'Night Mother @ Coho Productions

My first exposure to " 'Night Mother" was the film with Sissy Spacek and Anne Bancroft and I remember thinking, "I bet this is so much better on stage." As director Gavin Hoffman says in his notes " 'Night Mother" is an oft-talked about, but rarely seen play." And so, how very fortunate we are that it is being staged in the intimate CoHo Theater. I won't give away the central plot point, but I will say that as I sat there with my white-knuckled hands against my ears at the end, I was not self-conscious. If I had to pick one show that is currently running as a "must-see" it is " 'Night Mother" hands-down. And hurry, it is a brief run, which ends Nov. 8th.  If one of the two actresses does not win a Drammy for her work, something is very wrong.

Thelma: Jacklyn Maddux

Jessie: Dana Millican

CoHo

2257 NW Raleigh St 

Portland, OR 97210 

(503) 220-2646

coco@cohoproductions.org

"The Typographer's Dream" @ PCS

Adam Bock must have had one hell of an office job at one time. His work reflects the tedium and monotony like no one else. While "The Receptionist" was much darker, "The Typographer's Dream" might be just slightly more incisive. I would have never thought that the nature of your job could subconsciously influence how you speak in your leisure time. I'm sure the repetitiveness of the narrative is intentional, but for this reason you may be glad that the show is a lean seventy-five minutes. There is however a unexpected and brilliantly goofy dance by Laura Faye Smith that breaks things up nicely, in fact it's worth the price of admission all by itself.

"Middletown" @ Third Rail Rep

Darius Pierce's performance of a breathless monologue at the beginning of "Middletown" is reason enough to see the show. He has the best moments in the show. His delivery of a line as a tourist telling a guide "let me take a picture of you being wrong" is priceless. "Middletown"'s funniest humor comes from lines like that, another stand-out is when a nurse remarks, "I always thought 'Botulism' sounded like a philosophy of poor choices."  Be warned that the play is very odd, I'm not sure I understood it all, but for some people "odd" is a selling-point. But, once again, the biggest draw for me was Darius Pierce, I hadn't realized how much I have missed his totally unique stage-presence.

"Exiles" @ Artists Rep

"Exiles" is the story of Cubans fleeing their country for Miami during a mass exodus known as The Mariel Boatlift. The projections in the show are beautiful, and Bobby Bernea absolutely steals the show as "The Lunatic", a character representing the many criminals and mental patients released by Castro to embarrass the United States.

There was one minor disappointment with the projections: "The Lunatic" has a flashback scene describing the political cartoons which made him run afoul of the government. There is a verbal description of one involving Castro and a pineapple, and judging by the laughter from the roughly one-fourth of the audience who could see it, I felt like I missed something important.

"Exiles" is a lean and tense drama that is worth seeing, especially for Bermea's performance, which is sure to rank among the best of the season.

"Dreamgirls" @ Portland Center Stage

"Dreamgirls" is a fictionalization of the rise and breakup of The Supremes. It is one of the few musicals which doesn't sound Broadwayized, (it's always fun to create a word.) In other words, to my knowledge it is the earliest example of a rock musical which was not written by a rock musician. So, it is the perfect show to take someone who is reluctant to go. Every thing about this show oozes with glitz, from the dazzling costumes to the intricate sets. But, the very best part of "Dreamgirls" is the Act I finale "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going," and Nattalyee Randall as Effe White knocks it out of the park.

Do yourself a favor and see "Dreamgirls" I am telling you that you won't regret it.

"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!