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San
Diego Theatre Scene
by Pat
Launer
September 30, 2003
Relatively Speaking, it's been another wild
week
From Globes of Blue/Orange to the Vox that's
Greek;
I rode the Trolley, while Annie Got her
Gun,
Then I got Electra-cuted, just for
fun.
BIG WEEK FOR THE
BLUES…
While
KPBS is singin' the blues (with stellar series on radio
and TV), the Globe is presenting its own color-riff -
Joe Penhall's "Blue/Orange." The drama takes a
subtle, provocative look at racism, health care, and
power plays. In its triangular structure (three men), it
resembles Yazmina Reza's "Art." In its abuses of power
differentials, it's reminiscent of David Mamet's
"Oleanna." And in its confrontation of exploitation in
the health care system, it's redolent of Andrea
Stolowitz's "Knowing Cairo." And yet, it's unique in
presenting its arguments (sometimes somewhat
didactically) and how the playwright darkens the tones
and hues. Nothing is black, white, blue or orange here;
it's all shades of gray. The balances among these three
men shift frequently and unpredictably. Just when you
think you have a handle on what's happening, Penhall
makes a hairpin turn and it's catawampus all over again.
The
protagonists are a new psychiatrist, Bruce, and his
hospitalized patient, Christopher. The young doctor
calls in his supervisor to discuss whether Chris should
be sent out into the street, for which Bruce thinks he's
not at all ready, or reclassified as schizophrenic, so
he can remain in the London psychiatric facility to get
more appropriate treatment. But each man turns out to
have multiple agendas, and each takes a turn in the
driver's seat, manipulating the others for his own ends.
No one is untainted; no one is consistently right or
wrong, good or bad. It's a fascinating look at humans
being very human; the only problem is, the stakes are
high -- two careers and possibly a life hang in the
balance.
I
always look forward to Richard Seer's directorial turns
at the Globe. The director of the Globe/USD Actor
Training Program typically makes captivating dramatic
choices, and does a wonderful job of bringing them to
life. He's done it again, assembling and shepherding a
potent cast, coaxing finely nuanced performances from
them. He maintains a brisk pace, even when the sometimes
prolix language of the play creaks or grinds.
Teagle
F. Bougere is terrific as the patient, whose nervous,
jittery energy spills over into the Cassius Carter
seats. He may or may not be the son of African dictator
Idi Amin. He may or may not perceive all orange fruit to
be blue. He may or may not be schizophrenic. Bruce
believes he needs more treatment. Robert thinks his
problems are more cultural than medical. And besides,
there aren't beds to spare in the hospital. As Robert,
Ned Schmidtke is a mass of captivating contradictions;
he's smooth, slick, oily, avuncular, angry, rational and
racist by turns. Brian Hutchison plays Bruce as a loose
cannon, which strains medical credibility; he loses his
temper too easily from the get-go. So when he really
gets fired up at the end, it's less powerful. But when
he keeps trying to regain control, to out-wit and
out-fox both other men, using one futile strategy after
another, his desperation is palpable. Robin Sanford
Roberts' set is a wonderful mix of monochromatic
modernism and institutional angularity. Like the
characters, it's all shades of gray. Very effective, and
very well lit by Chris Rynne. A gripping production
(even though the play sometimes drags), with robust
direction and compelling performances.
YOU CAN GET A FAN WITH A GUN ….
"You
can't get a male in the tail like a quail" has always
been a favorite line of mine. But of course,
"Annie
Get Your Gun"
has a million of 'em. They just don't write musicals
like they used to; every darn song's a winner. Well,
whaddaya expect? Music and lyrics by Irving Berlin. And
the book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields (listed as
'Dorthy' in the program) is no slouch, either. Jerome
Kern was supposed to have written the songs with Fields,
but he died in 1945, just before the project was to
begin, and Berlin was brought in. It was Fields who came
up with the idea, and the immortal pairing of Ethel (the
Merm) and Annie (the Oak).
The
story, you may recall, set
in the mid-1880s, concerns Annie Oakley, an illiterate
hick from the Cincinnati area, who immediately upon
entering, demonstrates remarkable marksmanship. As a
result, she is persuaded (through the ever-convincing
claim that "There's No Business Like Show Business") to
join Col. Buffalo Bill's traveling Wild West Show. Annie
takes one look at Frank Butler, the show's featured
shooting ace, and falls madly in love. After competing
with, out-shooting and then eclipsing him in the show
("Anything You Can Do," "Doin' What Comes Natur'lly," "I
Got the Sun in the Morning," "The Girl That I Marry")
she realizes that "You Can't Get a Man With a
Gun."
Local
powerhouse Joy Yandell (a veteran of "Beehive" and "I
Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," among many
others), isn't trying to channel Ethel. She puts her own
delectable spin on the role, and it's a winner. She's a
heckuva lot better than Marilu Henner was when she
breezed through San Diego in 2000 in the national tour.
This version doesn't mess with the P.C. changes of the
revival, so it'll definitely ruffle some feathers.
Yandell
is irresistible; she's adorably hillbilly at the outset
and she adds a perfect country twang to her rangy voice.
Plus, she's got Andrew Husmann as her leading man, a
handsome, talented, affable guy who understudied Tom
Wopat in that Marilu national tour. A few other
standouts in the 24-person cast are Robert Marra, a
delightful triple-threat as Tommy, the half-breed (as it
were); Jeffrey Arnold Wolf, hilarious as Chief Sitting
Bull, and as Annie's brother, Michael Drummond, a guy
with a marvelous stage presence -- and he's only
9! The production is crisply directed and
choreographed by Jon Engstrom -- and well worth the trip
to the Welk. I bet it's been a looooong time since you
were there! (it sure was for me!). Go; enjoy. It'll make
you feel young! [oh, and if you mention Joy's website,
www.JoyYandell.com, you get an extra discount on tix!!
Bonus!]
EVERYTHING IS RELATIVE
 Alan Ayckbourn, as
described (by dramaturg Dick Emmet) is the most
prolifically produced playwright in the English
language. He's penned some 70 plays, though that doesn't
mean they're actually more produced than anyone
else's… but I guess I'll have to take his word for it
for now. The Sir Alan play currently running at North
Coast Repertory Theatre is "Relatively Speaking,"
a work that premiered in 1967. It's reportedly the
playwright's attempt to craft a traditional, "well-made
play," in the style of Oscar Wilde. He should be so
funny.
The
piece reeks of the '60s, and the production, directed by
Rosina Reynolds, does everything to evoke that perky
timeframe. Jeanne Reith's costumes are a mini-skirted,
flower-powered hoot, George Ye's peppy sound design is
filled with early, apt Beatles songs (e.g., "Love Me Do"
-- twice) and Marty Burnett's set design morphs
magically from the '60s flower-flocked 'pad' of the
(draggy) first scene into the bucolic backyard of an
English country home (greenhouse and all) for the rest
of the play. Lovely stuff, that. The direction is crisp,
the players are amusing, but the play is…. well, frankly
annoying at times. It's funny in fits and starts,
especially in the plentiful stage business. Brian Salmon
gets to do one of the longest, slowest double-takes in
the history of the theater, I think. But the confusions
and mistaken identities are so slow to unfold that one
tends to lose focus. That doesn't diminish the fun of
watching Salmon and Susan Denaker go at it as a
suburban, middle-aged, mutually distrustful husband and
wife. As the younger set, Jo Anne Glover and Tom Hall
are appealing, if not blessed with spectacularly
fascinating, multi-dimensional characters. At least this
early Ayckbourn is a little less cynical than some of
his later work. But he never has any love lost for the
joys of marriage or monogamy, or the human potential for
self-deception. If you like a long journey to
resolution, with a few good laughs along the way, you'll
hop on the tram for this one.
ZING ZING ZING GOES THE
TROLLEY
Speaking
of trams, there is absolutely no better way to take a
ride and celebrate contemporary choreography than with
"Trolley Dances 2003." I'm a little embarrassed
to say that this is the first time I've caught the act
in its five years of existence, but I can't imagine it
ever being better than this. Propelled by Jean Isaacs
and her San Diego Dance Theater, the fabulous dance-fest
features 7 pieces choreographed by six marvelous
creative forces: Isaacs, Yolande Snaith and Allysoon
Green from UCSD, Bay Area choreographer Kim Epifano and
the post-modern collective GROUP; L.A.-based Victoria
Marks, and Faith Jensen-Ismay with the Tijuana-based
Grupo de Danza Minerva Tapia.
Here's
how it works: You go to the Old Town trolley station and
get your ticket. Then you see a wonderfully imaginative
dance piece (Isaacs) right there on the waiting benches.
Then you get on the trolley and get off at the Fashion
Valley/River Bank stop for a terrifically Fellini-esque
dance work (Epifano) down by the river, crossing the
bridge, in among the trees, while composer/performer Don
Nichols plays everything from a piece of metal to a
musical array of hanging beer bottles. Sheer magic --
with a message.. about the danger to the river and the
natural environment. Next stop, Hazard Center, for
"Persephone: Love and Shopping on the escalators of
Life" is a delightful and fanciful diversion (Marks),
based on the myth of the young woman who was dragged
into the Underworld (Nordstrom, are you listening??).
The Mission Valley stop also focuses our attention on
shopping (Ismay and Grupo), but the point is less well
defined. There are three performances at the Mission
Valley Library. Outside on the plaza, Green's piece
related to the rocks, waterscape and personal wishes in
simple and simplistic ways. Inside, in the Children's
Reading Room, Isaacs entranced us again with Chapter 5
from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," read in a most
engaging way by the masterful Jim Winker, with Alison
Dietterle riveting as that writhing, hookah-smoking
Caterpillar. Upstairs on the balcony, Snaith presented
"Babook," an invented language challenging the dancers
to do all manner of movement with book in hand. Lovely
and provocative.
Each
piece lasts about 7 or 8 minutes, then you get back on
the trolley and move on. the whole event (which runs
every hour) lasts about two hours. And it's absolutely
irresistible. Each piece is marvelously integrated
into the specific site, and you get to see a wonderful
array of contemporary choreography, while enjoying the
local clime. There's nothing like it. And you really
shouldn't miss it!
GENERAL ELECTRA
"Vox
Hellenic," the Sledgehammer-GrassRoots Greeks
collaboration, concluded with a bang -- and and Electra
shock. One of the best pairings of the series was
Marianne McDonald's translation of Sophocles'
"Electra," coupled with Luis Alfaro's Spanglish
adaptation, "Electricidad." McDonald's
translation was written in collaboration with J. Michael
Walton , and it had her usual clarity coupled with more
poetic lyricism. Lovely reading, especially strong in
the performances of Anne Tran in the title role, a
weepy, wailing affair, extremely well carried off;
and Brennan Taylor as her peripatetic brother,
Orestes; Lisel Gorel as her sister Chrysothemis.
Alfaro
spins it all on its head and turns it southward… with a
charming and delightful bilingual adaptation that was
neck-snapping in its pitch-perfect timing (especially
given that the cast had only one rehearsal!). They were
all nimble and convincing in this intriguing story of a
Barrio family stuck in The Life. The father was brutally
murdered, gangland style, arranged by his power-hungry
wife, who wants to take over the family 'business.'
April Doctolero was terrific as Electricidad, with
strong performances put in by Rene Pena as her nasty,
chain-smoking mother, Clemencia; Kim Miller compelling
as born-again sister, Cristina; Juan Manzo potent as the
Vegas-escapee, Orestes; and Raul Moncada unwavering as
the familia's steadfast friend, Nino.
Wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
IF YOU MISSED IT BEFORE, NOW'S YOUR
CHANCE…..
The
first, mid-war presentation of Voices of Women's
"Reflections on War and Peace" (in April)
was a huge success. The wonderful words of
Shakespeare, Dylan, Elie Wiesel and Eleanor Roosevelt,
spoken by a bevy of local actors, are no less relevant
in the supposedly post-war period. Be titillated and
provoked in this revised, streamlined, updated version
(complete with a rib-tickling Weekday News Update
featuring that Mutt-and-Jeff comedy team, Laura Bozanich
and Pat Launer). Also appearing: Jason Connors, Jillian
Frost, Jenni Prisk and Sylvia M'Lafi Thompson. Be there!
Thursday, October 9 at 7:30 pm at USD's Joan Kroc
Institute for Peace and Justice. Refreshments to follow.
Proceeds from the $20 tix go to the Institute's Nepal
Project's women's programs.
And now,
THIS WEEK'S 'DON'T MISS' LIST 
Trolley
Dances -- a
fabulous array of contemporary choreographers… at stops
along the Mission Valley line. This is really a
must-see! This Saturday and Sunday only.
"Blue/Orange" --
provocative
brain-twister about shrinks and crazies, racism and
institutions; in the Globe's Cassius Carter,
through October 26
"Beauty"
--
gorgeous world premiere, beautifully written and
wonderfully directed by Tina Landau; mystical, magical…
See it! At La Jolla Playhouse; through October 19
"Boy Gets
Girl"
--
dark and intense, suspenseful and disturbing -- and, if
you can take it, definitely worth seeing; at
6th@ Penn -- through this weekend
"Annie Get Your
Gun"
--
delightful production with two great leads and wonderful
costumes; at the Lawrence Welk Resort Theatre, through
November 8
"Love! Valour!
Compassion!"
--
the boys are back in town! And what fabulous company
they are. Extended to October 18
"Hedwig and the Angry
Inch"
--
Jeremiah Lorenz is fabulous, and the band, though
ultra-loud, is killer. The Cygnet is hatched, and it
soars; extended to November 2
Before
the holiday onslaught, October's a great time to put a
little drama in your life!
Pat
©2003 Patté Productions
Inc. Pat's Website
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