WINGS OF DESIRE

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Wings of Desire" filmscript by Wim Wenders & Peter Handke

adapted by Gideon Lester & Dirkje Houtman

Date: Wed, Nov. 29, 10:43 PM

Quicktake on WINGS OF DESIRE

     Regular patrons of the ART won't be surprised to be sitting through another theatrical collage,again an effort with international overtones. In 100 minutes the ART and Toneelgroep Amsterdam wrestle with a disjointed adaptaion of the filmscript for Wim Wenders' 1987 film classic "Der Himmel uber Berlin" (released internationAlly as Wings of Desire). The show opens with two immortal beings aka "angels" atop a canteen trailer at an outdoor cafe, somewhere. Fine sand drifts down from the flies in thin streams, indicating the passage of eternity. Mam Smith, a fine aerilaist, periodically soars above the scene, much more angelic than the show's two angels dressed in black and white formal wear. Periodically, actors playing characters address the audience. The only one who really makes contact is Stephen Payne, playing the role of a former angel done by Peter Falk in the original film. Loud rock music played live by Jesse Lenat and Hadewych Minis adds to the mix, especially as the action winds up. (Ear plugs might be a good idea.)

     The production is an interesting set of glosses on the subject, but as live theatre, "Wings of Desire" just doesn't add up. There are a few memorable moments, but the text might as well have been done in Dutch most of the time, perhaps with the odd surtitle. Robin Young's presence as The Newsreader adds little except brief local recognition. The ideas behind the adaptation have potential but lack of follow-through, of any real attempt to deal with the diviseness in today's world, make for sterile theatrical experimentalism. It's as if every "why don't we?" thought of during its creation was tossed in, like the colorful furniture in the finale, without ever asking "Why?"

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"Wings of Desire" by Wenders & Handke, Nov. 25 - Dec. 17

American Repertory Theatre & Toneelgroep Amsterdam at the Loeb

64 Brattle St, Harvard Sq. (617) 547 - 8300
American Repertory Theatre

AVMUCScientology Pageant

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant" by Kyle Jarrow

Date: Sunday, November 26, 2006, 10:44 PM

Quicktake on A VERY MERRY UNAUTHORIZED CHILDREN'S SCIENTOLOGY PAGEANT

     As a critique of the Church of Scientology, Kyle Jarrow's parody of a children's holiday pageant is relatively mild and probably funnier to those who've had a brush with this 20th Century attempt to emulate a 19th century predecessor, Christian Science. "A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant", which got an Obie in 2003, is a rather weak brew compared to the overwrought accusations found on various websites. But as an hour long amusement performed by nine local youngsters, AVMUSCSP does suggest how contemporary religion continues to indoctrinate the young or alternatively turns its practitioners into children, sometimes with disastrous results. Director Jason Southerland has cafrefully avoided any overt criticism of the sect, preferring to let Jarrow's concoction speak for itself.

    The set for the show by Jenna MacFarland-Lord uses cardboard cutouts like those kids produce for middle-school productions with a set of hired risers suggesting the same sort of atmosphere. Costumes by Laura Perrault are very basic, mostly choir robes, but include a cardboard box robot. Music director Jose Delgado, who's next door doing Speakeasy's "Bubbly Brown Girl..." has gotten the young cast to sing out along with a taped score with the same sort of synthetic pop quality as those operations like Disney distribute for their "kids" shows. Nathan Leigh did the orchestrations and sound design. At worst, AVMUSCSP is a piece of offbeat silliness for the holidays.

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"A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant" by Kyle Jarrow, Nov. 24 - Dec. 16

Boston Theatre Works in Plaza Theatre

BCA , 539 Tremont (617) 933 - 8600
Boston Theatre Works

Exceptions to Gravity

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Exceptions to Gravity" by Avner the Eccentric

Date: Sun, Nov 26, 6:43 PM

Quicktake on EXCEPTIONS TO GRAVITY

     If there’s any show for the holiday season that can be described as pure entertainment, the current edition of Avner the Eccentric’s collection of timeless comic routines fills that bill. Suitable for all ages, combining slapstick humor, mime, audience interaction, disceptively simple magic, and an unique attitude, this 90 minute perambulation is an interesting contrast to the intense one womman show which just closed at the Lyric. Predictably unpredictable, every new stunt seems to grow organically from Avner’s persona, a serious clown, not so much sad as put upon by reality. What’s coming next is unclear, but it will be funny. See it soon, then take some friends and see it again.

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"Exceptions to Gravity" by Avner Eisenberg, Nov. 24 - Dec.23

Lyric Stage Co. at Copley YWCA

140 Clarendon (617) 585 -5678
Lyric Stage

Rabbit Hole

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Rabbit Hole" by David Lindsay-Abaire

Date:Wednesday, November 8, 2006

Quicktake on RABBIT HOLE

     There's no White Rabbit in David Lindsay-Abaire's "Rabbit Hole" or any of the fantasy audiences have come to expect from the author of "Fuddy Meers,", "Wonder of the World," or "Kimberly Akimbo." There is, however, the same insightful view of human nature, this time at a suburban housewife and her stock broker husband try to come to grips with the loss of their four-year old son. Of course, her younger sister, Izzy (short for Isabel) opens the play by telling her that she's pregnant by a "real" musician, her tipsy mother can't forget her brother who died of a heroine overdose, and her husband misses the dog. The setting is realistic, all their actions are predictable, though Becca, the heroine, played by Donna Bullock, does punch a woman in the supermarket. That unfortunate was ignoring her own child. Geneva Carr's Izzy is not as flighty as her wardrobe would suggest, and Maureen Anderman as their mother Natalie has unexpected depths. Even Howie, the husband, played by Jordan Lage, starts to relate to his wife on a more hopeful level by the end of the evening. It's a play, like most of the author's work, works up slowly to its point, this time with far fewer mirrors and almost no smoke.

     Predictably, the setting by James Noone is a monument to stagecraft, with three meticulous interiors that roll on and off. A two level unit set would have been less distracting and possibly more evocative. John Tillinger's low-key directing, and the cast's contemporary ensemble style are sufficient to establish the characters and their situation. The interior decoration is extraneous. Costumes, props, lighting, and sound are firstrate and more appropriate. Bullock leads the show with the same kind of detailed work that won Cynthia Nixon a Tony for her role. We know her and the rest of the cast quite well by the end of the play; where they've been, what they are, and where they might be going. Lindsay-Abaire's used everyday elements to tell a simple and moving tale, ending not with "happily ever after," but "they lived."

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"Rabbit Hole" by David Lindsay-Abaire, Nov.3 - Dec.3

Huntington Theatre Co. at B.U.Theatre

264 Huntington Ave, (617) 266 - 0800
HTC

Screen Play

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Screen Play" by A.R.Gurney

Date: Sun, Nov. 5, 6:43 PM

Quicktake on SCREEN PLAY

     Satire might just be a more effective antidote to tyranny than realism. David Hare's "Stuff Happens" extended down at the BCA imagines what might have been going on in the corridors of power in 2002 -2003 leading up to the current morass in the Middle East. A.R.Gurney's imaginative look at the state of these United States in 2015 resulting from such policies may be more instructive. The Nora Theatre, inching ever closer to a new home in Central Square, has a bang-up production running in Studio A at Boston Playwrights'.

    "Screen Play", directed by Richard McElvain, was written as a takeoff on the classic screen play for "Casablanca". It's presented as a mock staged reading by a sound and experienced cast with a soundtrack of folk and old, old standards played live by Jeffrey Goldberg. The story centers around Rick (of course), played by a welcome addition to the local scene, David DeBeck, who runs his family bar (what else?) in Buffalo, N.Y. (where else?). Disaffected Americans are once again fleeing to Canada, just across the Peace Bridge. Among those trying to leave, amid increasingly Draconian rules promulgated by "security" concerns, are political activist Walter Wellman, played in full voice by Peter Edmund Haydu and his wife, Rick's old flame, Sally, played by Stephanie Clayman. The song for the evening is "My Gal Sal," part of the repertoire of Myrna, the joint's chanteuse, warbled by Dee Crawford, who also does "Shuffle off to Buffalo" and "The Erie Canal." The local sheriff, source of a great deal of exposition, is Charley Washington, done by big Michael Nurse. Everyone's nemesis is Ass. Sec for HS, Abner Patch a Bible thumping Republican, played with gusto by John Davin. His flunky is played by John Porell, who takes on all the minor roles, including a local thug who steals the requisite "letters of transit," and a bored French airline clerk.

     Standing behind 7 black music stands, with some odd theatrical gear propped behind them, the ensemble uses their rich and varied experience to ring changes on this familiar story. Gurney, who was known around Boston for years as a member of the MIT English Department, has created an uncomfortable possible future based on the erosion of liberty taking place daily. Does everyone have their passport up to date in case they want to drive up to Montreal this winter--and get back into the States? We're liable to be seeing this script done again soon, but don't wait to get tickets to Nora's production. You never know.

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"Screen Play" by A.R.Gurney, 2 - 19

Nora Theatre Co. at Boston Playwrights' Theatre

949 Comm. Ave. Allston, (866) 811 - 4111
The Nora Theatre Co.

URINETOWN at Vokes

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "Urinetown" by Mark Hollman & Greg Kotis

Date: Fri, Nov 3, 12:12 AM

Quicktake on URINETOWN, THE MUSICAL

     If you've avoided this musical satire for one reason or another, the current production at Beatrice Hereford's Vokes Playhouse out in Wayland on Rt. 20 would be a good place to catch what's become one of the most produced musicals across the country--if you can get a ticket. The Newton Country Player's just had a success with Tony winner "Urinetown" over at Lasell, the Lyric opened last year's season with it, and Newton South High's doing the show in the spring.

     Directed by Donnie Baillargeon, the show gets off to a good start with Vokes' stalwart David Berti as Officer Lockstock the narrator and his sidekick Little Sally the urchin, done by Peri Chouteau. The duo catches the show's attitude perfectly. The ensemble is in fine voice, the story which centers around a public revolt against having to pay to pee rings ludicrously true. The music and lyrics by Mark Hollman start off with echoes of Brecht and Weill and evolve into a sendup of contemporary musical theatre. The love story between Bobby Strong public facility attendant, sung by Kendall Hodder, and Hope Cladwell daughter of the urinal magnate, sung by Sarah Consentino, pushes all the right buttons. Supporting roles such as Lockstock's partner, Officer Barrel and Penelope Pennywise, Bobby's boss, done by Bill Stambaugh and Janet Ferreri are edgy. Ferreri's opening number, "It's a Privilege to Pee" helps set the tone for the evening. The energetic ensemble, who play both the downtrodden masses and Cladwell's flunkies, have moments to shine, like Mark Soucy's demented thug, Hot Blades Harry, one of the "good?" guys.

    Steven McGonagle has done another outstanding set for the company with echoes of the original, Mario Cruz conducts the small musical ensemble--out of sight in this production--with the required flair, and Jennifer Condon's choreography sends up all the usual suspects, from Robbins to Fosse to Twarp. It's a goodtime show with serious digs at the potential disaster of overpopulation, depletion of resources, and public indifference. Or as author Greg Kotis, trained as a political economist, ends the show, "Hail Malthus."

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"Urinetown" by Mark Hollman & Greg Kotis, Oct. 26 - Nov. 17(shows added)

Vokes Players at Vokes Theater

RT.20, Wayland (508) 358 - 4034
Vokes Players

All That Flying...

From: "will stackman" profwlll@yahoo.com

Subject: Quicktake - "All This Flying, All This Tumbling Down" by Dario Fo & Franca Rame

Date: Thurs, Nov 2, 1:02 AM

Quicktake on ALL THIS FLYING, ALL THIS TUMBLING DOWN

     Works by Nobel Laureate Dario Fo have been scarce on the American Stage since his injudicious remarks made after 9/11. Whistler in the Dark, who've previously been seen mostly at the Charlestown Working Theatre, have prepared four monodramas by the old clown and his wife/partner, Franca Rame, and taken them on the road. They're performing in various venues in Boston and Cambridge. The translations are by Gillian Hanna and Amy Nora Long. Meg Taintor directs three actors, two seen previously with Whistler in the Dark, Lorna McKenzie and Jennifer O'Connor, and Nikki Carroll, an Aussie who toured last year for Shakespeare & Co. Each woman does one solo piece, the trio combines for the final piece, "All Women Have the Same Story," a surrealistic fairy tale.

     The first monodrama, "Rise and Shine" features O'Carroll as a woman so frazzled by work, an infant, and an inconsiderate husband that she feels she's going mad as she hurries to get ready for work. The second, "A Woman Alone" is an entire domestic melodrama with Lorna McKenzie, really going mad cooped up in her apartment with a crying baby and an invalid brother-in-law, being stared at by a pervert with binoculars, badgered by obscene phone calls, and pursued by an unwanted lover. Jennifer O'Connor is "Alice in Wonderless Land" succumbing to temptations and the modern world in ways which have made Lewis Carroll faint. Costumes are mainly lingerie and few accouterments chosen by Kelly Leigh David, the set is two translucent screen which can be used for shadows, and the interlude sounds are a danceable mixtrack. The show works surprisingly well in the informal atmosphere of a nightspot. Fo would approve. Be sure to check the group's website for directions to venues and any schedule changes. The tour wraps up Friday the 10th at the Charlestown Working Theatre.

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"All This Flying, All This Tumbling Down" by Dario Fo & Franca Rame, Oct.24 - Nov. 9

Whistler in the Dark at Charles Playhouse Lounge, Midway Cafe (JP), Zeigeist (Camb), Art&Soul (Camb.), The Vault(Lynn Arts), and Charlestown WT

check website for directions; (866) 811- 4111

Whistler In The Dark