I had a lovely evening at C.O.S’s production of Mel Brook’s The Producers this weekend. While not without its small problems, the splashy musical is effectively staged and has a lot of energy. I can easily recommend it to Visalians looking for a fun night out. Personally, I particularly enjoyed Mike Hamilton’s “Franz Liebkind” and Justin Allen’s “Carmen Ghia” (I’m getting so old. . . I was Mrs. Medlock to Justin’s “Colin” in a production of The Secret Garden years ago! Ack!).
Contenders
The Valley has had an upswing in productions this winter of highly acclaimed scripts, and so far none have let me down.
First, Chris Mangels directed Conor McPherson’s The Weir at the Ice House Theatre in Visalia, which was a beautifully rendered piece and some of the best work I’ve seen from Visalia talent in a long time. This show has just edged out Irene Morse’s Two Rooms as the best production of the season at the Ice House (so far).
The ART in Fresno put up David Lindsey-Abair’s Rabbit Hole, an amazingly fraught piece staged with wonderful intimacy and balance by Julie Ann Keller. The performances from Mike Peterson and Jennifer Hurd-Peterson are some of the best work I’ve ever seen from them.
And finally, The Spotlight Theatre in Bakersfield is running The Goat, or Who is Sylvia in previews this weekend. A very difficult play to stage with any beauty because of its subject-matter, the cast of this production really puts its heart into it, never looking down their noses at their own characters, and deliver a moving performance with tremendous grace. Highly recommended.
The Spotlight’s I Am My Own Wife was also sold out and had great word of mouth, so I’d watch out for their non-musical productions in the future. Tickets to them could be increasingly difficult to get!
Check out San Joaquin Valley Theatre Bulletin Board for postings on “The Goat” and other upcoming shows.
Rocky Horror Show at ART in Fresno
This show has been sold out for it’s last two weekends for some time, but the producers are keeping people on standby if you show up 1 hr and 30 minutes before curtain to get your name on the evening’s standby list. If there are empty seats at 5 minutes before curtain, they’ll start seating people.
TRUST ME, IT’S WORTH IT! I didn’t stop smiling the whole time and director/choreographer/Frank n’Furter Daniel Chavez is sublime!
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| Description |
 ART’s Rocky is the classic rock & roll musical with a fresh new style! Directed by Daniel Chavez Jr., the show will feature a live six-piece rock band and some of the best singers, actors, musicians and dancers in town. |
Hay Fever at Fresno Pacific University
Last week, before I came down with strep throat AND the flu AT THE SAME TIME, I had the joy of a lovely weekend of theatre going.
I managed to catch FPU’s Hay Fever by Noel Coward on its opening night and was delighted by a lovely production.
The first thing to catch my eye was the elegant living room box set by FPU Theatre Program Director, Julia Reimer. Subdued colors and nicely edited decoration made the set a suitable backdrop for the outlandish characters who will soon tramp across it. (Of course, I’m probably biased on this score since the loveseat, the wingback chair, the drop leaf tea-table, the bookcase with the vintage style radio, the antiqued wall decorations, photos and piano in the corner are an eerily similar match to the items in my own living room. What does that say about me? )
But back to the show.
Noel Coward’s deceptively simple drawing room comedies always sparkle with wit and a lighthanded sense of satire, all of which the cast handles quite well given their age and experience level. There are no ‘ringers’ in this cast– no accomplished community members from outside the regular department. No professors from the campus ranks. No. . . this theatre program is obviously intended for the students and that benefits them with a richness of experience they might not get otherwise.
Act I starts out with some great character capturing from Ava Nicole Pacino (Sorel Bliss) and Benjamin Carr (Simon Bliss) who set up the situation of their unusually ill-mannered family all inviting relatively normal acquaintances to the house on the same weekend. While during the first 15 minutes of the act their speech was extremely fast paced and hindered by their well-studied accents, it was a bit difficult to land each of their jokes. But once they calmed down– and with the addition of actress-mother Judith (Donna Carr) to the scene– they settled into the familiar buoyancy of Coward’s writing.
Pacino, in particular is a sparkling youngster in the play with a great deal of ingenue work ahead of her if she keeps at it. Donna Carr, as the show’s centerpiece figure, understands the style requirements of her character, but lacks the rich vocal registers of a grand diva– something that will come with age and is really no fault of her own. It’s just the pitfall of playing older than you really are. She handles Judith’s supercilliousness with tremendous grace, however.
The depth of natural talent of the supporting players, though, is what really shores up this production. Very often, in a drawing room comedy, these roles are glossed over. But here director Jennifer Sampson has cast it pitch perfectly. Tony Sargosa’s slightly dim athlete, Sandy, is sweet tempered but decisive; Stephanie Wasemiller has the pretty, but charmingly scrunched face of a Renee Zellwegger delivering her best comedic looks; Maya Oselsky as the exotic Myra is the most comfortable in her skin and carries herself with a seductive twist and a sly look in her perfectly boned face. The real find, however, was Jacob Bailey as the “diplomatist” Richard Greatham. Baily has the look of a mild-mannered professor and the perfect delivery for a man who knows exactly the right thing to say. Each of these characters are nicely individualized and carried well by these very young actors.
Sampson’s direction appears sound– she’s obviously nurtured some terrific student performances from this group. There were a few moments of staging where a character’s back was to the audience, downstage center, in a style of blocking that I love in a 3/4 round stage or on a rake. But Noel Coward is designed specifically for classic 20th century procenium blocking, and it was distracting when actors in the most prominent positions on stage were cutting off the audience from the action.
But that is really a minor quibble in an otherwise delightful show. Lovely set, BEAUTIFUL costumes (always a plus with me), and a terrific script. Nicely done. Here’s hoping Ms. Sampson can bring some of that energy and teaching ability to her other job at Bakersfield College!
Fresno Pacific University will present Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya April 16-18, 23-25. Contact Julia Reimer at jreimer@fresno.edu for more information.
Some News
After much consideration, I’ve decided that I must retire my on-again/off-again work as a reviewer of plays in the area. The truth of the matter is simply this: I have landed two positions in the local theatre community that are going to cut down my ability to objectively review plays. I’ll undoubtedly be seeing a lot of work in my new positions, but I’ll also be producing a lot of work. Some people can make producing and reviewing go hand in hand, but I’m not certain that I can.
So my upcoming review of Fresno Pacific’s “Hay Fever” will probably be my last full review.
I do plan, however, to report back on work I’m seeing that I like. Today’s young theatre goers are looking more and more to online comments to recommend what they should spend their money on. I’ll be happy to lend my voice to the stuff I think worth the time and money– in a shorter, more succinct way!
Heather
Noises Off! @ Spotlight Theatre in Bakersfield
I suppose one testament of a good show is when you FINALLY sit down to write it up almost TWO WEEKS later, you still giggle at some of the antics you witnessed onstage.
With my profoundest apologies for not getting to this review sooner, I can honestly say that Spotlight Theatre’s current production of Noises Off! is well, acted, well paced and a well spent evening in the theatre.
This show is highly technical and requires athletic timing and precision to land the jokes (as do all farces), and the fact that this cast succeeds is a real testament to their determination and talent. Already a tough show to do, this Noises Off lost its Lloyd (the “director” in the fictional theatrical production that is at the center of the play) due to a horrifying car accident. Luckily, the original actor will pull through, but that left company artistic director, Hal Friedman, to step into the role with only three days to prepare before opening.
By the Sunday of the second weekend, when I saw it, the audience would have thought that Friedman had been part of the ensemble all along.
The Spotlight has a lovely little space, but it can feel very cramped and crowded due to its tiny stage and wall of stadium seating. But this production– which needed desperately to use every square inch it could find– stages it well. During the first act, in which a rehearsal is playing out before our eyes, the lights remain up over the audience and Friedman’s Lloyd (as well as a few other actors in the story) use the house as their playing space. Since that is the director’s domain in rehearsal it makes sense. It also give the production a tremendously open and transparent feel. As a theatre practitioner, I felt as though I were sitting in on another director’s rehearsal and watching the politics and tensions common to any ensemble unfold.
And anyone who has been involved in theatre knows intimately the characters and situations in that first act– well, throughout the play, really– and cringes with recognition. But to this production’s credit, beyond the first act I didn’t dwell on my own experiences, but rather got caught up in those on the stage. Director Jarred Clowes seems to have channeled his ensemble’s experiences within the rehearsal process to fuel the production onstage, which is a testament to his ability to lead and focus a disparate group of actors. It is far too easy to let the metadramatic aspects of this play overwhelm the direction and watch it go spinning out of control.
Standouts in the production are the aforementioned Friedman; Kathryn Brinkley (as Dotty), with a broadly comedic face and a Carol Burnett inspired mop-maid ensemble that underscores her ascerbic character; Brian Sivesind (as Freddy), whose “dumb-but-sensitive guy” routine can only be pulled off with a smart acting technique; and Jeny Rendt-Scott Sanchez who is charmingly quirky in her smallish role of stage manager, Poppy. But, in fact, each of these actors had the help and support of an entire cast of energetic, sympathetic and very, very funny characters.
And Kudos must also be given to the technical crew of Noises Off! Building and reversing a two-level stage complete with stairs and door slamming in a stage 25feet wide, 17 feet deep and 14 feet high is a bear, but these folks pulled it off. And they worked their asses off doing it!
Two Rooms @ the Ice House Theatre, Visalia
The Visalia Community Players open their 2008-2009 season with a moderately unorthodox choice– the topical drama Two Rooms by Lee Blessing.
But while it may be unorthodox in that most community theatres start their seasons with a comedy, the Players have done this opener just right. Two Rooms is an elegantly staged, sensitively treated production that illustrates the level of work the Players can achieve when they engage both the heart and mind.
Two Rooms was originally written in 1988 when the Reagan/1st Bush Administration were carrying out policies on a string of American abductions by Islamic militant groups. Yet the script is remarkably timely in the closing of the second Bush Administration and its increasingly callous treatment of Western-Islamic relations. Nothing in the script feels as though it is 20 years old except for the geography.
The story is a simple one: An American professor is held hostage Beirut. In an attempt to connect with his experience and keep her heart engaged with him, the professor’s wife converts his study into a bare room mimicking the room of his captivity. Into these rooms come the debate on American foreign policies, the government’s coldness towards victims and their families, and the role of media and journalism in such crises. But more importantly, these two rooms contain the individual experiences and feelings of the people for whom this isn’t an ‘issue’ but instead it is their life– and death– experience.
As Lainie, the wife, Anna Nersesian displays the widest range of emotion in a performance that is compellingly constructed. Her ability to pace her emotions, choosing just the right moments to let loose or to hold back, shows the level of her acting technique. She is the driving force behind this production and the scenes in which she debates the emotional realities of her character’s experience with her fellow actors are fully engaging. You root for this woman who is fighting through her pain.
As the American professor in captivity, James Sherill is well cast. His tall, lanky frame seems to collapse in on itself under the weight of his imprisonment and Sherill has a natural sensitivity that suits the character well. While it’s evident that he’s not yet as seasoned a performer as Nersesian, he performs this role well.
As the journalist interested in telling Lainie’s story, Clark Hawley is immensely likeable. His best moments, though, are when he’s arguing a point or action with Nersesian’s Lainie. He doesn’t shy away from an argument or let Nersesian take over the scene, which makes for far more interesting watching for an audience.
The fourth member of the cast is remarkable in her own right: Ashley Halford, as the government bureaucrat assigned to Lainie’s case, makes her acting debut in this production. Poised and restrained, her characterization was nicely done, annoyingly dogmatic without being insufferable. Her public speaking and debate background played very nicely into her character, Ellen’s, monologue about how the government must make horrid, heartless decisions about hostage cases in order to be able to function for the whole nation. The monologue makes their case quite clear and helps us to understand how her character’s emotional doors remain closed– even though we wish they wouldn’t.
The play itself is done in a black-box style with some multi-media added in as required by the script. The lighting design is graceful and effective, giving the set (and the people in it) an otherworldly glow.
Directors Irene Morse and Elicia Russell have given us some fine, contemporary work in the past with shows like Lips Together, Teeth Apart and Stop Kiss. Two Rooms is an excellent addition to their list of credits.
Two Rooms runs September 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, and 20 at the Ice House Theatre in Visalia. Tickets are $12.
Fresno Bee’s Review of ‘Hamlet’ at WSF
So, we’ve hit the final hump of our summer Shakespeare season at Woodward Shakespeare Festival with the opening of ‘Hamlet’ this weekend. Again, as I am professionally affiliated with this company I cannot offer a review of the show, but the Bee’s regular reviewer Donald Munro did. And you can read it below– it is quite stellar. Click the title lines below to read the whole thing.
I will be back to reviewing shows in September with Lee Blessings Two Rooms at the Ice House Theatre in Visalia and Noises Off! at the Spotlight in Bakersfield.
****
THEATRE REVIEW: ‘HAMLET’
by Donald Munro
The Fresno Bee
Friday, August 15, 2008.
Arlene Schulman, the articulate and industrious director of Woodward Shakespeare Festival’s vibrant new production of “Hamlet,” has compared the play to a “caged leopard” that paces and searches, ready to leap given the slightest opportunity. That’s a perfect way to describe Hamlet himself. The title character is portrayed with a prowling, lithe, snarling obsessiveness by Adam Meredith.. . .
Twelfth Night @ Woodward Shakespeare, Fresno
Since I am professionally affiliated with this show, I cannot review it myself. Part of reviewing a show depends upon the reviewer seeing the end product and judging it with little to no regard for the circumstances of the product’s creation. When we know the obstacles that were overcome for a certain production, we always see it with that history in mind and therefore love it a little bit more softly.
So, here is The Fresno Bee’s Donald Munro’s review of Twelfth Night at the Woodward Shakespeare Festival.
Word on the street in Visalia
First, I’ve updated my pages over there —> and have added a page listing my bets on decent shows this fall/early spring. Keep an eye out for them.
Secondly, I have missed two Visalia shows this month because I’ve been in the middle of a costume build for the Woodward Shakespeare Festival’s production of Twelfth Night. Gas prices aren’t helping, either. . . anyway. . .
Last night, though, I was at a little shin-dig at the Cellar Door and I heard from a number of everyday joes– the kind that go see shows on a semi-regular basis, but aren’t theatre people in the least– that the League of Christian Actor’s Jesus Christ Superstar was a powerhouse performance with some absolutely incredible voices. So Kudos to them. Here’s hoping their five performances at the Fox did them some long-term good.
I haven’t yet heard anything about the Visalia Player’s Barefoot in the Park, but it being Neil Simon, I’m sure it was a successful show for the VCP.
