"The Electric Baby" is a drama about the interconnections between children, parents and the stories that bind us. When a couple have a child who shines like the moon, like the moon the boy attracts awe, stories and people in search of light in the darkness.
There is an odd complexity to "The Electric Baby" that makes it fascinating. If you enjoy reality, there are cab drivers, lottery tickets, car accidents, etc. If you enjoy magic, there are babies that glow like the moon, folk tales that tell the future and a whole lot of Fate. However, the "magical realism" that the show amounts to is something unique (and probably not what the term "magical realism" means to you). And "unique" is what Quantum Theatre does very well.
Robin Abramson as the Romanian wife and mother Natalia is captivating. From her first lines to the heart-breaking conclusion, she magically spins home remedy yarns, the Romanian interpretation of African fairy-tales and theatre rules with strength and ingenuity.
Her Nigerian husband, Ambimbola, played by Monteze Freeland is also a charmer. Alternate funny-man and philosopher, Freeland steals scenes with his graceful performance. Through amazing skill, Freeland and Abramson pull off an amazing feat and form one of the strongest bonds in the production - one that can be felt although the characters almost never meet onstage.
The supporting cast, Laurie Klatscher and John Shepard as Helen and Reed Casey, an older couple who lost their eldest daughter years ago, Ruth Gamble as the young waitress/call girl with a heart of formica and a poison tongue, and Nick Lehane as an ever-changing series of male characters, also work with great ability, but the play is at it's best when it centers on the mystical foreign parents and the stories they use to cope with their "electric baby".
The set is hypnotic and clunky all at the same time. Quantum Theatre is a roving theatre company that utilizes found spaces. The room, a found space at the Waldorf School in Pittsburgh, features hand-painted walls decorated in an assortment of birds and mythical figures while the ceiling is done up like the sky all set against tall windows that reveal the actual night sky. What makes the site clunky are the series of "mini-stages" that were built. These provide levels and some set locations. However, the virtue of a found space is that it is located, not created for a production - altering it to include a set "stage" playing space seems - in this eponymous opinion - to take the "found" out of the "found space".
When all is said and done, "The Electric Baby" is a great reminder of the "magic" of theatre. There are no projections, on-stage tricks, "magic" that requires lots of technical aptitute - just a mystical use of language and relationships that hits on something fantastical but real all at the same time.
Tickets for "The Electric Baby" can be found here:
http://www.quantumtheatre.com/season/the-electric-baby/
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic writes for a variety of seedy, low-reputed, forgetful, fact-negligent Marxist papers that are heavily circulated through car wind-shield wipers in Portland, Oregon.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
"M.I.A." from Pittsburgh Playhouse
"M.I.A" follows the family of a soldier who is currently "Missing In Action", but is most likely dead. The soldier's 40th birthday lands on the weekend his conservative, patriotic father is accepting a "Man Of The Year Award" from the local VFW. While the family has in many ways moved on from the death of the eldest brother, when the youngest son declares his desire to enlist, the family is torn between patriotism and keeping a child safe.
The show, while "emotional" is labored. The script is populated with lots of talking over miniscule, low-stakes events - some of which have nothing to do with the story. Characters ask the most obvious questions about each other. Because why would a father, on the weekend he is receiving an award from the VFW M.I.A. Commitee, on the birthday of his son who went M.I.A., seem distracted?
And it's not that the performances are bad. Larry John Meyers as Frank Schooler - the father who might have taught his boys too well - and his real-life wife Holly Thuma as Emmy Schooler bring the chemistry and are believably married onstage. Justin Mark DeWolf delivers a young man who is torn between allegiance to his family and allegiance to what he believes makes a man (and delivers what could be the best monologue in the show). The supporting cast, Tommy LaFitte and Daina Michelle Griffith are equally skilled in their craft.
What makes everyone suffer is that the characters are basically archetypes. There's the housewife who cooks well, the career woman growing distant from her husband (but who never seems to leave her parents' house...), the wise-talkin' Democratic black man who keeps the Republican white man in check with witty banter. However, the play does succeed in keeping the focus off the politics and on the humanity, even if the characters are clear-cut from the first scene.
Also characters talk about two things: the father and the missing brother. There's also no real discoveries revealed throughout the piece, so there's very little driving action that propels the story forward. And the "surprises" can be seen coming from a mile away. The ending becomes some version of "A Christmas Carol" with the ghost of the dead son appearing - played by Justin Fortunato - in a performance that makes you wish the character had been used better than "The Ghost of Christmas Past".
One consistently nice thing about Pittsburgh Playhouse is the attention they give to set design. Even in the studio space, whenever you go to see a production there you know the stage is going to be unique and transformed for every given show. In "M.I.A", the set is a sand colored and textured blank slate with benches, tombstones and dinner tables seemingly growing from the sandscape.
What really transforms the space are the lighting elements. Fantastic visuals of sand flowing and wind whistling help disorient the audience and the characters so dream sequences, nightmares actually have a complete change from the "real world".
Now, let it be said that "M.I.A" is NOT the worst constructed show to be given a full production in Pittsburgh this year - not at all. But, it seems to be a plague among Pittsburgh theatres that shows which have a strong connection via writers, marriages, professional relationships to the theatre/people involved are the ones being performed.
That is fine, it really is. It's a part of having a theatre community, but is it too much to ask that these world-premieres - which are on the road to becoming full-fledge, well-paced, stand-alone shows - get a few staged readings? Maybe some developmental workshops? Just so someone has the chance to say, "Hey, the first 45 min of this show is nothing but exposition to set up the Act 1 curtain...maybe we could integrate that better?"
TIckets for "M.I.A." can be purchased here:
http://www.pittsburghplayhouse.com/Tickets/ordertickets
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic enjoys aliens, but only half as much as robots. That being said, robots are liked only one fourth as much as mutants, but hey, no one is perfect.
The show, while "emotional" is labored. The script is populated with lots of talking over miniscule, low-stakes events - some of which have nothing to do with the story. Characters ask the most obvious questions about each other. Because why would a father, on the weekend he is receiving an award from the VFW M.I.A. Commitee, on the birthday of his son who went M.I.A., seem distracted?
And it's not that the performances are bad. Larry John Meyers as Frank Schooler - the father who might have taught his boys too well - and his real-life wife Holly Thuma as Emmy Schooler bring the chemistry and are believably married onstage. Justin Mark DeWolf delivers a young man who is torn between allegiance to his family and allegiance to what he believes makes a man (and delivers what could be the best monologue in the show). The supporting cast, Tommy LaFitte and Daina Michelle Griffith are equally skilled in their craft.
What makes everyone suffer is that the characters are basically archetypes. There's the housewife who cooks well, the career woman growing distant from her husband (but who never seems to leave her parents' house...), the wise-talkin' Democratic black man who keeps the Republican white man in check with witty banter. However, the play does succeed in keeping the focus off the politics and on the humanity, even if the characters are clear-cut from the first scene.
Also characters talk about two things: the father and the missing brother. There's also no real discoveries revealed throughout the piece, so there's very little driving action that propels the story forward. And the "surprises" can be seen coming from a mile away. The ending becomes some version of "A Christmas Carol" with the ghost of the dead son appearing - played by Justin Fortunato - in a performance that makes you wish the character had been used better than "The Ghost of Christmas Past".
One consistently nice thing about Pittsburgh Playhouse is the attention they give to set design. Even in the studio space, whenever you go to see a production there you know the stage is going to be unique and transformed for every given show. In "M.I.A", the set is a sand colored and textured blank slate with benches, tombstones and dinner tables seemingly growing from the sandscape.
What really transforms the space are the lighting elements. Fantastic visuals of sand flowing and wind whistling help disorient the audience and the characters so dream sequences, nightmares actually have a complete change from the "real world".
Now, let it be said that "M.I.A" is NOT the worst constructed show to be given a full production in Pittsburgh this year - not at all. But, it seems to be a plague among Pittsburgh theatres that shows which have a strong connection via writers, marriages, professional relationships to the theatre/people involved are the ones being performed.
That is fine, it really is. It's a part of having a theatre community, but is it too much to ask that these world-premieres - which are on the road to becoming full-fledge, well-paced, stand-alone shows - get a few staged readings? Maybe some developmental workshops? Just so someone has the chance to say, "Hey, the first 45 min of this show is nothing but exposition to set up the Act 1 curtain...maybe we could integrate that better?"
TIckets for "M.I.A." can be purchased here:
http://www.pittsburghplayhouse.com/Tickets/ordertickets
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic enjoys aliens, but only half as much as robots. That being said, robots are liked only one fourth as much as mutants, but hey, no one is perfect.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
"Monster In The Hall" from City Theatre
"Monster In The Hall" follows Duck, a sixteen-year-old girl Scottish girl on what could be the most stressful day of her young and stress-filled life. The house is a mess, her Hell's Angels retiree father has finally been struck blind by his Multiple Sclerosis, her could-be-gay/would-be-boyfriend drops by for a proposition and her Mom is still dead, leaving Duck to juggle it all on her own - all with the woman from Social Services planning to stop by for lunch. There's also a small amount of Socialism.
"Monster In The Hall" by City Theatre could be one of the best shows you see this season. Best described as a "play with music" rather than a full-out musical, half the play is sung in rock/punk style by the energetic cast who dance and sing with all the enthusiam of teens alone in their bedrooms. The energy and comic skill of the cast keeps the high-energy show of ever-growing stakes constantly moving. They sing. They dance. They have motorcycle chase scenes.
Melinda Helfrich as Duck is as endearing as she is awkward - which is what the character demands. Her Duck is a girl whose strength is abundantly clear to the audience, but who can't see it in herself. Helfrich makes what could be a tragic, put-on young woman into a heroine who has our support by never dreaming to ask for it.
Sheila McKenna as ALL the other female roles is domineering, then endearing, then a Norweigian punk star, all while being hilariously funny. The same can said for Matt Dengler as Lawrence (and as various Game Show Hosts) and David Whelan as her motorcycle-minded father, Duke. With a cast of four, everyone is consistently onstage signing, dancing, pantomiming all in a joyous mix that tries to mask the piss-stained, weed-filled home that Duck and Duke have cobbled together. All this is accomplished not with brazen sarcasm, but real tenderness that makes life, no matter how hard, tolerable.
The set is a series of child-decorated doors and cupboards that fill the stage, opening and closing without rhyme or reason. The lighting and video elements are brilliantly done, with the motorcyle crash that took Duck's mother popping up, much like tragic events keep recycling through our own mind. A fantastic lighting and sound scheme keeps the energy of the play going in perfect sync with the performances.
While the play could be called hodge-podge, it's structure makes sense. "Monster In The Hall" is all about coping. Music helps you cope, so there's music in the play. Fantasies help you cope, so the play is filled with them too. So do video games, game shows, stories about the past, and the production manages to mesh all these things together in a fantastical but honest spectacle of theatre. "Monster In The Hall" should not be missed.
Tickets for City Theatre's "Monster In The Hall" can be purchased here:
http://citytheatre.culturaldistrict.org/production/28075/the-monster-in-the-hall
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic does not believe the slanderous rumor that Greenland in filled with ice while Iceland is green; neither should you. Such an irony could not be cooked up by a people as barbaric as the Vikings.
"Monster In The Hall" by City Theatre could be one of the best shows you see this season. Best described as a "play with music" rather than a full-out musical, half the play is sung in rock/punk style by the energetic cast who dance and sing with all the enthusiam of teens alone in their bedrooms. The energy and comic skill of the cast keeps the high-energy show of ever-growing stakes constantly moving. They sing. They dance. They have motorcycle chase scenes.
Melinda Helfrich as Duck is as endearing as she is awkward - which is what the character demands. Her Duck is a girl whose strength is abundantly clear to the audience, but who can't see it in herself. Helfrich makes what could be a tragic, put-on young woman into a heroine who has our support by never dreaming to ask for it.
Sheila McKenna as ALL the other female roles is domineering, then endearing, then a Norweigian punk star, all while being hilariously funny. The same can said for Matt Dengler as Lawrence (and as various Game Show Hosts) and David Whelan as her motorcycle-minded father, Duke. With a cast of four, everyone is consistently onstage signing, dancing, pantomiming all in a joyous mix that tries to mask the piss-stained, weed-filled home that Duck and Duke have cobbled together. All this is accomplished not with brazen sarcasm, but real tenderness that makes life, no matter how hard, tolerable.
The set is a series of child-decorated doors and cupboards that fill the stage, opening and closing without rhyme or reason. The lighting and video elements are brilliantly done, with the motorcyle crash that took Duck's mother popping up, much like tragic events keep recycling through our own mind. A fantastic lighting and sound scheme keeps the energy of the play going in perfect sync with the performances.
While the play could be called hodge-podge, it's structure makes sense. "Monster In The Hall" is all about coping. Music helps you cope, so there's music in the play. Fantasies help you cope, so the play is filled with them too. So do video games, game shows, stories about the past, and the production manages to mesh all these things together in a fantastical but honest spectacle of theatre. "Monster In The Hall" should not be missed.
Tickets for City Theatre's "Monster In The Hall" can be purchased here:
http://citytheatre.culturaldistrict.org/production/28075/the-monster-in-the-hall
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic does not believe the slanderous rumor that Greenland in filled with ice while Iceland is green; neither should you. Such an irony could not be cooked up by a people as barbaric as the Vikings.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
"M33" by Pittsburgh Playhouse
"M33" is a slice-of-Americana play about the the Depression Era national craze known as "marathon dances" where everyday folks, ex vaudvillian performers and anyone looking for a free meal would dance until they dropped, were sabotaged, were disqualified or won.
It is rare to find an effective, narrative-driven dance show that is not also a musical. And, while "M33" may be begging to be made into a musical at some point, it really works well as it now stands. Don't be mislead, there is definately music involved throughout, but the dialogue and the dancing are what really drives the story forward.
The lead is perfectly cast Heidi Friese as the so-much-more than plucky June Havoc, who traverses the valleys and mountains of her past and self throughout the show. Friese takes the character through the physical and emotional trials so effectively, the audience can feel June's exhaustion, and determination to work through it, even though it is obvious the actress is physically onstage for a mere two hours or so.
Fantastic character performances feed the rollicking show. Reed Worth and Kristen Sherman as married clown performers Bozo and Helen Bazoo steal hearts with their honest chemistry and comedic adroitness. Audra Qualley is an understated but deliberate dirty player who's seen the bad side of the dance hall a few too many times. Kassie Doherty is quite charming as the "local" entered in the contest. Brandon Taylor as Patsy McCarthy provides a nice, relaxed juxtaposition to Friese's energy. And Sarah Meahl as The Mick who is so evocative physically her character does not need too many words.
The set, apparently, is supposed to be "a boardwalk along the seashore". It never really evokes that (sure there's water shown outside, but it's never as specified as a shore), but is realistically executed and fits the stage action perfectly. Locations like the sleeping quarters of the dancers (only eleven minutes every hour) and June Havoc's flashbacks are completely at home on the two-level set above the dance floor. The costumes are also perfectly period, and make-up really transforms the talented young cast into a believable array of ages and character types - not an easy feat for young performers.
The only note might be a problem in the play itself. Late in the game, the play tries to set up a physical antagonist, like the Mob or one of the dancers, but these are largely distracting plot-wise, never resolved and uneccessary. After all, the marathon is the antagonist which forces the dancers into constant conflict with themselves and one another. Also, there's a strange use of life-sized rag dolls early on? At first, you think it's a gag used to get pennies from the spectators, and then it is revealed that, yes, the dolls on the stage are meant to be real people - supposedly to fill the stage more for the beginning of the dance marathon? But, the human cast makes up about 21, so maybe this is also a bit superfluous/confusing. Confusing being the bad part.
Even though the characters drop out in increasingly more psychologically damaging ways, the triumph of the play is that it manages to keep the mood light but blindingly realistic. This is not a plastered-on smile and apple pie slice of Americana, but one about endurance, metaphorical and physical. The play has as much dirt on its face as the contestants dancing for their lives. Moments are particualrly surreal just because they are true: violence from other dancers in the sleeping room, a couple having sex under a blanket while dancing upright on the floor, exhausted women warned about being kidnapped or drugged and sold right off the floor and the constant threat of "going squirrely" from a mixture of sleep and sun deprivation. Don't worry though, the play never stops being a good time.
But, after over 1000 hours, (that's over 41 days, to keep it in perspective), there's the light at the end of the tunnel of glorious prize money. Or, at the very least, there's another dance marathon.
Tickets for "M33" can be purchased here:
http://www.pittsburghplayhouse.com/Tickets/ordertickets
-The Eponymous Theatre Critic has been a longtime believer in, "Sadism is sexy. Masochism is talent." It is, in fact, the only tatoo Epony has on eastward side of Epony's back.
It is rare to find an effective, narrative-driven dance show that is not also a musical. And, while "M33" may be begging to be made into a musical at some point, it really works well as it now stands. Don't be mislead, there is definately music involved throughout, but the dialogue and the dancing are what really drives the story forward.
The lead is perfectly cast Heidi Friese as the so-much-more than plucky June Havoc, who traverses the valleys and mountains of her past and self throughout the show. Friese takes the character through the physical and emotional trials so effectively, the audience can feel June's exhaustion, and determination to work through it, even though it is obvious the actress is physically onstage for a mere two hours or so.
Fantastic character performances feed the rollicking show. Reed Worth and Kristen Sherman as married clown performers Bozo and Helen Bazoo steal hearts with their honest chemistry and comedic adroitness. Audra Qualley is an understated but deliberate dirty player who's seen the bad side of the dance hall a few too many times. Kassie Doherty is quite charming as the "local" entered in the contest. Brandon Taylor as Patsy McCarthy provides a nice, relaxed juxtaposition to Friese's energy. And Sarah Meahl as The Mick who is so evocative physically her character does not need too many words.
The set, apparently, is supposed to be "a boardwalk along the seashore". It never really evokes that (sure there's water shown outside, but it's never as specified as a shore), but is realistically executed and fits the stage action perfectly. Locations like the sleeping quarters of the dancers (only eleven minutes every hour) and June Havoc's flashbacks are completely at home on the two-level set above the dance floor. The costumes are also perfectly period, and make-up really transforms the talented young cast into a believable array of ages and character types - not an easy feat for young performers.
The only note might be a problem in the play itself. Late in the game, the play tries to set up a physical antagonist, like the Mob or one of the dancers, but these are largely distracting plot-wise, never resolved and uneccessary. After all, the marathon is the antagonist which forces the dancers into constant conflict with themselves and one another. Also, there's a strange use of life-sized rag dolls early on? At first, you think it's a gag used to get pennies from the spectators, and then it is revealed that, yes, the dolls on the stage are meant to be real people - supposedly to fill the stage more for the beginning of the dance marathon? But, the human cast makes up about 21, so maybe this is also a bit superfluous/confusing. Confusing being the bad part.
Even though the characters drop out in increasingly more psychologically damaging ways, the triumph of the play is that it manages to keep the mood light but blindingly realistic. This is not a plastered-on smile and apple pie slice of Americana, but one about endurance, metaphorical and physical. The play has as much dirt on its face as the contestants dancing for their lives. Moments are particualrly surreal just because they are true: violence from other dancers in the sleeping room, a couple having sex under a blanket while dancing upright on the floor, exhausted women warned about being kidnapped or drugged and sold right off the floor and the constant threat of "going squirrely" from a mixture of sleep and sun deprivation. Don't worry though, the play never stops being a good time.
But, after over 1000 hours, (that's over 41 days, to keep it in perspective), there's the light at the end of the tunnel of glorious prize money. Or, at the very least, there's another dance marathon.
Tickets for "M33" can be purchased here:
http://www.pittsburghplayhouse.com/Tickets/ordertickets
-The Eponymous Theatre Critic has been a longtime believer in, "Sadism is sexy. Masochism is talent." It is, in fact, the only tatoo Epony has on eastward side of Epony's back.
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" by Carnegie-Mellon University
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" is a fan-favorite Sondheim musical built upon a British urban legend of a deranged barber who, seeking revenge on the world for the cruel fate of his beloved wife and daughter, slits the throats of men who come looking for a shave. Also embroiled in the story is a sexually deviant judge, a ruddy sailor and the female owner of the pie shop that would cannibalistically get rid of the bodies.
The production currently running at Carnegie-Mellon University is a dynamic mixture of spectacle and gore set in a gothic wonderland. That is to say, it is not to be missed. Director Joe Calarco takes the often-done production and transforms it into a complete departure from all that's known, making even entrances and exits unexpected and exciting (setting the tone for the entire night). However, while extremely innovative and new, nothing is neglected, from the opening stage picture to the final terror, to this whole, complete production. If you can get a ticket, that is.
The most dynamic performances in the show go to the supporting roles. Marrick Smith gives new depth to the sailor, Anthony, as a young man who is impestuous and easily taken by passion instead of simply a Dudley-Do-Right. Corey Cott as Tobias captures the innocence and paranoia of a boy raised in abuse. Noah Plomgren as a scene-stealing Pirelli that makes you wish the character lived for a just a few more numbers. And Jessie Ryan Shelton as a sweet, docile, but ultimately very funny Johanna. Another sign of the production's level to detail, the Male and Female Ensemble steal the show at their various interludes and transformations as the town people of London, Pie devourers and, ultimately, Sweeney's victims. What is fantastic is that the Ensemble and Supporting roles (even those not mentioned here) are just as powerful, evocative singers and performers as the leads, making every moment of the production mezmerizing.
That being said, the most sucessful performances are the ones that give over to the extreme emotion that is within the music. Denver Milord who plays Sweeney Todd, while a flawless voice, seems to be holding something back. Also, he and Abdiel Vivancos, Judge Turpin, do not carry the work-weary/older bodies or age of their respective characters. However, Vivancos goes to the depravity of the controlling Judge while Milord's rage seems flimsy. Lucia Roderique, however, carries the age and world-weariness of Mrs. Lovett as epically as she sings.
Someone once said that a good set is one that you don't even notice, and this similarly goes for costumes, lights, sound, any production aspect. However, in this production, all these elements are an intractable piece that, where any of them altered or removed, the entire production would not be the same. It may still be a good production, maybe even great, but it would not be this production of Carnegie-Mellon's "Sweeney Todd". And this production is fantastic. In the interest of spoiling, the specifics will not be discussed here. Also, the running time is NOT two hours but, including the intermission, clocks in at about three. However, if you are unable to attend, don't let anybody tell you about it. It's better if you don't know what you miss.
Tickets for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at Carnegie-Mellon University cane be attempted at here:
http://www.drama.cmu.edu/50/box-office
Please Call the Box Office for Wait Listing Procedure.
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic enjoys a good tot of gin in front of a roaring fire of a chapel in which the harmonium will only be partially singed.
The production currently running at Carnegie-Mellon University is a dynamic mixture of spectacle and gore set in a gothic wonderland. That is to say, it is not to be missed. Director Joe Calarco takes the often-done production and transforms it into a complete departure from all that's known, making even entrances and exits unexpected and exciting (setting the tone for the entire night). However, while extremely innovative and new, nothing is neglected, from the opening stage picture to the final terror, to this whole, complete production. If you can get a ticket, that is.
The most dynamic performances in the show go to the supporting roles. Marrick Smith gives new depth to the sailor, Anthony, as a young man who is impestuous and easily taken by passion instead of simply a Dudley-Do-Right. Corey Cott as Tobias captures the innocence and paranoia of a boy raised in abuse. Noah Plomgren as a scene-stealing Pirelli that makes you wish the character lived for a just a few more numbers. And Jessie Ryan Shelton as a sweet, docile, but ultimately very funny Johanna. Another sign of the production's level to detail, the Male and Female Ensemble steal the show at their various interludes and transformations as the town people of London, Pie devourers and, ultimately, Sweeney's victims. What is fantastic is that the Ensemble and Supporting roles (even those not mentioned here) are just as powerful, evocative singers and performers as the leads, making every moment of the production mezmerizing.
That being said, the most sucessful performances are the ones that give over to the extreme emotion that is within the music. Denver Milord who plays Sweeney Todd, while a flawless voice, seems to be holding something back. Also, he and Abdiel Vivancos, Judge Turpin, do not carry the work-weary/older bodies or age of their respective characters. However, Vivancos goes to the depravity of the controlling Judge while Milord's rage seems flimsy. Lucia Roderique, however, carries the age and world-weariness of Mrs. Lovett as epically as she sings.
Someone once said that a good set is one that you don't even notice, and this similarly goes for costumes, lights, sound, any production aspect. However, in this production, all these elements are an intractable piece that, where any of them altered or removed, the entire production would not be the same. It may still be a good production, maybe even great, but it would not be this production of Carnegie-Mellon's "Sweeney Todd". And this production is fantastic. In the interest of spoiling, the specifics will not be discussed here. Also, the running time is NOT two hours but, including the intermission, clocks in at about three. However, if you are unable to attend, don't let anybody tell you about it. It's better if you don't know what you miss.
Tickets for "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" at Carnegie-Mellon University cane be attempted at here:
http://www.drama.cmu.edu/50/box-office
Please Call the Box Office for Wait Listing Procedure.
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic enjoys a good tot of gin in front of a roaring fire of a chapel in which the harmonium will only be partially singed.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
"The Elephant Man" from Prime Stages
"The Elephant Man" is the stage adaptation of the life of John Merrick, a man who's physical deformities made him an outcast for most of his life. The play, which was originally done on Broadway where Merrick was at one point played by Mark Hamill and David Bowie. The play follows not only Merrick's journey, but the journey of the Victorean-era Londoners that surround him.
The play at the beginning is a fast-moving trek through London society circa late 1800's. The doctors, most importantly Dr. Frederick Treves (Justin Fortunato), stand very straight and speak elegantly about the fortunateness of being a British male at this point in history. Meanwhile the lower rungs of society are cruel and heartless to those even lower then themselves, as in the case of Merrick's manager, Ross (performed despicably by Brian Czarniecki). Basically, at the start of the play, it is very clear who we are meant to root for and loathe against as we are introduced to the titular character.
As we spend more time in the clean, sterile world of upper Victorean society, the play becomes almost allegorical. Merrick breaks through the facade of Victorian thinking, chastity and rules that "are for your own good" not with a sledgehammer, but with questions. What is great is that the play is not a "My Fair Lady" story where Merrick struggles alone, but how everyone struggles around him. Fate propels the play as light-up placards read foreboding messages about Merrick's future. And the shift as the question of "why are we helping him" rises is almost imperceptable until it becomes a moral land mine to Dr. Frederick Treves (played by Justin Fortunatoto in a role which transforms almost as much as the Elephant Man). After all, we want to like the nice people helping Merrick (for example Mrs. Kendal played by Maggie Ryan as the force-of-nature actress of the time) and dislike the bad people hurting him, but when the nice people's motives are called into question, it makes you go back rethink their interactions with Merrick from the start.
Sean Sears, who plays Merrick, steals the show. Yes, it is by virtue of being the main character, but it is also by the physical discipline Sears exerts onstage. "The Elephant Man" by Bernard Pomerance specifically calls for the actor to wear no prostetics. In truth this is probably to ease the production aspect as much as it is "see the humanity" of the Elephant Man, but it means many actors perform the role as physically normal, or with a slight speech impediment. However Sears goes to the necessary extreme, contorting his face and body not in general, but with extreme attention to what actual part of his body is deformed and how to move with it. On top of the physical, Sears moves a character through emotional maturity and discovery - which may not always be for the better.
The only complaint of the show would probably be that there are a few characters whose roles are so small/unimportant to the arc of the story that when they appear, speak a few lines, and disappear, the audience is distracted as to their point. Also, while the show is staged in the round, the best seats are really the main seats to the front - that is where the actors emote, speak and turn to most, particularly in monologues.
The great set over which hangs a chandelier and projection screen is a single-ring circus, Merrick's first cage, to his London Hospital room full of books , which may or may not be his second. Circus music feeds the set changes and dream sequences. Everyone stands tall and proud in their Victorean garb while Sears, notably, never dresses above a working man's suit - even when meeting a Countess.
If you are looking for a hidden treasure in Pittsburgh theatre, then "Prime Stage Theatre" might be what you are looking for. The company boasts a constantly moving, circulating group that regularly features new directors and actors. On top of it all, they have a great educational program benefiting the children and teens of the Pittsburgh area.
Tickets for "The Elephant Man" can be found at "Prime Theatre Stages" website at:
http://www.primestage.com/
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic's clothes are woven from coarse camel hair, and features a leather belt around the waist. Before a show, Epony enjoys locusts and wild honey and visits from the people of Jerusalem, all of Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
The play at the beginning is a fast-moving trek through London society circa late 1800's. The doctors, most importantly Dr. Frederick Treves (Justin Fortunato), stand very straight and speak elegantly about the fortunateness of being a British male at this point in history. Meanwhile the lower rungs of society are cruel and heartless to those even lower then themselves, as in the case of Merrick's manager, Ross (performed despicably by Brian Czarniecki). Basically, at the start of the play, it is very clear who we are meant to root for and loathe against as we are introduced to the titular character.
As we spend more time in the clean, sterile world of upper Victorean society, the play becomes almost allegorical. Merrick breaks through the facade of Victorian thinking, chastity and rules that "are for your own good" not with a sledgehammer, but with questions. What is great is that the play is not a "My Fair Lady" story where Merrick struggles alone, but how everyone struggles around him. Fate propels the play as light-up placards read foreboding messages about Merrick's future. And the shift as the question of "why are we helping him" rises is almost imperceptable until it becomes a moral land mine to Dr. Frederick Treves (played by Justin Fortunatoto in a role which transforms almost as much as the Elephant Man). After all, we want to like the nice people helping Merrick (for example Mrs. Kendal played by Maggie Ryan as the force-of-nature actress of the time) and dislike the bad people hurting him, but when the nice people's motives are called into question, it makes you go back rethink their interactions with Merrick from the start.
Sean Sears, who plays Merrick, steals the show. Yes, it is by virtue of being the main character, but it is also by the physical discipline Sears exerts onstage. "The Elephant Man" by Bernard Pomerance specifically calls for the actor to wear no prostetics. In truth this is probably to ease the production aspect as much as it is "see the humanity" of the Elephant Man, but it means many actors perform the role as physically normal, or with a slight speech impediment. However Sears goes to the necessary extreme, contorting his face and body not in general, but with extreme attention to what actual part of his body is deformed and how to move with it. On top of the physical, Sears moves a character through emotional maturity and discovery - which may not always be for the better.
The only complaint of the show would probably be that there are a few characters whose roles are so small/unimportant to the arc of the story that when they appear, speak a few lines, and disappear, the audience is distracted as to their point. Also, while the show is staged in the round, the best seats are really the main seats to the front - that is where the actors emote, speak and turn to most, particularly in monologues.
The great set over which hangs a chandelier and projection screen is a single-ring circus, Merrick's first cage, to his London Hospital room full of books , which may or may not be his second. Circus music feeds the set changes and dream sequences. Everyone stands tall and proud in their Victorean garb while Sears, notably, never dresses above a working man's suit - even when meeting a Countess.
If you are looking for a hidden treasure in Pittsburgh theatre, then "Prime Stage Theatre" might be what you are looking for. The company boasts a constantly moving, circulating group that regularly features new directors and actors. On top of it all, they have a great educational program benefiting the children and teens of the Pittsburgh area.
Tickets for "The Elephant Man" can be found at "Prime Theatre Stages" website at:
http://www.primestage.com/
- The Eponymous Theatre Critic's clothes are woven from coarse camel hair, and features a leather belt around the waist. Before a show, Epony enjoys locusts and wild honey and visits from the people of Jerusalem, all of Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
"The Gammage Project" by Pitt Rep and The Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company
"The Gammage Project" is the exploration of the tragic 1995 murder of Jonny Gammage by police in the Pittsburgh suburb of Brentwood. A cast of almost 30 report "the circumstances and the aftermath of his violent death" at the Henry Heyman Theatre of the University of Pittsburgh, but is produced in conjunction with Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company.
My gosh, this play is boring.
Here are the reasons why:
The framework of the play is completely bizarre. It is a fragmented mix that begins in a classroom and then moves on to various locations, but for the majority of the time lingers in the most tedious place imaginable - a court room. That's right, 90% of this play is exposition. We, the audience, get presented minor lessons on the role of the NAACP (in general), how law enforcement jurisdictions work, and a whole, whole lot of facts that are true - completely true and horrifying in their reality - but completely un-theatrical. Who knew that police brutality could become boring - even after being drilled into your head for over two and a half hours.
"The Gammage Project" is begging to either be a straight play (with a set beginning-middle-end, cause and effect story arc, etc) or a documentary/monologue show that delves into the personal lives of the people involved (beyond the headlines i.e. most famously The Laramie Project). As it stands now, the show wavers in between the two, creating an ungratifying hodge-podge effect. And what's sad is that the play does show us places where an actual play could start! Maybe we inhabit the funeral of Jonny Gammage for two hours, maybe it's the coroner's inquest where the red flags of innocence were first realized, maybe it's even the bar of the bad cops, the misnomered "Good Ole Boys", where we follow the bad guys as they don't even bother to get their cover stories straight.
What makes it boring is that the play presents the facts in the very beginning. There is never any doubt in our minds who the bad guys are and that they are very bad. Not just bad, but so devoid of any natural humanity that nothing bad they do could honestly surprise us. But they are presented as bad, immoral, untrustworthy, and then that information is repeated and recycled the entire play. Nothing is left for the audience to discover. There are no surprises in the entire show, no revelations and no real driving action that makes us want to follow the story, just lots and lots of talking. This personification is accurate, by the way, but accuracy does make it theatrical. (Theatrical here meaning "interesting to watch".) What if there actually was doubt in the audience's mind that was progressively shrunk until we decided they were guilty. Wouldn't the tragedy of the piece be magnified when the cops go free?
And maybe this long-windedness of the never-ending courtroom scenes and facts could be forgiven if the play were straight transcripts, but the playwright's notes indicate that, "The Gammage Project is more relaxed in its use of found dialogue than many documentaries, but at 80% of what you will see is sculpted out of a great mass of data..." So not only do we have to watch this amazingly dull inquest (an inquest and three trials and part of a civil suit among others things) most of it is paraphrased.
All this being said, there are seven minutes of this play that are not only watcheable, but brilliant. The actual re-enactment of the murder (which we finally get to see rather than get informed of) is visceral and terrifying, crossing a line (maybe dangerously) into the audience and is one of the best examples realistic stage violence Epony has ever seen. It's brilliant, and you can vault from your chair right after because it's right before intermission and downhill from there. Later on, the actor actually playing Gammage returns for the most human part of the show - a final conversation between him and his mother that drips with sad irony and hope that will never be realized. Things like, the fact that Gammage was engaged, would have fed the story so much. These two moments add volumes more than the hours of talking about it. Why the actual human element of the show was pushed to the tail-end of both acts is a complete mystery to the entire piece's detriment. This can only be credited to director Mark Clayton Southers, who shows he can make great when presented with good work.
While somewhat loathed to, the character of "The Joker" (played by Rico Romalus Parker) must be remarked on. While the character, who is supposed to act as "comic relief" and an alternate point of view for the horrendous event, is a nice burst of energy to a show with very little action, his jokes aren't particularly funny, and they eventually stop being jokes. Rather than the charm of Pryor or Cosby (who the character is suppose to emulate) that could attract anyone of any color, The Joker stops presenting as a comic and starts with a thinly-veiled animosity that makes the show heavier rather than relieving tension. Because everyone white in the audience wants to be lumped in with the Good Ole Boys.
A word on the technical aspects. The lights are all right. The sound is good. The use of the movie screen is sporadic, but occasionally brilliant (The Juror who Declined Being Named), but honestly as long as the play is a shambles, nothing technological is going to make it anymore watcheable. Of the massive cast, a few notable actors actually manage to make the exposition interesting: Larry John Meyers as Cyril Wecht M.D., J.D. , Joseph Martinez as Bobby Del Greco Jr., Laci Mosely as Jonny's mother Narves Gammage (in a role far her elder), Ken Bolden as Anthony Krastek and finally, the man we saw far too little of Correy Talley as Jonny Gammage.
Apparently, there are lots of people who support the cops in question and the sneaking suspicion is that this play was written for them. It is a calm (for the most part) collection of the facts and how they were skewed to protect the white cops who killed a black man. However, the Joker adds to the thread of dripping sarcasm throughout the piece directed at the rascist cops. For court scenes, two reporters sit as a peanut gallery and are "witty" at the blatant lies of the cops in court, despite the fact that these guys commited murder and are about to go free. They invite the audience (metaphorically) to point fingers with them at their ignorance, and anyone who supports them. And none of those people are probably going to see something called "The Gammage Project".
We, as an intellectual theatre-going audience, are already on Gammage's side. So give us something new to the story, give us the other, human side so the facts are not just facts, but actions by or against a man, community and/or race.
Tickets for the February performances of "The Gammage Project" (it moves on to the August Wilson Center in March) can be purchased at: http://www.play.pitt.edu/content/gammage-project
- The Eponymous Theatre critic laments the closing of Kiva Han on Craig Street. Don't worry Kiva Han, Starbucks took over Pluto's role as a planet too.
My gosh, this play is boring.
Here are the reasons why:
The framework of the play is completely bizarre. It is a fragmented mix that begins in a classroom and then moves on to various locations, but for the majority of the time lingers in the most tedious place imaginable - a court room. That's right, 90% of this play is exposition. We, the audience, get presented minor lessons on the role of the NAACP (in general), how law enforcement jurisdictions work, and a whole, whole lot of facts that are true - completely true and horrifying in their reality - but completely un-theatrical. Who knew that police brutality could become boring - even after being drilled into your head for over two and a half hours.
"The Gammage Project" is begging to either be a straight play (with a set beginning-middle-end, cause and effect story arc, etc) or a documentary/monologue show that delves into the personal lives of the people involved (beyond the headlines i.e. most famously The Laramie Project). As it stands now, the show wavers in between the two, creating an ungratifying hodge-podge effect. And what's sad is that the play does show us places where an actual play could start! Maybe we inhabit the funeral of Jonny Gammage for two hours, maybe it's the coroner's inquest where the red flags of innocence were first realized, maybe it's even the bar of the bad cops, the misnomered "Good Ole Boys", where we follow the bad guys as they don't even bother to get their cover stories straight.
What makes it boring is that the play presents the facts in the very beginning. There is never any doubt in our minds who the bad guys are and that they are very bad. Not just bad, but so devoid of any natural humanity that nothing bad they do could honestly surprise us. But they are presented as bad, immoral, untrustworthy, and then that information is repeated and recycled the entire play. Nothing is left for the audience to discover. There are no surprises in the entire show, no revelations and no real driving action that makes us want to follow the story, just lots and lots of talking. This personification is accurate, by the way, but accuracy does make it theatrical. (Theatrical here meaning "interesting to watch".) What if there actually was doubt in the audience's mind that was progressively shrunk until we decided they were guilty. Wouldn't the tragedy of the piece be magnified when the cops go free?
And maybe this long-windedness of the never-ending courtroom scenes and facts could be forgiven if the play were straight transcripts, but the playwright's notes indicate that, "The Gammage Project is more relaxed in its use of found dialogue than many documentaries, but at 80% of what you will see is sculpted out of a great mass of data..." So not only do we have to watch this amazingly dull inquest (an inquest and three trials and part of a civil suit among others things) most of it is paraphrased.
All this being said, there are seven minutes of this play that are not only watcheable, but brilliant. The actual re-enactment of the murder (which we finally get to see rather than get informed of) is visceral and terrifying, crossing a line (maybe dangerously) into the audience and is one of the best examples realistic stage violence Epony has ever seen. It's brilliant, and you can vault from your chair right after because it's right before intermission and downhill from there. Later on, the actor actually playing Gammage returns for the most human part of the show - a final conversation between him and his mother that drips with sad irony and hope that will never be realized. Things like, the fact that Gammage was engaged, would have fed the story so much. These two moments add volumes more than the hours of talking about it. Why the actual human element of the show was pushed to the tail-end of both acts is a complete mystery to the entire piece's detriment. This can only be credited to director Mark Clayton Southers, who shows he can make great when presented with good work.
While somewhat loathed to, the character of "The Joker" (played by Rico Romalus Parker) must be remarked on. While the character, who is supposed to act as "comic relief" and an alternate point of view for the horrendous event, is a nice burst of energy to a show with very little action, his jokes aren't particularly funny, and they eventually stop being jokes. Rather than the charm of Pryor or Cosby (who the character is suppose to emulate) that could attract anyone of any color, The Joker stops presenting as a comic and starts with a thinly-veiled animosity that makes the show heavier rather than relieving tension. Because everyone white in the audience wants to be lumped in with the Good Ole Boys.
A word on the technical aspects. The lights are all right. The sound is good. The use of the movie screen is sporadic, but occasionally brilliant (The Juror who Declined Being Named), but honestly as long as the play is a shambles, nothing technological is going to make it anymore watcheable. Of the massive cast, a few notable actors actually manage to make the exposition interesting: Larry John Meyers as Cyril Wecht M.D., J.D. , Joseph Martinez as Bobby Del Greco Jr., Laci Mosely as Jonny's mother Narves Gammage (in a role far her elder), Ken Bolden as Anthony Krastek and finally, the man we saw far too little of Correy Talley as Jonny Gammage.
Apparently, there are lots of people who support the cops in question and the sneaking suspicion is that this play was written for them. It is a calm (for the most part) collection of the facts and how they were skewed to protect the white cops who killed a black man. However, the Joker adds to the thread of dripping sarcasm throughout the piece directed at the rascist cops. For court scenes, two reporters sit as a peanut gallery and are "witty" at the blatant lies of the cops in court, despite the fact that these guys commited murder and are about to go free. They invite the audience (metaphorically) to point fingers with them at their ignorance, and anyone who supports them. And none of those people are probably going to see something called "The Gammage Project".
We, as an intellectual theatre-going audience, are already on Gammage's side. So give us something new to the story, give us the other, human side so the facts are not just facts, but actions by or against a man, community and/or race.
Tickets for the February performances of "The Gammage Project" (it moves on to the August Wilson Center in March) can be purchased at: http://www.play.pitt.edu/content/gammage-project
- The Eponymous Theatre critic laments the closing of Kiva Han on Craig Street. Don't worry Kiva Han, Starbucks took over Pluto's role as a planet too.
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