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Monday, March 2, 2015
Other Desert Cities @ PCS
"Other Desert Cities" starts out as a typical "Family Fight Comedy" Most of the fighting in the early going is of the political kind. You know, the instantly familiar holiday debates. Except these are between parents and children, which for some reason are 10 times worse than those between others who are not as close. Add in a politically-charged family tragedy, and things become explosive. The father plays easy-going peacemaker, the mother is the always-right unswerving, towering presence. The daughter is the one itching for a fight, and has a tell-all book on the way about that family tragedy. Rounding out the brood is the youngest son, and the boozy aunt. The cast is fantastic, of particular note is Barbara Broughton, as the aging film star, who reminded me a little of Lauren Bacall. The play is a little too long, but the climax is surprising. It is certainly worth seeing.
Wednesday, February 25, 2015
"The Night Alive" by Connor McPherson---Third Rail Rep @ Coho Theatre
"The Night Alive" has a lot in common with their recent production of Martin McDonagh's "The Beauty Queen of Leenane" in that both plays, have a lot of their comedy come from just slightly wacky characters, in pretty ordinary conversations, which makes them a little difficult to review. Both also have brief explosions of violence, but I really shouldn't spoil that. I was surprised at the violence in this show because while I don't have a crystal-clear memory of the handful of other McPherson plays I've seen, I don't think they were violent. Now, I'm not saying the violence is extreme, just unexpected, given the rest of the show. "The Night Alive" is a production with top-tier talent, a rich, odd, and endearing story with tons of humor, and a dash of Third Rail Rep magic. Go see it, though I would opt for a seat a little bit towards the back in the intimate CoHo, the set was a bit large for the space, and there isn't a bad seat in the house.
Monday, February 9, 2015
"Tribes" @ Artists Rep
"Tribes" is a play about family, and how families are their own little "tribes." I wish I hadn't read the Playwright's Note while waiting for the play to begin, it would've been nice to happen upon the meaning of the title on my own. Though I fear that without the Playwright's Note, I may have understood only half of the title's meaning. You see, the the word "tribe" has also been applied to those of us with the same disability. In the case of this play, that disability is deafness. It appears that deaf people take that tribal mentality more seriously than others. And that's why I appreciated the other sense of "tribe" referring to "family", because it diluted my misgivings about its meaning in the context of disability. There is a ton of discussion within the play about the Deaf Community. There are huge differences of opinion about deafness/ hearing-loss between those born with it, and those who go deaf later in life, what one character calls a "hierarchy". I suppose that there are things unique to deafness that differentiate it from other disabilities, namely, that Sign Language is very much a language, not merely an adaptation, and I assume that this is a large part of the reason why "tribal" feelings are so strong. But, I must admit that I winced when the parents' efforts to raise their son not to be "defined" by his disability were questioned. I couldn't help but reflect upon my own life with Cerebral Palsy. I know that the feelings of "isolation" that were supposed to come from being the only one, or one of very few children with a disability was once a prevalent and powerful argument against educating us in regular classrooms, one that I am grateful my parents fought against. I never felt those feelings, but I can understand how other people might, and again, the differences about deafness that other disabilities do not share.
Back to the play itself: The interactions between the family members are hilarious. The projections are truly breathtaking, and provoke a mental "wow!" Especially effective are the ones dealing with deafness, the translations of musical notes into colors and static, when a character losing her hearing plays piano. Subtitling is also inventively done, but I must say that I would have appreciated a few more seconds to read them. "Tribes" is a must-see. It will make you look at your world, and the world at large in a different way.
Back to the play itself: The interactions between the family members are hilarious. The projections are truly breathtaking, and provoke a mental "wow!" Especially effective are the ones dealing with deafness, the translations of musical notes into colors and static, when a character losing her hearing plays piano. Subtitling is also inventively done, but I must say that I would have appreciated a few more seconds to read them. "Tribes" is a must-see. It will make you look at your world, and the world at large in a different way.
Monday, February 2, 2015
"The World Goes 'Round" at Broadway Rose
Dan Murphy's Director's Note reveals that he was unfamiliar with most of the songs in "A World Goes 'Round when he saw the New York production, and that prior knowledge was not required to enjoy it. I would respectfully disagree. There is no narrative in "The World Goes 'Round" a revue of Kander & Ebb show-tunes. So, all that's there is the songs. All of them are ably performed by the cast, but it would have been nice to have some context as to why a man has broken into an ode to his Sara Lee dessert, for instance. I went back and looked in the playbill, and "Sara Lee" did not have a note about which show it was from, as some of the others did. Everybody knows "All That Jazz," a stand-out, but again I would say that a familiarity with the material is a must.
"Threesome" @ Portland Center Stage
This review will be unavoidably brief. I have run into this issue with my smattering of stand-up comedy reviews, when I can find nothing suitable for reprinting. Act I of "Threesome" certainly falls into that category, for reasons that should be fairly obvious, but I don't think many will conjure anything quite as gross as the story relayed by a character about a mishap involving Thai food. Allow me to summarize the First Act thusly, "Haahahaahahaa! Yuck!" That will have to suffice. Act II is a complete tonal shift, and it is the gut-punch of a finale that makes "Threesome" not only a must-see, but among PCS' best. I truly wish I could tell you more, but I shouldn't. I'll tell you this: Go!
Portland Center Stage
128 NW Eleventh Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97209 | 503-445-3700
Monday, January 19, 2015
Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike @ Portland Center Stage
"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike" is not a straight adaptation of a Chekhov play. but it contains many references to his work, and it's a comedy. My only other exposure to Chekhov's work was an adaptation of "The Seagull" by Joseph Fisher, which I went to see after laughing hysterically at his adaptations of "Faust" and "The New House," which took its inspiration from a Greek play I can no longer recall. Unfortunately, I could not grasp the humor in "The Seagull" or even if it was intended to be humorous, I only assumed it was, given the other adaptations. All this is meant to illustrate the trepidation with which I approached "Vanya and Sonia and Masa and Spike," I am happy to report that the humor is much more accessible.
The production boasts a top-flight cast, including Sharonlee McLean, who plays Sonia, a character very similar to her role as a perpetual sad-sack in "The Typographer's Dream."
The basic plot is fairly easy to summarize: Siblings Vanya and Sonia live together in the family home, they have spent several years caring for their now deceased parents, while their sister Masha went off to have a career in Hollywood. Masha comes back to visit, and is contemplating selling the house. But, along the way, the play finds comedy in such disparate thnigs as voodoo, experimental theatre, and a "reverse strip-tease", which is self-explanatory, but must be seen to be believed. If you're in the mood for something off-the-wall, this is your show.
The production boasts a top-flight cast, including Sharonlee McLean, who plays Sonia, a character very similar to her role as a perpetual sad-sack in "The Typographer's Dream."
The basic plot is fairly easy to summarize: Siblings Vanya and Sonia live together in the family home, they have spent several years caring for their now deceased parents, while their sister Masha went off to have a career in Hollywood. Masha comes back to visit, and is contemplating selling the house. But, along the way, the play finds comedy in such disparate thnigs as voodoo, experimental theatre, and a "reverse strip-tease", which is self-explanatory, but must be seen to be believed. If you're in the mood for something off-the-wall, this is your show.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
"The Mystery of Irma Vep"
Third Rail Repertory Theatre always has top-notch, polished productions even back in the days when they were just starting out and were tenants in a converted firehouse, and "Irma Vep" is no exception. The first thing that strikes you is the dazzling set, complete with lightning effects. I had not looked at my playbill before the show, so it took me a second to realize that the cast consists of only two members, two male actors. It didn't take long for "Irma Vep" to turn into a quick-change romp. It is a laugh-riot. And the twist at the end is completely unexpected. The most concise, spoiler-free thing I can say is: If you're looking for something different, this is it.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
"Blithe Spirit" @ Artists Rep
"Blithe Spirit" is Artist Rep's "non-holiday holiday show". So those of you who already have holiday fatigue can use this show as an oasis. Still, I can't help but wonder why they didn't position it closer to Halloween because it's a ghost story comedy. My favorite scenes involved the ghost and her rapidly changing location, with the other characters trying to avoid sitting on her, like a child's imaginary friend.
Michael Mendelson is his usual animated self, his performance is worth going for all my itself. Also noteworthy is Vana O'Brien as Madam Arcati, the scatterbrained psychic.
Michael Mendelson is his usual animated self, his performance is worth going for all my itself. Also noteworthy is Vana O'Brien as Madam Arcati, the scatterbrained psychic.
Monday, December 1, 2014
A Christmas Survival Guide @ Broadway Rose
"A Christmas Survival Guide" is -despite its title- the cheeriest Christmas show in town. Sure, there's nods to various sadnesses around the holidays: loneliness, a frazzled adult asking Santa for a litany of unmet needs, a jaunty little number called "The Twelve Steps of Christmas," but even with all of those light whacks at the season, "Survival Guide" cannot hide its yuletide enthusiasm. "All Those Christmas Cliches" in Act I sums-up the spirit of the show, even though we may tire of some of the rituals of the holidays, we still long for them in their absence. My favorite number by far was the Big Finale "A Walk Through Bethlehem." So, go! (you know you want to, don't hide it.) There are still plenty of us with Christmas joy to spare, some of you decorated right after Halloween, didn't you? This is a show for those people, and they should drag along a few Scrooges to hasten along that Christmas epiphany.
"A Christmas Survival Guide"
Broadway Rose New Stage
Broadwayrose.org
"Santaland Diaries" @ Portland Center Stage
I haven't seen David Sedaris' "Santaland Diaries" for many years, Portland Center Stage was in its old home as a tenant of the Portland Center for the Performing Arts, it was the final year before "Santaland" took a long hiatus. A few things are different in this incarnation: On the positive side, my personal view was much improved, (the front of the Elleyn Bye Studio vs. the rear of the Newmark.) On the negative side, PCS originally paired "Santaland" with Truman Capote's "Christmas Memory" and the contrast of Capote's melancholy with Sedaris' sardonic wit was sorely missed. Here's hoping that they revive the double-bill soon. I do not recall who played the role of Crumpet the Elf in the original production, but Darius Pierce, a local favorite of mine all the way back to his days with Theatre Vertigo is wonderful in the role. In fact, the reason I made sure to see "Santaland" this year was because I was reminded of how much I missed his unique stage-presence after seeing him in Third Rail's "Middletown". I can see why "Santaland" has been a PCS tradition for so many years, the tale of Sedaris' brief stint as a department store elf is just the thing for those who wish to laugh knowingly at forced holiday cheer.
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