Thursday, March 30, 2006

The Road Home....

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "The Road Home..." by Marc Wolfe

Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Quicktake on THE ROAD HOME; RE-MEMBERING AMERICA

     The last time he was in town, OBIE winner Marc Wolfe got an IRNE award as Best Solo performer for "Another American; Asking and Telling." This time his patriotism has led him to consider 9/11/02, by way of a 7,000 mile journey from Seattle back to New York. "The Road Home; Re-membering America" is made of his interpretations, without costume changes or special props, of conversations he recorded along the way. Through Wolfe we meet West Coast radicals, a Native American, a raucous German hitchhiker, a Muslim Public Health Service dentist in Mississippi, a Maylaysian mystic at an ashram, and a New York architectural critic, among others. At end Wolfe still has some magic beans given him by Eartha, the daughter of a hippie from Redwood California. He hasn't planted them yet, but this show is perhaps preparing the soil.

The HTC production was directed by David Schweizer, best known for radical opera productions. Working with Wolfe must be almost a vacation. Scene designer Andrew Lieberman whose also done a few operas takes advantage of the Wimberley's facilities to create a deceptively simple set and together with Peter West's lighting provides projected backdrops and signage to move things along. Robert Kaplowitz provides an effective soundscape and original score. "The Road Home..." , like Soans' "Talking to Terrorists" which Sugan is playing next door in the Plaza, is yet another example of how verbatim material from real-life situations is being transformed for today's theatre, using the particular skills of the artists involved.



"The Road Home; Re-membering America" by Marc Wolfe, Mar.24 - April 30

HTC at BCA Wimberley

527 Tremont, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC

Talley's Folly

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Talley's Folly" by Lanford Wilson

Date: Sun, March 26, 11:50 PM

Quicktake on TALLEY'S FOLLY

     Some Pulitzer Prize dramas age better than others. Lanford Wilson's Talley's Folly , the second play in his hometown trilogy resonates just as deeply as it did in 1979 -- post- Vietnam. In this long one act with only two characters. Wilson evokes all the history which bedevils the Talley clan in "The Fifth of July" and "Talley & Son"

    Marianna Bassham is luminous as Sally Talley, thirty and unmarried, stuck living with her difficult family, the richest people in this rural town. WHAT's Steven Russell gets beyond the ghost of Judd Hirsch to create his own appealing Matt Friedman, an accountant from St. Louis, shipped to this county to escape WWI, come to claim Sally in marriage in the midst of WWII. Director Adam Zahler, in his usual economical style, brings the two together, eventually.

    Janie Howland's fragmented "folly" of a ruined boathouse floats on the Lyric stage, well lit by John Cuff. Dewey Dellay's soundscape evokes the riverside and distant band music across water nicely. Lanford Wilson's ouevre hasn't been seen here often enough recently. This fine Lyric production may reminds other producers of his mastery of language and almost Chekovian characterization.



"Talley's Folly" by Lanford Wilson, Mar. 24 - Apr. 22

Lyric Stage Company at Copley YWCA

140 Clarendon, (617) 585 - 5678
Lyric Stage

Friday, March 24, 2006

A More Perfect Union



From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "A More Perfect Union" by Kirsten Greenidge

Date: Thurs, Mar 23, 11:38 PM

Quicktake on A MORE PERFECT UNION

     Company One's current show, "A More Perfect Union" written by Kirsten Greenidge, is theatrical collage in the style they've developed. This show's in conjunction with the Boston Arts Academy, directed by Juanita A. Rodriguez from that high school's faculty., and funded in part by the Surdna Foundation.About half of the cast are Boston Academy students playing various young people. The script weaves together several contemporary storylines; a lost twelve-year old Katrina refugee, a Moldovan mother searching for her daughter who's been forced into prostitution, a CNN stringer sent to jail for leading a protest, an angry half-Hispanic cop and his idealistic half-Irish sister, and of special interest to the students, the case of Obain Ottouoman, a Boston math teacher from Ivory Coast being deported over an immigration technicality.

     The first act, complete with multimedia projections, is somewhat muddled, but everything becomes clearer by the end of the show--and a trifle preachy. However, the action is continually interesting, the acting is energetic and believable. Doublas Theodore(seen above) is very creditable as Obain, Our Place stalwart David Curtis is Coop the CNN reporter, and Mary Driscoll is convincing as the distraught Moldovan mother. Tina Do and Damean Hollis show up between scenes as typical teenagers, a kind of comic chorus. Eladio Banks, who participated in the demonstrations supporting Obain, is the luckless prep school guy who runs afoul of Raymond Ramirez's angry cop.

     Technical support is impressive, with an multilevel unit set by Mark Buchanan, responsible for the lighting as well. Video projections by Joseph Doullette and abstracted costumes by Jennifer Varekamp give the show a unique look. The end of the script seems a bit abrupt, as if development weren't quite complete. If Company One does indeed take this show to the Edinburgh Festival, perhaps that can be remedied.



"A More Perfect Union" by Kirsten Greenidge, March 9 - April 1

Company One at Plaza Black Box

BCA, 539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Company One

Monday, March 20, 2006

"How I Got the Story" Review

written by by Amlin Gray



Reviewed by Will Stackman



    One of the better shows of the winter season, which too few people saw, was Nora Theatre's presentation of Amlin Gray's tragic farce "How I Got the Story," which won an Obie in 1981. This "nightmare comedy" is a parodic look at the Vietnam conflict through the eyes of a naive Reporter from Dubuque. That part was taken by Chris Thorn, A B.U. grad who's been seen here and in NY. All the other parts-some 20 or so under the rubric of the Historical Event--were played by John Kuntz, clearly in his element in such a production. While clearly a comment on that previous war, the show is still resonant, if only to remind the audience that it's deja vu all over again, the same only different.

    Daniel Gidron directed the piece with his typical acumen, letting the actors make the most of their comedic talents. The set, a series of wire mesh doors from which the actors removed furniture and props as needed, was by Christine Tedesco with effective lighting by John R. Malinowski. Dewey Dellay provided the necessary soundscapes and music. It's hard to imagine what kind of farce will be written about the current conflict, and perhaps that's why this somewhat dated effort didn't draw. But local theatre seems to be stepping up to the plate, with Sugan doing "Talking to Terrorists", a rather serious piece, down at the BCA. Nora's final show of the season will be "The Man Who..." which will run at BPT April 20 through May 7.



Boston Playwrights', 949 Comm. Ave.
closed Mar. 19th
for info contactThe Nora Theatre Co.

Sunday, March 19, 2006

TALKING TO TERRORISTS

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Talking with Terrorists" by Robin Soans

Date: Sun, Mar 19 12:21 AM

Quicktake on TALKING TO TERRORISTS

     Anyone bemoaning the lack of international political awareness on the Boston stage should get down to the BCA for the American premiere of Robin Soans' "Talking with Terrorists" presented by Sugan. This verbatim docu-drama juxtaposes IRA and Loyalists, African child soldiers, the Palestinian intafada, Kurdish nationalism and Iraq plus a few British politicians. Eight talented actors shift between the former and the latter, playing overlapping scenes against an emblematic set created by J. Michael Griggs. Carmel O'Reilly has once again created a strong theatrical statement from a script hot off the London stage.

    It may be too much to hope that some playwright in this country will adopt the same technique to chastise our government for its gross shortcomings so far this millennium. "Stuff Happens" will open soon in New York. A play by Elizabeth Wyatt based on Rachel Corrie ran in January at Boston Playwrights. The Theatre Coop has Barbara Jordan recreated on its stage at the moment, and Company One is once again taking on current issues in the Black Box next door. But where's the response to the soon to be 3000 servicemen and women killed in Iraq, not to mention ten times as many Iraqis, and the continued bumbling and fraud in the aftermath of the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Plus out of control oil prices, etc., etc., etc. Jimmy Tingle can't do it all by himself, and much of it isn't really a laughing matter.



"Talking with Terrorists" by Robin Soans, Mar. 17 - April 8

Sugan Theatre Company in Plaza Theatre, BCA

539 Tremont, (617) 933 - 8600
Sugan Theatre Company

Friday, March 17, 2006

Bill W. and Dr. Bob

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Bill W. and Dr. Bob" by Bergman & Surrey

Date: Thurs, Mar 16, 11:35 PM

Quicktake on BILL W. AND DR. BOB

     Perhaps of most interest to those committed to the 12 step process, "Bill W. and Dr. Bob" is a very American piece of theatre, in the tradition of temperance melodramas. There's even Todd Gordon at the upright providing a musical background to somewhat excessive scene changes. The pace of the show is intentionally deliberate. The cast, led by consumate pros Robert Krakovski and Patrick Husted in the title roles, is solid, humanizing their characters as much as possible. Rachel Harker and Kathleen Doyle play the wives without descending into soap opera, while Marc Carver and Deanna Dunmyer play all the other roles, perhaps too many of them. Carver and Harker have been seen before at the New Rep, any of the others would be welcome again.

     "Bill W. and Dr. Bob" may be seen off-Broadway next year. It will be interesting to see if the piece attracts the same committed audiences that have led the New Rep to add shows to the current run. Fine tuning the script and a slightly less cumbersome scene change approach might help pick up the pace. And some sort of social counterpoint might make things less simplistic.



"Bill W. and Dr. Bob" by Stephen Bergman and Janet Surrey, Mar. 5 - 26

New Repertory Theatre at Arsenal Center for the Arts

Watertown Arsenal, (617) 923 - 8487
New Repertory Theatre

Friday, March 10, 2006

Seven Rabbits on a Pole

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Seven Rabbits on a Pole" by John C. Picardi

Date: Thur, Mar 9, 11:22 PM

Quicktake on SEVEN RABBITS ON A POLE

     The second of John Picardi's proposed ten plays exploring Italian-Americans in Massachusetts during the decades of the last century is having its New England premiere at Stoneham. The evening is long on plot and somewhat stereotypical as far as character goes, but director Robert Jay Cronin guides his skilled cast through the storyline for a satisfying if somewhat melodramatic show. The most notable performances are by the ladies, IRNE-winner Cheryl McMahon and Stoneham regular Robyn Eizabeth Lee. McMahon uses her comic skills gently to humanize the WASP neighbor of this Italian farm family growing vegetables near Wollaston beach. Lee, who's been seen mostly as an ingenue, stands out playing the "simple" daughter, Julia, an autistic young woman yearning for love. The men of the family, Barry M. Press as patriarch Enio, sturdy older brother Peter, and Robert Antonelli as college-educated Lawrence are far more stereotyped, limited by expository writing and predictable action from developing unique characters. Timothy J. Smith, seen as the Narrator in "A Prayer for Owen Meany" has the much more interesting part of Q. Turner, a Detroit area autoworker who's left his family back on the farm to come East looking for work. He arrives peddling rabbits he's caught in the Blue Hills. He stays because he might be able to fix the tractor.

     This full length drama, which might be more comfortably divided into three acts instead of two, is presented with Stoneham's usual flair, including a striking selective realism farmyard designd by Charlie Wilson and careful period costuming by Rachel Kurland-Foxglove. One can only hope that Picardi's next play(s) are better structured, and perhaps that this one, already published might be reworked.



"Seven Rabbits on a Pole" by John C. Picardi, Mar. 2 - 19

Stoneham Theatre

539 Main St. Stoneham, (781) 279 - 2200
Stoneham Theatre

Thursday, March 02, 2006

Dylan Thomas' "Under Milk Wood"

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas

Date: Wed, March 1, 10:58 PM

Quicktake on UNDER MILK WOOD

     The award-winning Wellesley Summer Theatre jump starts the season with an ensemble production of Dylan Thomas' evocation of one spring day in a small Welsh fishing village much like his hometown. For "Under Milk Wood", director Nora Hussey has once again combined her veteran professionals with top student actresses in the company's unique style to evoke some fifty odd--often very odd--characters.

     The cast is headed up by Ed and Charlotte Peed, Lisa Foley, and Jackson Royal. Ed is memorable as the poetical Rev. Jenkins , Willy Nilly Postman and Mr. Pugh, the would-be poisoner and schoolmaster. Charlotte plays a collection of wives, from Mrs. Willy Nilly, who steams open the mail to Mrs. Pugh, the target of her husband's obsession. Lisa Foley is notable as Mrs. Ogmore Pritchard living with the ghosts of her two henpecked husbands and Rosie Probert, blind Capt. Cat's lost love. The old sailor is played by Jackson Royal, who hears the town from dawn to dusk from his window at the Sailors' Arms, which is home to Maryann Sailors, the oldest woman in town, also played by Foley. Spencer Christie is her son, Sinbad Sailors, the publican, supply bitter black ale to Derek Stone Nelson as Mr. Waldo, the town drunk. Stone is also the town's offical madman, Lord Cut Glass, who lives in a small house full of clocks. Sinbad is secretly in love with student company member Sarah Barton's Gossamer Beynon. the schoolmarm, daughter of the butcher. The Peeds play her parents. Newcomer student Rebecca Floyd plays Lily Smalls, dreaming of being "wicked" while herding goats. Gossamer is one of the object's of Spencer's Nogood Boyo's lust. Recent grad Victoria George is wayward Polly Garter, nursing another bastard and dreaming of "Little Willy Wee, who is dead, dead, dead" as well as Myfanwy Price, who keeps the sweet shop and carries on a postal romance with Mog Edwards, the draper at the other end of town, who's played by Marc Harpin. Haprin also plays the music-mad organist, Organ Morgan, the trial of his wife, played by Sarah Barton. And that's just a sampling of the inhabitants whom the ensemble switches between effortlessly.

    "Under Milk Wood" was originally written for a radio presentation, but has been produced onstage for the last half century--not often enough-- by companies brave enough to attempt it. The Burtons made a flawed but interesting movie of the piece in Wales, using mostly local actors. Production manager and lighting designer Ken Loewit, with set designer Tim. S. Hanna, have arranged the R.N.Jones Studio in the round with atmospheric lighting behind the seating, illuminating walls hung with netting an scraps of sails. Loewit's lighting effectively defines acting areas and the time of day. The unit set is a dock-like raised central platform with mooring posts conveniently placed for seating. The ensemble accessorizes their basic early 20th-century rural costumes, designed by Nancy Stevenson, with hats, shoes, and hand props to help change character, Two young women fiddlers, who didn't make it into the program, provide live music and effects. WST's next production is Oscar Wilde's least produced and most serious comedy, "An Ideal Husband" coming along May 30th. "Under Milk Wood" has only eleven more performances. It's worth the short drive to Wellesley.



"Under Milk Wood" by Dylan Thomas, Mar.1 - 19

Wellesley Summer Theatre in Ruth Nagel Jones Studio

Alumni Hall, Wellesley College (781) 283 - 2000
Wellesley Summer Theatre