon each other, each adding late breaking news and detail about the past, and thus a story is told of parental betrayal and the forever-after coping with that betrayal. It is harrowing at times. And it comes real close to falling into the abyss of lets bash parents for all the problems of the world. Where it is good is when it begins to show that the children are really very much like the parents they are struggling to cope with. This is best seen via Porter's character--as she talks to her mother--we glimpse that her characters may well be not much different than the mother she is complaining about. Meanwhile the play seems to want to say, as Anya tells her son after the plays most emotionally draining scenes, life is worthwhile, even at its worst. It might have made that point with more to prove it is true, if there had been more relationship between the sisters. But--that might come--becasue I bet this play will go though some more revisions before it is really finished. If it does, I'll back and see it again. If it is never revised --then I wouldn't bother going in for a second round. It was ok for one performance but without some more work it will probably not go anywhere from here. That would be too bad   (Grade B-)

The Last of the Thorntons, PROFILE THEATRE (B)

2010-05-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

Director Grant Turner
Writer: Horton Foote
"One Night Stand - Reading"

cast:
Ms Pearl ..... Victoria Blake
Fannie Mae .... JoAnn Johnson
Clarabelle ..... LaVerne Green
Older Woman ..... Bibi Walton
Ora Sue ..... Kristen Martz
Alberta ..... Jacklyn Maddux
Lewis ..... Richard Matthews
Annie Gayle ..... Jane Fellow
Douglas Jackson ..... Dave Bodin
Tom ..... Scott Carson

sez says--this was a reading--not a full production--but as usual Profile brings just enough of the characters into a reading to give it a little more oomph than a traditional reading. This was nicely done, and it is a lovely piece of literature. Jane Fellows only had one line--but she made her presence intensely felt to the telling to the tale. Everyone read their parts well--but JoAnn Johnson really stood out. Thank you all for a delightful evening. (Grade B)

Othello, Artist Repertory Theatre (F)

2010-05-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Director Jon Kretzu
Author: William Shakespeare

Cast:
Othello   .....   Victor Morris
Desdemona   .....   Amaya Villazan
Iago   .....   Todd Van Voris
Emila   .....   Sarah Lucht
Brabantio / Lodovico ..... Michael Mendelson
Roderigo   .....   Alec Wilson
Duke of Venice / Gratiano / Montano   .....   Nathan Dunkin
Bianca   .....   KB Mercer
Cassio   .....   JJ Johnson

sez says: we left at intermission. We've seen a variety of productions--on film and stage--of Othello. It is one of my favorite's from The Bard. This production might have been ok but it has a couple fatal flaws. The first and most deadly was, you could not hear some of the actors. In particular this was a problem for the central character Iago played by Van Voris (whom we generally love). He spoke in a conversational voice that did not carry well. We literally could not hear a quarter (or more) of what he was saying. But it was true of some of the others too. (With one exception, and that was Michael Mendelson, who did a great, and believable job in the role of Desdemona's father) Add the desperate struggle to hear to the second problem, which was that much--maybe most--of the action was played to the center--so the audience on the side could seldom see the actor's faces. Without visual cues (combined with not being able to hear the the dialogue clearly) the production went murky. I know the story--but if I didn't, I speculate I would have had no idea what was happening. I am sorry to have missed the second half to see how Morris played Othello's decline into the dark waters of jealousy--but the first half was too difficult.

mjc says: this was a real disappointment, I was looking forward to a refreshing look at this classic. I have been to enough Shakspeare to know that you need to give your brain a chance to let the language--its rhythm and archaic usages--a chance to click in. I could not hear well enough, or see the actors well enough, to get up to speed.  The whole thing escaped me and I am so trained up to stay for the whole show it is a demonstration of how disconnected I was that when given the choice of staying or leaving I voted with my feet.  (Grade F)

Mike's Incredible Indian Adventure, Portland Center Stage, (Grade B)

2010-05-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Written & Performed by Mike Schlitt
Directed by Nancy Keystone (Mike's wife)

sez says: What an interesting and honest story Mike tells about his life and his quest (or might that be his mania) to be "a great artist" (whatever that might be) -- or, as Mike says, to have the opportunity to sell out. With no intermission this 80 minute, multi-media dialogue flies by and entertains.

But here is the rub: It is of the genre of self revelation. It is in line with all of the stories that have proliferated in the last decade that wind around a plot that "tells-all" --- "I really did this" and how bad (or stupid) I feel about it. Or the theme of "This happened to me" and I survived. Or the "Aren't you shocked by my truth" stories. Most of that genre has grown stale and ends with an audience walking away stunned and/or celebrating the human capacity to overcome, or just wondering "why should we care." And then we forget the whole thing the next day. Most of this genre fades away quickly because it is too personal and it fails to find the universal that makes a work of art meaningful and lasting. "Mike's Great Adventure.." might have jumped the divide by expanding on themes that are universal that sat right in front of him. But he misses the mark. He emphasizes a point during which he says "the whole story is told" when he could have--but he didn't--tell the truth. But a bigger truth comes out when you ask why he couldn't tell the truth--and that is a story about self delusion.

Self delusion is a dangerous and ever so prevalent aspect of life. What allowed Mike to believe his tawdry production was art? We need only to ask how and why he--AND WE--know so little about India--or anywhere else for that matter. Is it not because we believe WE must be the center of all stories? Is it not our national as well as out personal arrogance that is blocking us? For instance when we see Mike in a TV interview calling India "small and weak" -- that is not just a personal embarrassment -- it is a cultural and ideological stance that is an apt demonstration of our self delusion at a larger scale. Self delusion--at a personal level --and at an national scale--keeps us from being able to speak truths that are lost in the mist of our delusions.

Radio Golf, Portland Playhouse (Grade B)

2010-04-23T23:37:00.000-07:00

Playwright: August Wilson

Presented as a joint work by Portland Playhouse and Base Roots Theater Company

Director: Brian Weaver

cast:

Hammond Wilks Lawence E. Street

Mame Wilks Andrea White

Roosevelt Hicks Bobby Bermea

Sterling Johnson Victor Mack

Elder Joseph Barlow Kevin E Jones

sez says: What a neat little theater, housed in an old church. The space feels full of love and creative energy and commitment to the performing arts. It is a pleasure to find such a place--and not a surprise to discover it here in North Portland. This production has heart. Of course August Wilson left the world a legacy of work that can enrich our souls and should be mulled over and over and over again. I personally will go to any performance of his work that is available for me to see--anywhere --anytime. (Can you tell I am a fan) So that fanaticism got us to this production. The play itself can only be fully appreciated as a part of a much larger story--told in preceding plays about this community. But the play also stand alone, asking how do we hold on to what is important in the past while we move into the future. The acting here was a little uneven--but it was plenty good enough --and the story held its own, even in the face of a few technical difficulties. Kudos all around, and thanks. (Grade B)

The Chosen, Portland Center Stage (Grade D-)

2010-04-17T10:02:00.000-07:00

Director: Chris Coleman
From the Book The Chosen by Chaim Potok, stage play by Aaron Posner

Cast
Reuben Malter Matthew Boston
Young Rauven Malter Carter Hudson
Reb Saunders Daivd Margulies
Danny Saunders Jonathan David Martin
David Malter John Rothman

sez says: The acting was great--the staging was fine but the play itself is a bust. Uncritical endorsements of Zionism, in any form, are in questionable taste. If you want to tell one side of a story, tell the other side. Is it possible that people in Portland know so little about what happened to the Palestinians (the people who occupied the area that the Zionist took), that they can sit and listen to accusations that the Palestinian were attacking Jewish Settlements without at least feeling a bit squeamish? Excuse me, did the Palestinians not have a right to at least try to protect their land and their homes?
Anyway, politics aside (which is hard to do)--my question about this play is: What if you removed all of the disagreeable politics and set the play in some other time and place--what would you have? Well--you'd have an entirely unbelievable story about fairytale father-son relationships (has anyone ever had --or known of --fathers or sons like the ones in this story?) The story ends with the conclusions that son's must find their own paths, even if that disappoints their fathers. And good fathers, while disappointed, will love their sons and accept their decisions. Well...humm. how new or interesting or realistic is that? And, is it worth an entire play? Maybe it is worthy of a sub-plot--but if that is all there is--that ain't much. Real fathers and sons do struggle--but those struggles are never so simple as they are presented here.
And, one last point. A little fact checking is needed: I don't think a Hasidim would be tossing a football around with his pal. Footballs are made of pigskin.

The As If Body Loop, Reading at TheatreVertigo

2010-04-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

Writer: Ken Weitzman

Reading (April 2010)

--sez says -- the reading was fine-- a little rough in places (some readers were less familiar with their lines than others --so there were some take-backs and restarts..but nothing terrible) but the story was well told. It is a tight story--all the elements are well managed and every element that is presented finds a neat place to get tucked back in so there is a complete little universe presented with no loose ends. Plus there are some good laughs. But I found myself both cheering-on and being angry with the story's message. The "As If" is right up my alley-- you cannot see someone suffer without suffering yourself. It is 'As If' you were suffering from the same thing. I'm with ya there. An injury to one is an injury to all. But this is told in the context of a dysfunctional family -- and the mother and father are the source of the suffering. That pisses me off--it is "as if" the parents suffering does not count. That they were not able to be good parents shouldn't be seen as some character flaw. Rather it is the result of their being hurt people too. The hurt and suffering comes from a larger place--the culture as a whole --not just from your mom and dad. We've got to get past this "blame it on the parents" thing if we are going to address the source of the suffering--and--as the play points out, find our ability to heal each other.

Gods's Ear, TheatreVertigo (A-)

2010-04-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

By Jenny Schwartz
Directed by Philip Cuomo

Cast:
Mel ... Heather Rose Walters
Ted ..... Mario Calcagno
Lanie ..... Amy Newman
Tooth Fairy ..... Jenn Hunter
GI Joe / Flight Attendant ..... Gary Norman
Guy ..... JR Wickman
Lenora ..... Brooke Fletcher

sez says: perfectly cast, to a person, this story presents an array of individuals exposing their underbellies via a dialogue made up primarily of cliche and slang. It reminds me of Harold Pinter's The Homecoming, in which everyone says what they are actually thinking, rather than what we are suppose to say in social settings. But Pinter saw people's inner selves as selfish and mean spirited. Here Schwartz presents people who are struggling to cope with what the world throws at them. Good play, well done.

mjc says: Vertigo is always on the edge and this is no exception. The set was weak and did not support the production at a level that equalled the performances or the content. The sufferings of a low budget production no doubt! (Grade A-)

Body Vox: Smoke Soup, March 2010 (Grade C)

2010-03-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

Artistic Directors Jamey Hampton & Ashley Roland
World Premiere of Smoke Soup

sez says: I love this dance troupe--so I am not ever happy to be critical of them. But their dancing in this show was uneven and so were the dances themselves. Hampton's opening Light No Lamp was just awkward--it was hard to see and it didn't work. Next All Blues Hail Mary--was slow to start and once it picked up interest it ended. SUIT ON A FRAME was the stuff we go to Body Vox to see, great choreography--and with a few more days of practice might have been one of the best in the show. "My Favorite Cage"--was almost embarrassing. But things did pick up from there. TRAMPOLINE was energetic and fun--and Melissa Kanavel had perfect poise, balancing action with a complete nonchalant relaxation as she got tossed around the room. Then came CIVILIANS--probably my favorite --but again the dancers needed to be a little more in sync. Write My Book was entertaining and clever and Hello Stranger was full of fun energy.
After the intermission THE MAN I KEEP HID started things off right, with humor and all the right moves...but again with some dancers not being entirely in rhythm with the group. Another stand out in the second half was PROGRESS OF LOVE--which was sensuous and fun at the same time. STOP worked well and was spot-on in both execution and choreography--with Hampton hopping about with two mannequin types. We'll Meet Again followed by Death to the Storm flowed together seamlessly -- but the second part seemed to need a larger space. Finally Rough and Tumble has humor and style but the end number STARS didn't have enough oomph for the finale.

On the really positive side--the costumes were wonderful--and the music was well performed. I like Joe Henry's music, and I give credit for trying to use as the basis of the show--but I am not so sure it was a good decision. There are, after all, so many very great pieces of music to choose from.

Overall grade C

39-Steps, Portland Center Stage (Grade A)

2010-03-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Director: Nancy Keystone
Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan and the Movie by Alfred Hitchcock and an original concept by Nobby Dimon and Simon Corble

Cast:
Richard Hannay          .....           Leif Norby
Anabella/Margaret/Pamela   ..... Christine Calfas
MAN #1             .....                  Darius Pierce
MAN #2    ..... Ebbe Roe Smith

sez says: This is fun, laugh out loud theater. It is full of purposely missed cues, intentionally broken props, fake knives, and jokes of all sorts flying around. And while all four of the actors deserve praise the show belongs to MAN #1 and MAN #2 (Pierce and Smith) who are both exceptional talents. Pierce has become one of my favorite Portland based actors: he is fearless and brings just a hint of madness to his characters. Smith--whom I'd not seen before--matches the deadpan mayhem that Pierce provides--with the delivery of a physical comedy that sent waves of laughter through the audience with a simple change in facial expression alone. Of course you need the right vehicle for their talents --and 39 Steps is it. The carrying on of these two never fell into madcap but never missed a beat in the requirement to shape-shift from one character to another and to keep the party fun all night long. Norby too was well cast and fully engaged -- but he didn't top Calfas performance -- whose training in Indian Classical Dance lends itself to her body-language that is both camp yet sensuous.

mjc says: this was very fun, the kind of theater I like, lots of body stuff and dialogue to match. RECOMMENDED - Grade A

Wayne McGregor, Random Dance, ENTITY, 2010 Whitebird Uncaged (Grade A)

2010-03-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

Choreography: Wayne McGregor in collabpration with the dancers
Concept and Direction: Wayne McGregor
Dancers: Neil Fleming Brown, Catarina Carvalho, Agnes Lopez Rio, Pablo Mangiola, Daniela Neugebauer, Anna Nowak, Maxime Thomas, Antoine Vereecken, Jessica Wright
Original Music by Jody Talbot & Jon Hopkins

WAYNE MCGREGOR / RANDOM DANCE COMPANY

sez says-- what a wonder these dancers are --precision, perfection dexterity, seeking the edge of the the human body's capacity for altering and presenting itself--alone and in relation to other bodies. These are world class dancers -- in control of their physical selves in a way that is seldom seen. Each time a dancer changed partners--or a new dancer entered into relationship with a pair of dancers, forming a triad, a new 'entity' presented itself...like a new chemical combination --having something in common with the last combination but also being entirely new. I was awe struck within minutes of the start --and with only a few exceptions--remained mesmerized throuhg the entire show--60 minutes --no intermissions. Thank you and thank you again --maybe I'll become a groupie and follow this troupe around--or at least, I'll be in the front of the line to get tickets to see them if they show up in this part of the world again.

The Receptionist, Portland Center Stage

2010-02-27T14:58:00.000-08:00

By Adam Brock
Directed by Rose Riordan
At Portalnd Center Stage
Feb 2010

Cast:
Lorraine Taylor   .....   Laura Faye Smith
Martin Dart   .....   Chris Harder
Beverly Wilkins   .....   Sharonlee McLean
Edward Raymond   .....   Robert M Thomas

sez says: I am more impressed by Sharonlee Mclean every time we see her. She did a spot-on job in her role as the Receptionist in this play of the same name. She led the way in the creation of a work place many of us have been in, in which daily personal drama mixes with whatever the goal of the office staff might be. In this case, the goal of the staff is a never fully identified creepy backdrop to office antics which the Receptionist tries, half-hardheartedly, to keep in check. All we know is that whatever these people do in their work life it requires torturing people--and they can be added to the list of those to be tortured. Meanwhile they prance about worrying about tea cups and old boyfriends, and dreaming of fly fishing. Are we all really that alienated from the products of our labor?    Karl Marx said we were and maybe Adam Brock agrees. Robert M Thomas also provided a droll rendition of a man who may have caught a glimmer of the reality behind his job. We are hopeful about his possible contributions to Portland's community of actors. Chris Dart was a little flat and Laura Faye Smith was a bit to broad in our opinion. All in all this is an interesting piece--but it is a little thin. I wouldn't tell my friends to avoid it but then I wouldn't tell them to rush out to see it either. Grade C-

American Buffalo. Third Rail

2010-02-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

By David Mamet
Director: Daniel Stern
Theater THIRD RAIL
Actors:
Donny ..... Bruce Burkhartsmeier
Bobby ..... Brian Weaver
Teach ..... Tim True
LINK: American Buffalo

sez says: David Mamet is like a magnet for me. That is because a view through his window on the world never fails to leave me thinking..and often feeling...something new. American Buffalo is not a new play, but I had not seen it before and I am glad for the opportunity to be introduced to it by this production. Weaver and True brought their characters to life with performances that exceeded 100% involvement. They passed by something that might be called 'perfect portrayals' and added that magical extra piece to their presentation of these characters. They gave us a glimmer of the souls of Bobby and Teach. And, nothing less than that would do this play justice. Mamet has written a play that presents men who are inarticulate. The very nature of these characters is their limited ability to use words to explain themselves: their desires, their pain, their aspirations, their fears, their affections, and so on. So to know them, to see them, to grasp them, the men who portray them (the actors) must show us who they are...becasue the script alone cannot do it --the script only lets us see them struggling to find a way to express themselves...words are not tools they are skilled using/ that is part of the point of the play/--so their actions must do much of their speaking. And True and Weaver pulled it off, they bring Bobby and Teach to life. Having a limited verbal vocabulary they do much of their speaking through their actions, and their kind of talk is rough and violent and lacks order. You can think what you want of Donny and Bobby and Teach. But I have no doubt that men like them exist. And knowing they are among us is at least a step toward seeing the full expanse of our culture and its products--the things we are given, and that we create, that we throw away. They all wait in the silent dark for us. GRADE B+

Body-Vox-2

2010-02-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Feb 2010
Director Zachary Carroll
Performers: Jeff George; Kara Girod; Melissa Kanavel, Jonathan Krebs, Josh Murry

sez says: this band of young dancers is a delight to watch...they are not always a precision assembly...but each one of them has personal powers to develop and they provide a glimpse of what the future holds in the world of dance. And that is a happy vision. Jeff George can leap and twirl as if he were born to fly but he seems less comfortable with some of Body Vox classic Body Voice moves. Jonathan Krebs has energy and enthusiasm to spare but sometimes his movements do not flow as smoothly as you might wish. Kara Girod mixes sensuous beauty and phenomenal physical strength but needs to learn to present those skills in a more subtle manner -- as if they did not exist. Melissa Kanavel may be small of stature but she has a giant personality that shows through in both her exquisite movement and, most impressively, in the expressions on her face while she dances. She is able to convey the tenor of each dance and her involvement in the body's voice with a sidewards glance, a smirk, a sultry smile. Josh Murry held up his part of the sky but he never rose above the surface to be of note.

Of course these lucky Body Vox Apprentices got to dance some of the company's most fun and enjoyable pieces like THE BUNNY -- which I could start my day, every day, watching. Equally enjoyable is the Body Vox perennial Hopper's Diner, that full of fun romp of a story, that literally revolves around a dinner table and that is packed with humor and requires perfect timing-- which this troop managed well. Three pieces stood out 1) the USUAL SUSPECTS in which the need To Belong is demonstrated with light humor and a touch of pathos. 2) SOS flows like water and sets off waves stroking the shore: it is nothing short of beautiful. And of course 3) LIVE WIRE a dramatic fun mechanical explosion, that conjures up robots and space men and plays with synchronization in a tour'd force ending of the show.

The tickets are a little expensive to see apprentices dance--but it always seems worthwhile to support this troupe. And we got a little shot of joy from the show -- which is priceless. Grade B-