"Whodunit" @ Broadway Rose

It's always nice to find a show that you can recommend to everybody, a show so genuinely fun that it has something to please every taste. "Whodunit", which runs through October 19th at Broadway Rose Theatre Company's New Stage Auditorium is a tuneful romp, a twisty mystery, and an off-the-wall comedy. The most surprising thing about it is quality of the solo numbers, despite the lightness of the material. Standouts include "If Only" and "A Lady's Maid" One of my favorite elements of shows like this is that even the background characters get their moment in the spotlight--often in unexpected ways.

Also noteworthy is the set by Charles Murdock Lucas, even the man who introduced the show couldn't resist entering by its grand staircase. 

Oh, one final suggestion: Be sure to take a friend, so that you might ponder the clues during intermission.

"Whodunit" By Ed Dixon

Broadway Rose New Stage Auditorium

12850 SW Grant Ave., Tigard.

Broadwayrose.org

503.620.5262

"Intimate Apparel" at Artists Rep

"Intimate Apparel" is a play about a lot of different things: love, betrayal, gender roles,  race, religion. But, as is the case with all forms of art, the viewer has the privilege of selecting which themes resonate the most with him personally, and for me "Intimate Apparel" is at its best when it is an ode to craft. What stuck with me most after the curtain went down is how all art is fundamentally the same. All art has elements of craft, and all craft has elements of art. Would I have ever thought about sewing and clothing in this way had I not seen "Intimate Apparel"? No. And the appreciation of craft goes beyond the spoken word in this show, the set is gorgeous, and as is to be expected in a show about clothing, the costumes take center stage. It is fitting that this production allows for the people who toil behind the scenes to have their moment in the spotlight, much like the protagonist herself.

"Butt Kapinski" @ Coho Theatre

I got an e-mail about "Butt Kapinski" and I had to suppress a squeal. A film noir parody with a title like that? It couldn't be more my kind of thing if it tried. "Butt" is a one woman show, and she spends most of the hour-plus wearing an interrogation lamp. That alone is worth the price of admission, add in her speech impediment and the pronunciation of "noir" and you're set. It must be noted however that the production spins into some explicit territory toward the end, and it was more than a little uncomfortable to attend with my mother, (who incidentally made her stage debut as a corpse.) "Butt" is a two-night traveling show, the final one is tonight at 7:30.

CoHo Theatre 

2257 NW Raleigh St 

Portland, OR 97210 

(503) 220-2646

coco@cohoproductions.org

Eddie May Mysteries @ The Stockpot Broiler

Eddie May Mysteries has been a Portland institution for thirty years. Of all the Mystery Dinner Shows around the Portland area, Eddie May seems to have the largest cast. The current story is set in 1929 in a speakeasy.  The format is traditional, the characters make their way to you and are easily identifiable, I strongly prefer this format to others I have encountered. For example, The Dinner Detective employs an anonymous cast approach, which meant that participants had to interrogate each other just to learn the suspects, this was awkward. Another dinner theatre company makes selected audience members learn their parts from booklets, this approach was in some ways even more bizarre.

The humor is rapid-fire. Wall to wall "blink and you miss it" jokes. Listen closely.  My favorite: "I tried to drown my sorrows, but my wife would never go swimming."

The Stockpot provides posh surroundings for the show. Due to the time of year, the show is currently held in a smaller room. Fall will bring larger crowds, but there is a better chance of winning the prizes with less competition. This is worth noting because the prizes are far better than all of the other Mystery Dinner Shows. These include a framed certificate, a trophy, and a gift certificate to The Stockpot.

The included meal is delicious: A choice of steak, chicken, or risotto. The show changes soon, I hope to attend again. Eddie May Mysteries has these things down to a science. I loved it!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DetectiveEddieMay

Website: http://eddiemaymysteries.com/

Phone: 503-524-4366

Address: 8200 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, Beaverton, OR 97008

Price: $60 including show, three course meal and gratituity

Bill Engvall @ Spirit Mountain Casino

Bill Engvall, best known as part of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour played Spirit Mountain Casino last night. Unlike fellow "Blue Collar" alum, Ron White who also graced the Spirit Mountain Stage, most of Engvall's routine was relatively clean. Bits ranged from his tenure on "Dancing with the Stars" to the cremation of his father-in-law and his experiences as a novice with Medical Marijuana. Also notable was his assessment of Farmer's Markets, which went over well with a -ahem- knowing Portland-centric audience.

Once again I must note that Spirit Mountain is among my favorite venues in the state. The Event Center has many moveable seats, so that many of them can be easily converted into a wheelchair space. The same is true of the slot machines. There is also a comparative abundance of accessible seating at the gaming tables. I love this place so much If you've never been, drop everything and go!

"The Music Man" at Broadway Rose

"The Music Man" is an ambitious production from Broadway Rose. I would wager that it is among the most complex shows they have mounted. The large cast is impressive in every way, but especially with regard to choreography. The band is top-notch and fills the intimate space with so much melody it seems barely able to contain it.

The sets and props are magnificent, particularly the train that comes rushing out at you, complete with smoke.  Joe Theissen shines as the cunning con man Harold Hill, and Thomas Prislac Jr. is an appropriately stuffy Mayor Shinn.

It's a fun show, and again, a lavish one. Thoroughly enjoyable in every respect. Here's my favorite photo from the press-kit which I think does the best job of capturing the scope of the choreography.

  

"The Playboy of the Western World" @ Artists Rep.

I'm afraid to confess this because I think it makes me sound not-so-smart, but "The Playboy of the Western World" is pretty hard to follow. Of course, that really shouldn't come as much of a surprise, given that it was written in 1907, in a strange Irish-what's the word--dialect? Artists Rep seems well-aware of the play's difficulty, providing links to the script and other resources on their website, and yet, I think director Damaso Rodriguez sums up the complexity best with this passage from his Director's Note:  "On the page, Synge's language seems impossibly dense, each line requiring a Google search to make sense of what's being said."

In this light, perhaps I should feel that I am in good company in being frequently lost in terms of the plot.  Despite this, there is still praise to be given, particularly to Michael Mendelson, who once again proves himself ready for Herculean acting tasks, the lyricism of the dialogue can not be denied. If you feel up to it, you might do better than I did, and even if not, watching some of Portland's finest actors take on a challenge like this is something to see.

"The Beauty Queen of Leenane" at Third Rail Repertory Theatre

"The Beauty Queen of Leenane" marks my first show as an invited critic to Third Rail Rep, though I've been a long time fan of their work. It is also gratifying to see them fitting so comfortably into their new home at the Winningstad Theatre. In fact, if memory serves, the last production I saw of theirs was also a Martin McDonagh play, "A Skull in Connemara," on my birthday during their first "Leenane Day" in which a full production of a play in the Trilogy is performed after readings of the other two.

"Beauty Queen" is the first of the Trilogy, a play which mostly focuses on the strained relationship of Maureen and her mother, Mag, though there is room for McDonagh's trademark odd-ball supporting characters, as well as some of the darkness he is also known for, but I'd better leave it at that.... Both actresses are in top form, Jayne Taini is the grating and conniving Mag and Maureen is Maureen Porter, in a role she seems meant to play, right down to her first name.

It is an honor to be added to Third Rail's Press List. I can not wait for next season.

Brighton Beach Memoirs @ Clackamas Community College

"Brighton Beach Memoirs" at Clackamas Community College is once again a truly ambitious undertaking, rivaling their last production of Neighborhood 3:Requisition of Doom, again directed by James Eikrem with a set by Chris Whitten. This one is the multi-room home of the Jerome family, the alter-egos of Neil Simon's own.

"Brighton Beach Memoirs" is the first in Simon's trilogy known as the Eugene Plays, after his own character, Eugene Morris Jerome. This play concerns Eugene's adolescence, followed by his service in World War II in "Biloxi Blues" and finally his fledgling career as a writer in "Broadway Bound."

The cast is top-notch. Branden McFarland is a ceaselessly likable Eugene. Jayne Hall is the elder brother, Stanley, whose main function is to be a fount of endless "adult" knowledge for Eugene. Halley Houser is a stoic and endearing Kate, the family matriarch, a perfect match for her wise, yet stubborn husband, Jack. Blanche Morton (Jennifer Whitten ) is Kate's sister and complete opposite--frail and asthmatic--but sympathetic nonetheless. Her daughters, Nora and Laurie complete the out-sized brood, the younger daughter shares her mother's frailty, while the elder provides oh-so forbidden fantasy for Eugene.

Unfortunately, once again, I saw a late performance, and the show is now closed. But, the production was so well received that I hold out hope that they may make their way through the trilogy. If they do, I will be sure to give you a heads-up, because it will doubtlessly be worth seeing.

"Lizzie" @ Portland Center Stage

You know a production is strange when even the Director's Note says, "Whaaat? How's that going to work?"A musical about Lizzie Borden is weird enough on its own, but not entirely unheard of, I mean "Sweeney Todd" is based on fact, right? It's the "punk-rock musical" part that sends it into the stratosphere of bizarreness. Somehow it works, and I don't just mean that I enjoyed it, or that it managed to transcend the "Whaaat?" Factor. No, what I'm trying to articulate is that "Lizzie"succeeds in all of those ways,  and also pulls off a difficult tonal balancing act. Of course it's dark, and, as is to be expected, there's also a healthy dose of dark-humor mixed-in, culminating in a number with a giant blood-spraying axe that closes Act I, but there is also room for quieter, more serious numbers, and it turns out that those are the ones that become unexpected     

The band deserves special mention. I suppose that six musicians is a fairly large band, but the music is so...thumping that you'd expect a group twice that size.

Beyond the band, beyond the general fun of it all, the best part of "Lizzie" is that it seems to be a musical for people who don't particularly like traditional musicals (myself included). There's almost none of the Broadway Belting that even seeps into compositions by rock artists who should know better. This is a feat indeed.