Trent Beaver @ The Double Aught Ranch in Canby

“Fight For Heaven,” the second track on Trent Beaver’s debut album, “Ghost”, is a twist on the old myth of the musician who sells his soul to The Devil for fame and fortune. Beaver’s angle is that his bargain is not for wealth and stardom, but rather to be able to do what he loves while fulfilling the obligations of marriage and fatherhood. He revisits fatherhood on the seventh track, “Blooming,”  about his 17 month-old daughter, Lennon, who came along for our interview dressed in a Rolling Stones shirt. She is clearly a musician’s child. He was as well, his father was a country singer in Nashville. When his parents split-up, he moved with his mother to Molalla, where he began to pursue music in his teens. He says his father turned down opportunities to go further in the business due to fear. He is determined not to repeat his father’s mistakes, namely, giving-up. So much so that his newest of many tattoos is the phrase, “Hold-fast,” written across his knuckles.

Beaver may well be on his way, “Ghost” was recorded at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with Will McFarland, of Neil Young’s band, on Lead-Guitar, who is showcased best on the first track, “Lost In Space”, which features a wonderfully strange mix of synthesizer and guitar, instantly suggesting the ethereal setting, before a single lyric is sung, which speaks to the wisdom of Beaver’s preference to compose melody first. While the genre that leaps to mind to describe Beaver’s music is Country, Rock, and even Soul would also fit on certain tracks. Perhaps it is this willingness to mix genres fluidly that makes him particularly appreciative of the jam-session dynamic. He says that the experience of traveling to record the album made him keenly aware of the way musicians freely collaborate and jam with each other in other parts of the country, something that he believes needs to happen more frequently here at home. To that end, he spearheads a jam session every Monday night at the Double Aught Ranch in Canby.

He also tours local venues in the Canby/Oregon City area with his band The Damned. If you’re looking to see one of Oregon’s most seamlessly versatile musicians, seek out Trent Beaver.

"An Octoroon" @ Artist's Rep

There is line in "An Octoroon," which initially passed unnoticed. The actor playing the playwright, (of the current show, not the character listed as "Playwright" within it), laments white actors' reluctance to play slaves. What he does not mention is that those white actors are to play their roles in Blackface. "Uh...." was my reaction when the first white actor ambled on-stage. This reaction would repeat in my head many times throughout "An Octoroon." "Did he really just say that?" was a close-second. Your discomfort is most certainly planned, and I believe audience discomfort is a valuable thing to elicit in the theatre.  That said, it is a feeling that will not leave you until lights-down. If you're up for that, this is your show. If not, run! It's that simple. Artist's Rep's current Season is loaded with what seems like "Pull-no-Punches Theatre", and I, for one, am licking my lips. Unfortunately, this also means that going into detail in my reviews might be more difficult than usual. A small price to pay.

"Lungs" @ Third Rail Rep.

"Lungs" reminded me a little of "Constellations" at PCS last Season, in terms of speed at which the narrative moves through wide-swaths of time. "Lungs",  is the slightly better of the two shows, precisely because of its ultimately narrower scope. Despite sharing the time-shifting element, "Constellations" tried to tackle enormous questions of time and space, while still squeezed tightly around the relationship of the couple at its center. "Lungs" on the other hand,  is given greater heft by barreling through courtship, tragedy, betrayal, childbirth, parenting, and death, in 90 minutes. All without feeling overstuffed, and strangely, is both panoramic and focused at the same time. It is one of the most intimate shows I have seen, sometimes uncomfortably so. It should not be missed.

"Gypsy" at Broadway Rose

At times like these, I feel the need to confess that I came to love theatre somewhat late in my life, (the beginning of college.) I did not "grow-up" on it. Therefore, some of the classics still hold surprises for me. For example, "Rose's Turn" is probably the song everyone waits for, and wonders of a given actress: "can she pull it off?" In the case of Sharon Maroney, the answer is an emphatic yes. It is a moment so striking that all which came before it is momentarily reduced to a blur, and yet it also serves to explain everything. It's the strangest feeling, one I have experienced very few times. She owns the thing. Sometimes being uninitiated has its advantages.  I often have trouble choosing a production-photo, not this time:

"The Addams Family" @ Broadway Rose

"The Addams Family" is likely among the largest-scale shows Tigard's Broadway Rose has undertaken. In the program-notes it is revealed that it was even difficult to get the production's rented touring-set through Tigard High School's doors. This is unsurprising, as it often seems massive, particularly in a cemetery scene. As always, the band is large and gung-ho, leading me to be newly impressed with the scale and scope Broadway Rose manages to achieve without being among the heavy-hitters downtown, this production begin with an audience-participation snap-off, which I thought was a nice touch. All of the performers embody their characters delightfully, of particular note is Isaac Lamb as Uncle Fester, who deserves extra points for tipping slightly more toward goofball than weird-eccentric as Fester has been played in previous incarnations. It is a refreshing choice. Gomez is also given more complexity in the musical than I remember from the smattering of TV episodes I saw on tape, and the films from the '90s, here he tries to behave honorably towards both his wife and daughter when their desires conflict, which is not only fodder for comedy, but also gives him more depth.

Aside from one off-putting suggestive musical number, unless I'm experiencing a huge lapse, the rest of the show would likely be suitable for fairly young audiences, which is a great thing because even the movies are getting old, (which means so am I,) and thus this musical would seem the perfect vehicle to introduce the creepy and kooky Addams Family to a new generation.

"The Importance of Being Earnest" at @ Artists Rep

I am glad that I waited to write my review of "The Importance of Being Earnest" until today, because in-between seeing it on Saturday and now, I read an article about the controversy surrounding the "non-traditional" casting of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" at Portland's Shoebox Theatre. This controversy is making national-news, due to the Albee Estate's refusal to grant the rights to the play because of the mixed-racial casting. Of particular resonance to me was a brief mention in the article of the casting of an actress with Muscular Dystrophy in the role of Laura in "The Glass Menagerie" currently running on Broadway, and Rex Reed's truly nauseating criticism of that decision.

Which leads me to "Earnest," and Artist's Rep's choice to have an all-female cast. The other local production with non-traditional casting that comes to mind is PCS's recent "Streetcar" with an all-black cast. I will admit to having initial misgivings about that idea, given that one must totally ignore that the action takes place on a former cotton-plantation and everything that conjures-up. But, in that play, as with "Earnest," the novelty of the casting disappeared within minutes. I honestly almost forgot. I think this speaks to the skill of the performers, above all else. Part of me finds my lack of reaction superficial, that I should have seen something in the "difference" of the casting in either show, to have "learned something" from the new perspective, but another part of me says that what is truly profound is seeing no difference at all. The best "difference" in theatre is that the show is different every night. For example, Ayanna Berkshire, as Algie, got the giggles pretty badly on Opening Night, while forcing the butler to take the blame for not procuring the cucumber sandwiches for the guests, while in reality she herself had eaten them all prior to the guest arrival. It is unlikely any other performer, regardless of gender, would have done precisely that thing at that very moment, and that is the essence of live theatre.

"Constellations" @ PCS

I am walking up the face of the mountain

Counting every step I climb

Remembering the names of the constellations

Forgotten is a long, long time

That's me

I'm in the valley of twilight

Now I'm on the continental shelf

That's me

I'm answering a question I am asking of myself

-Paul Simon, "That's Me", "Surprise" (2006)

I am fairly sure that the above lyrics did not inspire "Constellations", but they were running through my head after seeing the play, and I think they fit. 

"Constellations" is time-bending play, showing moments both significant and mundane, and how they unfold in many theoretical Multiverses. I was somewhat hesitant to see "Constellations," after   having to confess to losing track of "Mary's Wedding" several times. But, I do credit a whooshing sound-cue for making nearly all the difference in my ability to keep track of all the shifting.  "Constellations" greatest asset is its steady and sure balance of the simple and complex. This makes it both a stimulating and relaxing neural-massage.

Marc Cohn @ The Aladdin Theater 5/4/2017

Marc Cohn once again put on fantastic show. I saw him once before, also at the Aladdin. The biggest difference between that show and this one was Cohn's infusion of Gospel-elements into more of his songs. This was most notable on "Silver Thunderbird. A new morsel he shared with us that I do not believe was mentioned at the previous show was a recording of the Muriel of "Walking in Memphis" fame. This was a nice personal touch that enhanced the song. This show was particularly special to me because it came with my first Artist Interview: Crippled Critic Interview: Marc Cohn, which also allowed me a backstage pass, and a brief meet and greet.

Marc Cohn is a remarkable artist, and a very humble man, who does not fit the stereotype I have in my head of the artist so lost in his own brain that fans barely exist. This is always a pleasant surprise.

"Toxic Avenger: The Musical" @ Stumptown Stages

"Toxic Avenger: The Musical" is the most fun I've had in months. Other shows in recent memory have had their moments, but even the most recent comedy I've seen had dark elements. "Toxic Avenger" has violence-galore, but it is cartoonish and schlocky, much like the movie from which it takes its inspiration. Normally I'm a fan of darker themed shows, but lately I've wished the theatre-scene would lighten-up just a bit. I did not stop laughing through the whole show. They even managed some cripple-humor, with a number dedicated to the advantages of possessing a "marketable handicap." The cast and creators never use the cheesiness of the material as an excuse for the quality of the lyrics or singing-quality to dip. It is so, so much fun, and in ways you wouldn't expect, like seemingly ceaseless cross-dressing. It's just fantastic, I can not recommend it more highly.

"The Talented Ones" @ Artists Rep

I was first introduced to the work of playwright Yussef El Guindi by Portland Center Stage's "Threesome" You'll notice the extreme brevity of that review. Act I was one long, disgustingly unprintable, but nonetheless hilarious, joke about sex.  I dubbed Act II an "unexpected gut-punch." I start with "Threesome" because comparing the two highlights the strengths and weaknesses of his new play, "The Talented Ones."  As was the case with "Threesome," there's a large portion of sex-humor, and ruminations on sexual-politics, unlike "Threesome," there're lengthy breaks between the humor and insightful discussions about the pitfalls of relationships, but "Threesome" saved all of the serious things for Act II. On the one hand, such a mixture must have been more difficult to finesse, which is an admirable feat when it succeeds. On the other hand, sometimes the most astute lines come across as far too calm and philosophical, considering the situations which give rise to them. This is somewhat believable, given the self-conscious intellectualism of the two leads, which is integral to the prominent theme of the immigrant expectation of over-achievement. Still, while sometimes this high-toned rationality provides a kind of humor of its own, it also has the frequent effect of drastically undercutting hard-won tension. All of that said, "The Talented Ones" remains enjoyable throughout.