"The Liar" at Artists Rep

To miss "The Liar" would be a crime

A comedy delivered all in rhyme

You'll have the time of your lives at this play by David Ives 

He has a knack for adaptations, that's for sure

He also wrote "Venus in Fur" 

The play has lies, laughs, and a love letter

And I promise you their rhymes are better

Three Days of Rain @ PCS

I've been toying with the idea of adding a kind of Season Wrap-up article to this site. In this article I would select the best show from each of the theatres to whose Press List I belong. I'm thinking of calling the awards "The Crippys," what do you think? It is with this in mind that I hereby award "Three Days of Rain" Portland Center Stage's "Crippy" I went back through my reviews of PCS' current season, and though I really loved "Dreamgirls" for its theatrical dazzle, I think "Three Days of Rain" wins easily overall.

I wanted to live inside Scott Fyfe's set, and I haven't been this struck by the subtle and thus, often overlooked, lighting design since "Sweeney Todd," and unsurprisingly, the same person,  Dianne Ferry Williams is responsible for both shows.

And it always a pleasure to see celebrity actors, in this case, Silas Weir Mitchell and Sasha Roiz, both of TV's "Grimm",  filmed in Portland. If you happen to have never been to PCS's gorgeous Armory building in the Pearl District, I can't imagine a better introduction.

Now, the only question that remains is whether Portland Center Stage is brave enough to publicize that they are the first recipients of a "Crippy". We shall see!

"Static" @Third Rail Rep

One of the greatest things about art of all kinds is its ability to make you see things in a new way. Usually when I use that particular line of praise, I am speaking about big things. But, "Static" taught me that art can also help us see new significance in the mundane. See, when I listen to music, it's a very personal, solo experience. Yet, it doesn't have to be. The characters in "Static" share music generously, they bond over it. They heal by it. I am thankful to be shown the power of this, I think it's something I needed to be reminded of. That's yet another great thing about art: Each of us gets to choose what to take from it, and I will treasure what it taught me for quite a while. "Static" is flat-out wonderful, and I'd recommend that you rush to see it. You never know what you might draw from it.

"The Lion" @ Portland Center Stage

"The Lion" is not the show it appears to be. The trailer I saw was essentially a clip from an upbeat little tune about a child playing music alongside his musician father. In other words, a pleasant way to spend eighty minutes. Instead, those promised happy moments are brief, and concentrated mostly in the beginning. It's not long until the tone changes drastically. Normally I count this shift as a good thing, there's nothing I like better than a deeply affecting show, but there's cancer involved. In that case, I would have preferred to skip it. My mother has had cancer twice, and she was my guest last night.  I cringed through the entire song about chemo. But, my mother is the most optimistic person I know, and her biggest take-away from the show was how the diagnosis brought the scattered and somewhat estranged family together. Looking back, that was probably among the points the playwright was trying to make, but by that time I had retreated halfway into my "happy place." I guess the best thing I can do for you is to tell you to be prepared, and if you are, there might be something you'll be glad you saw, as my mother was. Me, I'm angry at the marketing department.....

4,000 Miles @ Artists Rep

I must confess that I approached "4000 Miles" with trepidation. I had just recently seen another Amy Herzog play, "Belleville" at Third Rail Rep and I was angered by the contemptuously unanswered questions at the end. While I did have some minor issues with Herzog's script this time, (the play is littered with fragments of dialogue that scream, "this piece of information will become important later" with little to no pay-off in the end), but that's easy to overlook. What makes "4000 Miles" unmissable is Vanna O''Brien's performance as grandmother Vera Joseph, a role she also played in Portland Playhouse's production of "After the Revolution," which I now regret I missed. I don't think that seeing that show would have filled in many of the blanks, because I have vague memories of reading "Revolution" on behalf of Portland Center Stage, and that play focused on the daughter of the family, I don't even recall a son, but this is still good advice: Do not repeat my mistake, see this one while you can.

"Grease" at Broadway Rose

"Grease" was the show I was looking most forward to when Broadway Rose announced their current season. I had seen the movie a long time ago, and re-watched it last night so I could compare it to the stage version. The first difference I noticed was that the Broadway Rose cast could more easily pass for high school students than could, say, Stockard Channing, who was 33 (!) when filming began. (Yes, I looked it up, it's just that striking.) The second thing I noticed was that there seemed to be far more songs in the stage version than the movie, for that alone it's worth the trip to the theatre. I'd liken it to finding out that a movie you like was based on a novel you haven't read, except that live performances are much rarer things, so when the opportunity presents itself you must jump at it while you can. And you should! Broadway Rose's production oozes with fun. There was an abundance of younger audience members on Opening Night, and I think that "Grease" would be a fine introduction to live theatre for a kid looking for a new interest, at the very least it would be a nice night out. On this one I can virtually guarantee a good time.

Performances held at the Broadway Rose New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Ave., Tigard.

"Cyrano" @ PCS

"Cyrano" as translated by Michael Hollinger and adapted by Aaron Posner is a laugh-riot. I approached it with some trepidation, because although I love the classics I sometimes have trouble with the odd syntax. Highlights included Cyrano's deprecating nose jokes, somehow he's better at it than anyone who tries to insult him. (Maybe someone should send the script to Adrian Brody? Perhaps he'd find some of them useful?) The set is complex and I'll remember the moonlight scenes for a long time. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Darius Pierce is in it, which means it's automatically worth seeing in my opinion.

"The Price" by Arthur Miller @ Artists Rep

I once saw a clip of Arthur Miller discussing the premiere of "Death of a Salesman", he said he was panicked because the audience had not applauded at the end. He thought that the play had bombed, and then he slowly realized that the audience had been so overwhelmed that they had forgotten they were watching a play. That's how I felt at Artists Rep's production of Miller's "The Price." This play is so real, so emotionally raw that I wager you will forget that you are in a theatre. The last Artist Rep show that was this transcendent was "The Motherfucker with the Hat", and while I breathlessly praised that show, the one thing I couldn't say is: "If you want to see why I love theatre, go see this show!", because, as its title suggests, that show had a few things that might have offended certain sensibilities. "The Price" has none of that, and it really does have most of the elements I love: poetic yet natural use of language, a story which starts as one thing and ends as another, and somewhat unusually, a lesser known work by a master. Finally I get to say it: "If you want to see why I love theatre, go see this show!"

"Belleville" by Amy Herzog @ Third Rail Rep

There are certainly things to praise in Third Rail's "Belleville. There's the performance of Issac Lamb as Zack, a lovable goof. There are interesting plot-points in Herzog's script. But, virtually nothing was resolved to my satisfaction. One small example: Zack is indeed a stoner extraordinaire, but there is a scene in which he is caught lurking in the neighbor's apartment in the middle of the night, his excuse is that he was looking for the neighbor's stash of marijuana because he had run out of his own. That just didn't add up to me. Not in the moment, because I didn't believe someone would do that for marijuana, especially since that neighbor is also the landlord and Zack owes him quite a bit of money. Then I flashed back to it after the unexpected bit of violence at the end, were his motives far more sinister and he just got caught? We're never told. I was so confused by nearly everything that I read the NY Times review because I was sure I had missed something. One thing the Times review noted was that the pornography Zack is caught watching when his wife returns home earlier than expected, was "violent" Really? All I remember is pretty standard moaning. Zack happens to discuss the incident with the landlord pre-break-in and the landlord asks, "was it nasty shit?" and Zack says yes, but mentions nothing of violence. But in light of the break-in, and bloody ending, again,  was Zack's motive predatory? The play's final scene is rendered entirely in untranslated French dialogue, and that registered with me as Herzog's version of an elementary schooler's sing-song taunt, "I'm not going to tell you." Well,  Ms. Herzog, you also neglected to make me care enough in the first place. I'm certainly less enthused about seeing another Herzog play coming soon to Artist's Rep.

"Fierce Love" @ Milagro Theatre

"Fierce Love" is certainly true to its title. This play of short scenes and monologues by six mothers of children with Cerebral Palsy is an epic testament to the kind of love that is born from adversity. At the risk of abusing a phrase, it's about the a kind of love not for the faint of heart. There are scenes of fear, scenes of injustice, frustration, and heartache. But, there are also scenes of triumph, both of parents and children. Most surprising is the humor. The play is structured as sort of a collage, with the troupe of six actresses playing multiple roles, it is quite an ambitious undertaking.

The play was produced by Well Arts, which focuses on bringing stories from under-represented groups to the stage, and I must take a moment to say what a wonderful concept that is.

If I were to name the unifying theme of the pieces--beyond love--it would be how these mothers have each journeyed to find ways to see their children for who they are. Whether it be suddenly making a simple yet profound connection with a child who has severe communication difficulties, or realizing that the baby you love hasn't changed just because he now has a scary-sounding diagnosis.

"Fierce Love" has a bit of everything: comedy, tragedy--a mother has a conversation with her uterus, I mean, where else are you going to find that? This show is worth your time whether or not you have any experience with disabilities--perhaps even more so if you don't. Why? Because it will change the way you see disability when you encounter it. These women tell their stories not in a plea for sympathy, but for simple understanding, and as with all great art, these stories make you see things in a new way.

"Fierce Love" 
Written by Ann Connor-Griffin, Susan Cushman, Danae Davison, Michelle Haines, Jennifer Peterson, Nicole Silverman

Facilitated and Directed by Erica Terpening-Romeo and Heath Hyun Houghton

Featuring:

 
Arlena Barnes
Zoë Rudman 
Diana Schultz 
Jeanette Swafford 
Chelsie Thomas
Sumi Wu

Performance Dates
Tuesday, March 17, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 21, 2pm
Wednesday, March 25, 7:30pm
Saturday, March 28, 2pm
Saturday, April 4, 2pm
Cost: $10 general admission, $5 students/seniors

Performance Venue
Milagro Theatre
525 SE Stark
Portland, OR 97214

https://www.boxofficetickets.com/go/event?id=297803