Dark Ride

A ‘DARK RIDE’ at convergence continuum

You don’t go to convergence-continuum to see traditional theatre fare. You go to see what off-the-wall script Artistic Director Clyde Simon has pulled out of his theatrical hat. Simon’s motto seems to be, “The weirder, the better.” And, if that’s what draws you to con-con, you’ll be thrilled with his most recent find, ‘DARK RIDE.’

A dark ride or ghost train is the British term for an indoor amusement ride where the participants are guided through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects. The effect is surreal. This concept is the basis for Len Jenkin’s ‘DARK RIDE,’ in which peculiar actions increasingly create “convoluted disquisitions on the nature of coincidence.”

As one past reviewer of a production of the script stated, "’DARK RIDE’ offers quirky entertainment for an audience that is not terribly concerned about making sense of what is going on.” To which I say, “Right on!”

The cast of characters includes a book reading young woman whose boyfriend has disappeared, the boyfriend (a thief), a couple who from time to time appear to run a carnival, a would-be translator of what is possibly a fake third-century-B.C. Chinese document, a blustering soldier of fortune, a waitress, and a woman who is an expert on coincidence, and assures us that “Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and Jesus was entombed for three days. What a coincidence!”

Jenkin weaves the mélange together into a whole that he assumes the viewer will, somehow, be able to merge. But like a fun house ride, he also allows for the fact that the whole doesn’t have to blend together. By the end, as the young man sitting next to me stated, “I’m not interested in philosophy, just tell me how it ended and why.”

Geoffrey Hoffman has the task of directing the play. Despite that on opening night there were numerous line flubs, all in all, he does a nice job. There were many laughs from the sold out opening night audience, some because of the plot’s ridiculousness, some from actually funny lines.

Lucy Bredeson-Smith, she of tall angular body and “creative make-up,” fills the role of the laughing lady of coincidence at the amusement park, with her usual bizarre sense of humor and high quality acting. The rest of the cast fulfills their roles in blending together the ride, with various levels of success.

Capsule Judgement: ‘DARK RIDE’ isn’t for everyone. It takes a special person, with a strange sense of the ironic and flexible logic, to enjoy the machinations of Len Jenkin’s mind. If you are one of those, you’ll appreciate con-con’s latest offering.

Summer, 2010 theatre dance calendar

A list of Summer theatre and dance offerings

According to local weather forecasters, warm weather may be approaching, so it’s time to examine what’s going on this summer in theatre and dance. Here’s a partial list of what’s on the boards:

PORTHOUSE
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee running June 10 – 26. This hilarious musical chronicles the experience of six adolescents vying for the spelling championship. Some audience members are picked to display their prowess as spellers.
The Foreigner by Larry Shue is a story about Charlie, a painfully shy Englishman, who, while on a vacation, concocts a plan to avoid speaking to others by posing as a mysterious foreigner who speaks no English. Running July 1 – 17.
Bye Bye Birdie, the Elvis goes to the army musical, with book by Michael Stewart, lyrics by Lee Adams and music by Charles Strouse. Running July 22 – August 7.
Curtain times are 8 PM Tuesdays through Saturdays and 2 PM Sundays.
Box Office--330-929-4416 or 800-304-2363.

SUMMER STAGES, CSU
The Elephant Man, July 8 – August 5. The true story of John Merrick, a man hideously deformed at birth, which questions the ideas of perception and what it means to be beautiful.
Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling so Sad by Arthur Kopit, July 9 – August 6. Madame Rosepettle is fabulously wealthy. She travels around the world according to her fancy, dragging along her neurotic son, an endless pile of luggage, and the body of her deceased husband.
Curtains, July 10 – August 8. A musical of murder mystery plots. Can a police detective who moonlights as a musical theater fan save the show, solve the case, and maybe even find love before the show opens, without getting killed himself?
All shows run Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2:00.

CONVERGENCE CONTINUUM
Dark Ride (May 21-June 19) Cross the threshold into a phantasmagoric carnival.
Hunter Gatherers (Jul 16 – Aug 14) Cross the threshold into a primal universe.
Say You Love Satan (Sep 3 - 25) Cross the threshold into a dating hell.

To make reservations: 216-687-0074 or go on-line to https://www.ticketleap.com

PLAYHOUSESQUARE
The Phantom Of The Opera
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s International Award-Winning Musical returns to PlayhouseSquare in Cleveland in its FINAL Ohio Engagement, July 28 – August 22
Tickets: 216-241-6000 or www.playhousesquare.

THE CLEVELAND SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival, Cleveland’s only for free outdoor Shakespearean theater, presents Titus Andronicus and The Merry Wives of Windsor in repertory on Saturdays and Sundays at various outdoor locations throughout Northeast Ohio. Audience members are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets and seat themselves prior to each outdoor performance.

For more information on The Cleveland Shakespeare Festival go to www.cleveshakes.org.

INGENUITY FESTIVAL
Ingenuity is hosting Speakeasy 2.0 on Friday, July 23rd in the West Side subway tunnels and catacomb spaces of the Detroit-Superior Bridge.

This fundraiser begins at 6 PM with cabaret performances, classic cocktails, food, and drinks. Tickets for this portion of the evening will be $100. At 9 PM there’s a more casual party with DJs, drinks and dancing. Guests can enter for this part of the evening for $20, which includes two drink tickets. Details and ticket information at www.ingenuitycleveland.com/speakeasy or by calling 216-589-9444.

CAIN PARK
Theatre and dance offerings at Cain Park are:

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alma Theatre, June 10-27, Thursday through Saturday, 7 pm, Sat and Sunday, 2 pm. The award winning Sondheim musical tells the story of exiled Sweeney Todd, who returns to London to find his wife and daughter in the hands of evil Judge Turpin. Due to the subject matter no one under the age of 13 will be admitted without an adult.

Famous Son, Alma Theatre, June 22 @ 7 pm. A concert reading of a show with book and lyrics by John Paul Boukis which centers on John Quincy Adams’ quandary between defending his family’s place in history or taking another path. Free admission.

Groundworks Dancetheater, July 16 and 17 at 7 pm, Sunday at 2 pm, Alma Theater. Led by artistic director David Shimotakahara, the program includes a world premiere, a dramatic restaging and a mysterious and striking new collaboration.

Neos Dance Theatre, July 22, Evans Amphitheater @ 8 pm, and a children’s matinee on July 21 at 1 pm, the eclectic company performs ballet and contemporary movement and tap dance under the artistic direction of Robert Wesner.

Inlet Dance Theatre, July 29, 8 pm and a children’s matinee on July 28 at 1 pm, features a repertoire of original works alongside collaborative pieces from nationally recognized choreographers that address social issues and the human condition. Free admission.

Verb Ballets, August 6, 8 pm, Evans Amphitheater. Cleveland’s premiere dance repertory company celebrates the contributions of Jewish artists including Danial Shapiro, Woody Guthrie, and excerpts from other new works.

After June 5, tickets for all Cain Park offerings: 216-371-3000, or now at Ticketmaster outlets or by calling 800-745-3000.

MERCURY SUMMER STOCK
Joseph And His Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (June 11-26)
Li’l Abner (July 9-24)
The Scarlet Pimpernel (August 6-21)
New location: The Brooks Theatre in The Cleveland Play House. For reservations and more information call (216) 771-5862 or go to www.mercurysummerstock.com

SUMMER THEATRE AT NOTRE DAME
The first season of Summer Theatre At Notre Dame will present:
Titus Andronicus directed by Allan Byrne, Friday and Saturday, June 18, 19 @ 7pm
The Merry Wives of Windsor directed by Tyson Rand, Friday and Saturday, June 25, 26 @7pm
Location: NDC Steps of the Administration Building, bring lawnchairs & a picnic! Rain space available. Free admission
The Fantasticks directed by Elizabeth Presley, Fridays and Saturdays, July 9, 10, 16, 17 @ 7pm
Location: NDC Performing Arts Center. Donations accepted, no charge

Wanderlust: A History of Walking

Thought-provoking WANDERLUST: A HISTORY OF WALKING at CPT

‘WANDERLUST: A HISTORY OF WALKING,’ which is getting its world premiere at Cleveland Public Theatre, is both a fascinating history of walking and a challenging piece of theatre.

Matthew Earnest has adapted Rebecca Solnit’s book into a play about bipedalists. It examines almost every aspect of walking -- from pilgrimages to modern protest marches, from the back-to-nature movement to street-walking, as well as the mentality of putting one foot in front of the other. The adaptation basically holds true to Solnit’s intellectual rigor and poet’s voice, while accepting her premise that 21st-century Americans are missing out by our obsessive reliance on the automobile.

At the start of ‘WANDERLUST,’ we are confronted with a large playbox filled with sand and a back wall consisting of large black panels. A Cleveland team of paleoanthropologists examines the bones of a recently discovered 3.2 million year-old hominid they have named Lucy. This unfolds into a series of vignettes which include a Greek modern tourist lecture while walking the Acropolis, a sequence on mountaineering, Martin Luther King's civil rights marches, an AIDS Walk and ultimately, to Solnit's symbol of a post-Walking America, Las Vegas. Sin City, the site which allows Americans to “walk” around the nation and the world, seeing the Eiffel Tower, New York, Venice and numerous other famous sights while driving around in an automobile. (This scene is absolutely hysterical and the show’s highlight.)

The challenge to Earnest, who is a very creative director, is how to stage what is basically a collection of instances, into a cohesive unit that will hold the audience’s attention. He succeeds on a high level.

Earnest choreographs much of the action. One very clever bit was having the cast reenact Lucy’s movements by manipulating the bones, while the “real” Lucy walks. He also helps the audience follow the actions by having the cast chalk the settings on the black back wall. It might have been helpful to put them in the order in which they were performed as, after a while, the markings overlapped and became confusing.

The 100-minute intermissionless piece is a little too long for a comfortable sit, but the well prepared cast is excellent. Nicole Perrone, Kevin Charnas, Trae Hicks, Jonathan Ramos, Pandora Robertson, and Adam Thatcher are all excellent. Alexis Generette Floyd stands out as the reincarnation of Lucy, walking and dancing with ease, and playing the violin with great proficiency.

I don’t know who dragged that ton of sand up to the second floor of CPT, but he, she, or they must not be looking forward to the end of the run when they have to drag it down all those stairs.

Capsule judgement: ‘WANDERLUST: A HISTORY OF WALKING’ is an interesting theatre piece, which may be too talky for some, but will be a fascinating theatrical experience for others. Whatever, if you see it, you’ll never take a step without thinking of the ease of your gait, while understanding the evolution of the act.

Open Mind Firmament

Compelling staging is highlight of ‘OPEN MIND FIRMAMENT’ at CPT

Raymond Bobgan, the artistic director at Cleveland Public Theatre, is at his best when he is confronted with material that requires innovative staging. Several seasons ago, his ‘BLUE SKY TRANSMISSION: A TIBETAN BOOK,’ was nothing short of brilliant.

For his banner offering this year, Bobgan has chosen to take an esoteric theatrical piece, ‘OPEN MIND FIRMAMENT,’ in which he stages a series of William Butler Yeats, “unstageable plays,” and creates a visually compelling piece of theatricality, poetry, singing, and dance. As someone said on the way out of the performance, “I didn’t understand much of what was going on, but I sure liked what I saw.” How’s that for parallel opposites?

Most people know Yeats as one of the greatest English-language poets of the 20th century, but he also wrote prose, plays and was a politician. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1923. He was one of the founders of the Irish National Theatre Society and in the early 1900s, worked as the theatre’s director, writing several plays which were staged there.

Several clues for understanding ‘OPEN MIND FIRMAMENT’ include an awareness that Yeats did not appreciate European realism of the prose, poetry and theatre of the late 19th and early 20th century. He wrote plays and poetry like impressionists and cubists painted…illuminating feelings with an eye for underlying thoughts and images, not reality. He had a strong interest in mysticism, which also rears its head in FIRMAMENT.

Yeats wrote a series of six plays about the Irish Heroic Age. At the center of the plays was Cuchulain, an Irish folk hero who had great strength, a raging temper and strong sexual urges. The style of the scripts centered on the Japanese Noh theatre, which encases much symbolism, rich poetry and stylized body movement. In writing these plays Yeats enhanced the Cuchulain stories by weaving in his own life experiences.
In ‘OPEN MIND FIRMAMENT,’ Barton Friedman, Yeats scholar and former faculty member at Cleveland State University, took the poet’s concept and refined it. Bobgan, in staging the script, further adapted it.

Viewing the production, which is dedicated to Friedman, is a fascinating experience. Bobgan’s imagination runs wild. He takes a complex story and makes it a visual cacophony of sounds, movements and sights. Ladders magically stand without support, and are used to weave actors and ideas through a flow of precarious movements. Water flies freely to anoint. Chants set moods. Every part of the theatre, which has been transformed into a series of platforms, levels and ramps, is used.
Actors sing and emote above the audience’s heads, besides them, and even verbally confronted the attendees. The story is told by a scholar (maybe Friedman, himself), the poet (Yeats) speaks, and Cuchulain’s life (and that of Yeats) is acted out.

Though the audience, most of whom probably do not know the Chuchulain legends, may be confounded by the avalanche of names, poetic illusions and immense amounts of material being presented, the general ideas do come forth and the staging is so fascinating that even without grasping the total meaning, the whole experience enfolds the participant in the journey.

This is a cast show. Though some individuals have more lines, the entire cast works as a unit. They are all an integral part of the complex movements and sounds. Bobgan has molded them into a cohesive one.

It is difficult to point fingers at any of the performers, but special recognition must be given to Rett Keyser who is mesmerizing as Poet (Yeats), Raymond McNiece who populates the personage of Cuchulain and John Stuehr who leads us on the journey as the Scholar.

Trad Burns’ lighting aids us on our journey. His set design, a massive undertaking which transformed the theatre from a proscenium to a theatre-in-the-square, is impressive and adds to the entire experience. Richard Ingraham’s sound design leads us through many scences.

Capsule judgement: ‘OPEN MIND FIRMAMENT, AN EVENING OF W. B. YEATS’ is a fascinating experience. Don’t’ be put off by what might appear to be an abstract creation. Clear and single-minded understanding was not Yeats purpose. Go and be swept up by Raymond Bogan’s fertile imagination which paints his expressionistic images of the conception of Nobel Prize winning W. B. Yeats and scholar Barton Friedman.

Review of the Reviewer's Reviews: Monica Olejko

Roy-

I cannot express the way I felt when I read your review. For the first time in a long time, it was nice to be known as something other than "Dan Folino's mom". I am of course the proudest mother in the world of The Boy, but this means the world to me. A nice note on which to take my final bow. I thank you for your gracious review. I am so glad you made it.

Overwhelmed-

-mo [Monica Olejko]

Gypsy

Brecksville’s ‘GYPSY’ exceeds expectations

‘GYPSY’ by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim, and Arthur Laurents, is a musical theatre classic. It is based on Gypsy the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee, the famous striptease artist and her relationship with her mother, Rose, the aggressive show business mother, who appears to be using her daughters to achieve what she never could. In spite of, or maybe because of Rose, Gypsy became a star, and sister June Havoc also achieved acting fame.

I normally don’t review community theatre shows, but I made an exception when I found out that Monica Olejko was coming out of a self-imposed retirement to star as Mama Rose in Brecksville Theatre on the Square’s ‘GYPSY. ‘

I was not disappointed. In fact, the production turned out to be much better than I anticipated. Olejko controls a stage. When she’s on, all eyes are on her. It’s not that she is a scene stealer, it’s just that she is so talented that almost all her moves are right on point. Her versions of “Some People,” “Mr. Goldstone” and “Everything’s Comin’ Up Roses,” were all excellent. Her verbal and physical attack of “Rose’s Turn,” often called Rose’s Lament, was strong and clearly developed the message of Rose’s understanding of why she pushed her daughters to be what she couldn’t be. Wow!

Robb Gibb was excellent as Herbie. “You’ll Never Get Away From Me,” his duet
With Rose, was delightful.

Bridget Chebo was exceptional as Louise. She has an excellent voice and much stage presence.

A strong performance was turned in by Shane Joseph Siniscalchi as Tulsa.

Heather Hersh, Jeanette Stack Luli, Kimberly Bush, and the audience, had a wonderful time during the trio’s bump and grind routine, “You Gotta Get A Gimmick.”

Musical director Georgiann Bodle did an excellent job of making sure her musicians backed up, rather than overpowered the singers.

Director Geoffrey Short kept the show well paced. It would have been nice if he could have worked with some of the support cast to develop clearer and consistent characterizations, but this is community theatre, and that means the quality of the talent can’t be expected to be consistently top drawer.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Thanks to Monica Olejko, Rob Gibb and Bridget Chebo , Brecksville Theatre on the Square’s ‘GYPSY’ was better than most community theatre productions of this show. Nice job!

Grease

‘GREASE’ ends its tour at the Palace

‘GREASE,’ a version of which is now playing at the Palace Theatre, is the consummate 1950s rock and roll story.

It’s 1959, and at Rydell High School (loosely based on Chicago’s inner city William Howard Taft School), it’s time for a new year for the T-Birds and their Pink Ladies. Though often perceived as a slight musical, "GREASE" actually probes into the issues of the era. It confronts teenage pregnancy, gang violence, love, friendship, teenage rebellion, sexual exploration, and class consciousness/class conflict.

‘GREASE,’ the creation of Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey, opened in 1971. It follows the adventures of the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The score re-creates the sounds of early rock and roll.

When it opened on Broadway, much in the tradition of such shows to follow as ‘HAIR’ and ‘RENT,’ it was regarded as a raunchy, raw, aggressive, and vulgar show. Oh, times have changed, and the Cleveland opening night audience was healthily populated by children, tweens and teens, as well as adults.

When the show closed its initial run in 1980, its 3,388-performance run was the longest yet in Broadway history. It was surpassed a of couple years later by ‘A CHORUS LINE.’ It presently holds the thirteenth position for lengthiest run. It went on to be a hugely successful film, a popular 1994 Broadway revival, and a staple of regional theatre, summer stock, community theatre, and high schools.

The present touring production, which ends its run here in Cleveland, highlights American Idol winner Taylor Hicks portraying Teen Angel. He makes a cameo appearance singing one song. Co-author Jacobs says of Hicks’ portrayal, “He's hilarious, because he's not an actor, he's a singer. He does all the stuff like a basic, beginning actor would do, which means he really overplays it and hams it up. But for that character, it's gold." Despite his corny performance, the audience cheered loudly at Hicks’ entrance and loved the post-curtain call rendition of his newest single.

The touring production is acceptable. Maybe the cast has been on the road too long, or they are looking forward to their last paycheck in a couple of weeks when the show drops its curtain in Cleveland, and they return to New York to join the ranks of the 90 or so percent of the members of Actors’ Equity who are unemployed. Whatever, it lacked the necessary spirit to make the show work well. They go through all the motions, but there is a less than real enthusiastic prime time spirit.

The age of the cast members is off-setting. These are definitely not high school students, edging more to the upper twenties and thirties.

Highlight performances include that of the amusing Will Blum, who plays the chubby Roger, otherwise known as “Rump” because of his signature habit of mooning. Bridie Carroll gives a fun performance as Jan, Will’s girlfriend. Their “Mooning,” is delightful. Lauren Ashley Zakrin makes for a sweet Sandy. Her “Hopelessly Devoted to You” is well done. Josh Franklin’s Danny is too suburban clean. He lacks the conceited greaser quality, but his version of “Sandy” was spot on. Kate Morgan Chadwick adds an interesting touch to Frenchy, making her very vulnerable. Both David Ruffin’s Kenickie and Laura D’Andre’s Rizzo lack the underlying hard-edge attitude necessary to develop those parts.

Kathleen Marshall’s choreography was excellent. Highlights were “Shakin’ at the High School Hop,” “Greased Lightnin’,” and “We Go Together.”

The sets for the show, rather than being Broadway level, are rather tired, even somewhat tacky.

Alex, one of the “kid” reviewers who I take to hear a teen’s version of the goings on, gave the show an 8 1/2 out of 10. He thought Will Green (Roger) was “great,” that Lauren Zakrin (Sandy) “had a really good singing voice,” that “there needed to be more greaser attitude by the cast, especially the members of the T-birds.” Of course he loved Bridie Carroll, with whom he had his picture taken after she gave a backstage tour to him and a friend. He also is “definitely going to steal some of the moves of Josh Franklin (Danny),” when he sings “Sandy” in his Solon Junior High School choir’s Spring concert.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: The touring production of ‘GREASE’ is an acceptable, but not extremely high quality version of the show. The audience sensed this as was displayed by the fact that the ever-present Cleveland screaming standing ovation, was muted. If you haven’t previously seen ‘GREASE,’ or if you are a ‘GREASE’ fanatic, seeing the show should be a treat.

Corbian--A Glow in the Dark Adventure

CORBIAN, A GLOW IN THE DARK ADVENTURE’

‘CORBAN, A GLOW IN THE DARK ADVENTURE’ was presented as part of Playhouse Square’s International Children’s Festival. Corban is an hour of fantasy. It is a play without words in which 30 different characters are enacted by five live actors who are dressed in black clothing on which high-tech electroluminescent paint has been adhered. The results are glow-in-the-dark crayon-like creatures who perform on a lightless stage. Dinosaurs, flowers, frogs, turtles, and a human all invade the world of fantasy.

I took Ian, the youngest of the “kid reviewers,” and a friend of his to see the show on order to get a kid’s view of the goings on. The boys, both 10, gave the show an 8 out of 10 for audience interest, creativity and “fun.” Their favorite part, of course, was “the fight between the bad red dinosaur and the good white creature, complete with luminous swords. When asked what the story was about, they both admitted not knowing. But, to be truthful, based on my conversation with a woman sitting behind me, neither did the adults. It mattered little. The kids all seemed to love the goings on, even the 4 and 6 year olds sitting behind me who yelled directions and responses at the characters as the show progressed.

Humble Boy

Must see production of ‘HUMBLE BOY’ at Dobama

What happens when you combine a well-written script, a superb cast and an excellent director? In this instance you get ‘HUMBLE BOY’ at Dobama Theatre.

From the moment you enter Dobama’s curtainless theatre, and see the Ron Newell’s beautifully designed set of flagstone, flowers English garden, and Tudor home, you know that you are in for a “so” English play.

And, English it is. ‘HUMBLE BOY’ opened in London’s Royal National Theatre and won the 2001 Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best New Play. On the surface it’s a comedy which blends astrophysics, bumblebees, and shadings of Hamlet. If this sounds like heavy material, the opposite is in fact true as there is much to laugh about.
It is a character based, rather than a plot based play. As the writer states, “All my characters have a journey. I am obsessed with character, and that's where I begin every play."

The story centers on a mother (Flora) and son (Felix) who have a love-hate relationship. The plot unfolds as Felix Humble returns to his family home after his father’s sudden death. Felix, a high strung young man who develops a stutter when around his domineering mother, discovers that she has gotten rid of all of her husband’s belongings, including the bees which he kept. He also becomes aware that his mother has been having a long term affair with and intends to marry George Pye, a man who is a complete opposite of her intellectual husband and son. Throughout the summer, the distance between Flora and Felix grows, with a final dénouement taking place at a backyard picnic in which more hidden truths are revealed.

The Hamlet-plot concept centers on Jones’ use of The “Freytag Pyramid,” a writing device in which a state of equilibrium becomes destroyed by an inciting incident that disturbs the balance. The main character confronts an issue and struggles with it. When the conflict is resolved, it sends the play off on a new direction and a state of equilibrium is restored. This is the device that Shakespeare often used in his tragedies and history plays, including ‘HAMLET.’

The play is rich in metaphor. There is a symbolic likeness of the characters to a society of bees. Flora is the Queen Bee. When she first appears with huge sunglasses she looks like a large eyed insect and throughout, she is the focus of the action. The other characters fall into drones or worker bee roles.


Dobama’s production is nearly flawless. Director Joel Hammer has paced the show with the British attitude of movements. accents and postures. He is blessed with a very talented cast.

Maryann Nagel (Flora) develops a character that is the perfect aloof and snobbish Brit whose world centers on her physical beauty, perfect flowers and obedience to her views. Nagel’s flawless portrayal is amazing considering that her mother died during the play’s technical rehearsal, and, in spite of a week of burial and mourning, she did not miss a rehearsal and doesn’t miss being the “proper” queen bee.

Andrew Cruse (Felix), complete with fat suit, develops a consistent characterization. He walks the fine line between being pathetic and appealing, with ease. His slouched posture, hair pulling and stutter all flesh out the emotions that give life to the character.

Greg Violand is correctly obnoxious as George. He is so believable, that one can only ask why Flora would be attracted to this loud mouthed uncouth lout.

Brian Zoldessy, as Jim, the “gardener”—the quote marks will be significant to those who see the show--gives just the right illusion to the characterization.

Laura Starnik is properly pathetic as Flora’s hanger-on acquaintance. Her second-act speech, when she finally accepts that she is being emotionally abused and manipulated by Flora, received scene-stopping applause from the opening night audience.

Laurel Johnson nicely portrays George’s daughter and Felix’s former lover.

All of the technical aspects of the show are well conceived.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Dobama’s ‘HUMBLE BOY’ is one of this season’s theatrical highlights. Go….go…..go….see ‘HUMBLE BOY!’

BRIDIE CARROLL stars in 'GREASE'

Hudson’s BRIDIE CARROLL stars in ‘GREASE’


Bridie Carroll, who is playing the role of Jan in the touring company of the Broadway hit, ‘GREASE,’ has been hailed by reviewers as “especially amusing,” “near perfection,” “having obvious chemistry with Will Blum (Roger) her stage love interest,” and “giving a hilarious performance as the awkward and slightly overweight Jan.” Not bad for a 2000 Hudson High School grad in her first Broadway touched performance.

Bridie, whose parents still live in Hudson, attended the Hudson schools from 7th through 12th grades. She was President of the High School’s Choir and performed locally with Weathervane Playhouse and Hudson Players and attended the Coventry Performing Arts Academy. She went on to the Boston Conservatory and received a BFA in Musical Theatre. Next step was appearing in such shows as ‘DISNEY’S HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL’ and ‘HAIRSPRAY’ at North Shore Music Theatre. She also trod the boards at Arundel Barn Playhouse and New London Barn Playhouse.

She credits much of her success to her parents. Maryann Black, with whom she studied dance, Amy Foulk, the choir teacher at Hudson High, and Basil Kochan, who was head of the Coventry Conservatory program, helped hone her skills.

Her breakout role was playing Tracy in ‘HAIRSPRAY.’ After being cast it was decided that she wasn’t heavy enough to portray the “zaftig” Baltimore teen, so it was decided, with a “fat suit,” she was right for the role. Bridie recounts that when she put on the suit, shortly before the show opened, she felt like she was waddling around. But the waddling obviously worked as she was given the Irne Award (The Independent Reviewers of New England Award) as best actress in a musical.

‘GREASE,’ set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School, follows ten working-class kids as they navigate the complexities of love, cars, being “cool” and drive-ins. It opened on Broadway in 1971. By the time it closed in 1980, its 3,388 performances made it the longest running show in Broadway history at that time.

A Broadway revival, directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall, opened in 2007 with leads chosen via viewer votes cast during the run of the NBC reality series Grease: You're the One that I Want!. The rewrite is a mixture of the songs from the original musical and the movie. It ran until 2009. It is this version which is touring

The First Broadway National Tour of ‘GREASE,’ which features American Idol winner Taylor Hicks as Teen Angel, opens locally on May 11, at the Palace Theatre in Playhouse Square. Bridie is pleased that “we’ve made it ours.” She states, “Sometimes when you take a show on the road you have to maintain all original blocking, etc... and we were very fortunate that we were able to find out what worked for us!”

Bridie plays Jan, who is funny, loud, overweight, and awkward. A member of the Pink Ladies, she sings the character’s signature, “It’s Raining on Prom Night.” Though the song has been presented in different ways in various productions, in this version of the show she wins a singing contest and gets to sing on the radio at the dance.

One aspect of the show Bridie really enjoys is that she is playing opposite her best friend, Will Blum.

What advice does she have for star-struck high school kids? She urges them to “get involved in every phase of the theatre, wherever they can. Audition for everything. You need to taste what its like. It is a vulnerable job and the best way to feel strong and confident is to be as prepared as possible. Focus on training yourself in every aspect of the theater and honing your skills. Remember, 97% of Equity actors are generally out of work at any one time.”

What’s in her future? After the 'GREASE' drops its last curtain, ironically, in Cleveland, she is going “home to Hudson” for a while. Then back to New York to find a new apartment. She did a workshop of ‘PURE COUNTRY,’ a musical about a country superstar who finds that fame and fortune aren’t enough, and has a contract with the show which is seemingly headed for a Broadway opening. As she says, ”So no matter what, if it goes [has a Broadway run] I will be going with it.”

She summarized our interview with the thought, “I guess my future is to just get back to NYC and audition hoping to continue to be blessed to work doing what I love.”

Locals will, of course, be watching for Bridie Carroll’s name on marquees on the Great White Way.

CHESS

Game of ‘CHESS’ played out by BW students at 14th Street Theatre

For the last several years Baldwin Wallace College and Playhouse Square have combined to give us such shows as ‘BROOKLYN THE MUSICAL’ and ‘title of show.’ This year they showcased ‘CHESS, the London Stage Version.’ The staging, which ran just three productions in the 14th Street Theatre was, in the tradition of this series, excellent. It’s a shame that it wasn’t scheduled for a longer run, as it would have provided a chance for more people to see the show.

The BW/PHSquare collaboration gives the music theatre students an opportunity to showcase their talents in a professional theatre, and the arts management majors an opportunity to hone their skills while working with the PHSquare staff. It also provides audiences with a chance to gain an appreciation of the performance skills of a group from one of the most respected musical theatre programs in the country.

‘CHESS,’ with lyrics by Tim Rice, and music by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, formerly of ABBA, concerns a series of matches between American and Russian chess champions. The matches mirror the Reagan-era Cold War struggle between the US and the Soviet Union, the major military powers of the time. Although the protagonists in the story were not supposedly representing any specific individuals, the character of the American seems loosely based on chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer, while elements of the story may have been inspired by the chess careers of several Russian grandmasters.
The first theatrical production of ‘CHESS’ opened in London's West End in 1986 and played for three years. A much-altered US version premièred on Broadway in 1988, but survived only two months. Recently, a concert form was staged in London, which is the basis for the recent local production.

This is not a musical in the format of ‘MY FAIR LADY’ or ‘WEST SIDE STORY.’ There are no show stoppers and the visual elements are restricted. As reviews from the show’s short lived Broadway production stated, “It is far too long" and "it is a shallow, improbable story masquerading as a serious musical."

In spite of those observations, ‘CHESS,’ at least in the BW production, was well worth the sit time.

In watching this, and previous BW 14th Street productions, one always has to be amazed at the talent and presence of these barely twenty year olds. They are amateurs who, in many cases, perform as professionals.

The staging by director Victoria Bussert is functional. It is the dance and movement, as conceived by Anna Maria D’Antonio and Martin Céspedes ,that provides visual impact. Working on a postage-sized stage, with a fairly large cast, the duo has developed chess moves into dance steps that help make this more than a staged concert.

The show was dual-cast. I saw the “American” cast, so my comments will be limited to those performers.

Hilare C. Smith gave a strong Russian presence to her well sung and acted performance of Svetlana, the wife of Anatoly, the Russian champion. Theresa Kloos displayed excellent vocal prowess as Florence, who was romantically connected to both players. Some of her character development needed honing. Corey Mach’s Anatoly was sincere and sensitive. Mach has a fine singing voice and good stage presence. Danny Henning, he of impish face, dynamic personality and nice singing voice, may have been a little too playful as Freddie. There was more Pippin here than American grandmaster.

Arthur Wise was strong as Molokov, the prototype Russian wheeler-dealer, but why was he the only one with an accent?

Maggie Roach, as the American Chess Queen and Natalia Lepore Hagan, as the Russian Queen, both displayed some nice dance techniques.

The musicians played their instruments well. However, why, oh why, can’t musicians realize that when they play as support, note the word support for a musical, they are not the center of attention. This is not a rock concert. If, as happened in ‘CHESS,’ the musical director, in this case Ryan Garrett, doesn’t reign in the drums and guitars, the audience can’t hear the singers. Small space, hard surfaces, singers needing to be heard! “Cool it!”

Capsule judgement: ‘CHESS The London Stage Version’ was an excellent experience, both for the audience and the performers. Maybe the next time around BW and PHSq will extend the run of the show so that more people can get an opportunity to experience the talents of these students!

Crimes of the Heart

‘CRIMES OF THE HEART’--southern angst on display at Actors’ Summit

‘CRIMES OF THE HEART,’ Beth Henley’s play which is now in production at Actors’ Summit, can be classified, along with the works of such writers as Eudora Welty and Flannery O’Connor, as "Southern Gothic.'' Writers from this genre look compassionately at “good ole’ southern country folk” whose lives have gone off course. Some might classify the writing as “chick flick- southern,” plays that contain excessive piles of tragedy and turn on the sympathy taps of women viewers.
At the core of Henley’s 1981 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama are the three Magrath sisters. Meg, Babe, and Lenny reunite at Old Granddaddy's home in Hazlehurst, Mississippi after Babe shoots her husband. Obviously the products of a dysfunctional family in which the mother committed suicide, there is a great deal of acting out. As often is the case in stories of this sort, each sister is eventually forced to face the consequences of the "crimes of the heart" that she has committed.

There is lots of angst. Grandaddy is near death in the hospital, Lenny’s horse died after being hit by lightning, Babe’s abusive husband is in the hospital as result of her shooting him because “she didn’t like the way he looks,” the family cat was hung when mamma committed suicide, the lawyer hired to defend Babe has a personal vendetta against her husband, Babe is having an affair, and Meg’s old boyfriend still appears to have the hots for her. And, it goes on and on. Yep, Southern Gothic.

The script was named co-winner of the Great American Play Contest at the Actors Theatre of Louisville in 1979. In 1981, the show opened on Broadway and ran for 535 performances. A 1986 film adaptation starred Diane Keaton, Jessica Lange, Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard.
The time is 1974, this is the South, where social standing in the community is paramount, family gossip runs rampant, prejudice is at its peak and the conflict between actions and reality are not always the same. The Magrath sisters are perfect examples of the women of that era and area. They are isolated from one another and, even when they are well meaning, are incapable of constructive action. This is enforced by their overbearing cousin Chick, who sticks her smug attitudes constantly into the sisters’ lives, causing as much additional conflict as possible.

Actors’ Summit’s production, under the direction of MaryJo Alexander, is quite acceptable. The characterizations, in general, are not probed deeply, but deeply enough to make each person credible. Accents come and go. Overacting emerges and wanes. As evidenced by the appreciative sold-out house on the first Sunday performance of opening week, there is enough fidelity to Henley’s intent to please the mostly older attendees who frequent the theatre for this type of production.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: ‘CRIMES OF THE HEART’ will appeal to those who like a southern tragedy, in its most angst-filled form. And, depending on your point of view, it will provoke laughter, sighs or rolling eyes.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Beetles infused ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM’ at GLTF

‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM,’ a comedy by William Shakespeare, is one of the Bard’s most popular works and one of the English language’s most performed scripts. It concerns the adventures of four young Athenian lovers, a group of amateur actors, some fairies, and Greek gods.

Though a comedy, it is widely believed that the play develops at least two themes: the dark side of love and the blurring of fantasy and reality. As for love, Shakespeare makes light of love by having Puck, the forest’s fairy-in-resident, mistakenly mismatch various couples, including a goddess with an ass.

The plot also makes the fairies such an integral part of the plot that we accept the fantastic reality of the fairy world, and its magical happenings, as natural.

As locals who attend Great Lakes Theatre Festival are aware, Charlie Fee, the theatre’s Artistic Director, has never failed to grasp any and all farcical opportunities. In his vision of ‘A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM,’ his dervish mind flows overboard. This version is set not in Greek times, but in London in the 1960s. And, much like the 1590s, the time of Shakespeare’s life and writing, it’s the time of a flowering youth movement. The Bard used the slang of the day to reflect the times just as Fee uses the voice of youth represented by the music of The Beatles.

Fee has dressed the cast in 1960s clothing, updated Shakespeare’s language and, as he explains in the program, his image included “Lysander and Demetrius as Paul and John, and the Mechanicals (Bottom, Flute, Quince and Company) as Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. You have to give Fee credit. His imagination runs deep.

Since MIDSUMMER is a comedy, without real depth of message, why not play around with the concept, as long as the audience has fun and the cast and director bring the audience a fun filled evening? Remember, that was Shakespeare’s purpose in his comedies.

The first act is draggy, but all heck lets loose in the second act, especially the scenes of mistaken identity, the romps through the fields, and the play within the play.

Aled Davies is fun as Theseus, Gisela Chipe is cute as Hermia, Kevin Crouch is delightful as Lysander, David Anthony Smith is a hoot as Bottom and the Donkey, and Lina Chambers is charming as the lovesick Helena. On the other hand, Eduardo Placer feigns Puck…practically begging for laughs with his surface level portrayal and Dane Agostinis is not on track as Demetrius.

Choreographer Martin Céspedes makes classical actors move like they actually don’t have two left feet. He has a nice touch with the movements of the 70s and inserts hand, feet and body actions that well fit the mood of The Beatle’s sound.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: If you are a Shakespearean purist, you’ll run for the exits as soon as the lights go up, you see the costumes and hear the first Beatle song inserted into the script. For the rest of us, we’ll just let Fee have fun and take us along as we rock to Shakespeare.

Preview of upcoming dance & theatre May, 2010

UPCOMING DANCE, THEATRE AND CHILDREN’S EVENTS

BALDWIN-WALLACE COLLEGE AND PLAYHOUSE SQUARE
First US staging of CHESS – THE LONDON STAGE VERSION
14th Street Theatre
Friday, April 30 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, May 1 at 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 2 at 7 p.m.
Tickets: PlayhouseSquare Ticket Office, 216-241-6000 or playhousesquare.org
CHESS develops the game of chess into a metaphor for romantic rivalries and East-West political intrigue. With music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice, the score includes "One Night in Bangkok " and "I Know Him So Well." The production features current students in the Baldwin-Wallace Music Theatre Program under the direction of Victoria Bussert,

MERCURY SUMMER STOCK
The 2010 Season Line-up!
JOSEPH AND HIS AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (June 11-26)
LI’L ABNER (July 9-24)
THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL (August 6-21)
Note the new location: The Brooks Theatre in The Cleveland Play House, 8500 Euclid Ave
Subscriptions: $36 for adults and $30 for seniors (60+) and students
For reservations and more information call (216) 771-5862 or go to www.mercurysummerstock.com

FIRST INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL
Playhouse Square Center
http://www.playhousesquare.org/childrensfestival
Performances include:
CORBIAN: A GLOW IN THE DARK ADVENTURE
Palace Theatre
Wednesday, May 5, 6:30PM
Corbian Visual Arts and Dance introduces us to Darwin, a dinosaur brought to life by the great Professor Henslow, who encourages Darwin to go and explore. In his explorations, Darwin encounters many different types of living creatures, learning the value of both good and bad, love and hate, friends and enemies. Features glow-in-the-dark creatures that light up the stage.
Recommended Ages: 6-13

FARFALLE (BUTTERFLIES)--Teatro Di Piazza D’Occassione ( Italy )
May 4-5 & 7-8

THE MAN WHO PLANTED TREES, Puppet State Theatre Company (Scotland )
May 7-8, 2010

THE DREAM JAM BAND ( USA ) May 7-8, 2010

TERRANCE SIMIEN & THE ZYDECO EXPERIENCE ( USA ) May 8, 2010

ACTORS' SUMMIT
CRIMES OF THE HEART
The Pulitzer Prize winning comedy by Beth Henley, CRIMES OF THE HEART, examines the plight of three young Mississippi sisters betrayed by their passions.
Preview: Thursday, April 29. Opening Friday, April 30. The play will run Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sunday afternoons at 2:00 PM through May 16 at the theater in downtown Hudson.
Tickets: 330-342-0800

GREASE
KeyBank Broadway Series
May 11-23, 2010
Tickets: www.playhousesquare.org, 216-241-6000 or at the Playhouse Square ticket office.
A rock n' roll celebration of growin' up, cruisin' with friends and goin' steady, the new production of GREASE™ features songs from the hit 1978 motion picture for the first time ever in a Broadway production including “Sandy,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Grease” and “You’re the One That I Want.” AMERICAN IDOL winner, Taylor Hicks, appears as the “Teen Angel.”
A special Teen Night will follow the May 14th evening performance. Teens (ages 14-19) are invited to a party featuring an appearance by members of the cast, a DJ and pizza. Call or go on-line for information.

PILOBOLUS DANCE THEATRE
Co-presented by Cuyahoga Community College and DANCECleveland, the internationally acclaimed Pilobolus Dance Theatre comes to the Palace Theatre in Playhouse Square for one performance on Saturday, May 8, at 8 p.m. Tickets starting at $10 can be purchased at 216-241-6000 or online at playhousesquare.org.
Among the Pilobolus cast is Christopher Whitney, a graduate of Cleveland Heights High School. He began his dance training as an intern with Inlet Dance Theatre under the guidance of Bill Wade and joined Pilobolus in 2008.
For more information about the company, go to Pilobolus.org.

HUMBLE BOY
Written by Charlotte Jones
Broken vows, failed hopes, quantum mechanics and the joys of beekeeping are interwoven as Felix comes to terms with the sudden death of his father, his overbearing mother and his onetime sweetheart.
Dobama Theatre
2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, OH
May 7th - May 30th, 2010
For tickets go to dobama@dobama.org or call 216-932-3396

GYPSY
Brecksville Theatre on the Square
Runs Friday, Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2 through May 16
Staring Monica Olejko as Mamma Rose and Bridge Chebo as Gypsy
For info or tickets go to: 440-526-3443 or btots.org

THINGS OF DRY HOURS

‘THINGS OF DRY HOURS’ makes for long sit at CPT

On the surface, ‘THINGS OF DRY HOURS,’ which is getting its area premiere at Cleveland Public Theatre, would appear to be an interesting play. It is billed as the seldom told story of black membership in the Communist Party in the Depression-era South and an exploration of the dangerous price of personal integrity.

The storyline centers on Tice Hogan, an African American out-of-work Sunday school teacher who spends time volunteering at a park being built for white children, where he spreads the word of the gospel of Communism. His daughter Cali takes in washing from the rich white people to help meet expenses. Their lives get turned upside down when they take-in Corbin Tell, a white factory worker, who tells them he has killed someone and is on the run.
It is a promising subject, but the writing by Naomi Wallace is so static and lifeless that the two-act play becomes tedious. It reads more like a well-researched doctoral dissertation than a play. There is no real action, even the conflicts are civil, never providing much depth of character interaction. And, the ending, which should have been a shocker, isn’t, due to the exposition format in which it is presented.

Unfortunately, the CPT production doesn’t help matters. Director Sarah May’s blocking is excellent and she has a grasp of the story, but can’t fight the writing and her cast’s problems. Larry Arrington-Bay (Tice) stumbled over lines, forgot some and mumbled through others. This slowed down the already turtle’s pace of the language and detracted from what, at times, was a clear characterization. Andrea Belser (Cali) stayed on the surface, never developing a depth of character. Her lines were often flat, emotionless, never revealing the seething passion and hurt within her. Only Curtis L. Young (Corbin) was animated and had the right edge to give the audience a clue that he wasn’t what he said he was.

Young’s set design was excellent. The fragmented house placed the material in its proper setting. His lighting design was also productive. Richard Ingraham’s foreboding music gave more tension than the script offered.

Be aware that the staging contains full male nudity.

Capsule judgement: Let’s hope that as the play runs, lines will be learned and characterizations more completely developed. It’s not going to help the bland writing, but, at least, it will make the sit shorter.

SOLDIERS TALE with CATCH AND RELEASE

Intriguing, must see ‘SOLDIERS TALE with CATCH AND RELEASE’ at CPH

What happens when you combine the talents of members of The Cleveland Orchestra, one of the top musical assemblages in the world, with Groundworks Dance, one of Cleveland’s premiere dance companies, with the Cleveland Playhouse, the oldest regional theater in America? You get a compelling, artistic, meaningful, exciting evening of entertainment.

The three arts units are now in a unified production entitled, ‘A SOLDIER’S TALE with CATCH AND RELEASE,’ which is being staged as part of the Play House’s Fusion Fest, a celebration of new works in music, dance, and theatre.

The festival, which is in full production, and will be extended into May with extra performances of ‘BILL W AND DR. BOB,’ the story of the founding of AA in Akron, reached its zenith with the staging of ‘A SOLDIER’S TALE WITH CATCH AND RELEASE.’

The intermissionless production opens with ‘CATCH AND RELEASE,’ a 22-minute composition by Esa-Pekka Salonen, the former Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. The music was written specifically as a companion piece for ‘A SOLDIER’S TALE.’ Salonen states that “the intent of the composition was to complement Stravinsky’s piece by using the same instrumentation in new ways. The piece features identical scoring.”

With music superbly performed by a select group of musicians from the Cleveland Orchestra, and conducted by Tito Muñoz, the staging of ‘CATCH AND RELEASE’ was choreographed by GroundWorks’ Artistic Director, David Shimotakahara, and superlatively danced by Amy Miller, Felise Bagley, Kelly Brunk, Damien Highfield and Sarah Perrett.

As the music changes in mood and intensity, the dancers parallel those vibes. Lifts, twists, body engagements, turns, hops, and caresses mirror the classical, jive, contemporary music, varying from seriousness to the ironic. The staging is enhanced by video art by renowned artist Kasumi and lighting design by Dennis Dugan, which covers the floor in an ever changing cacophony of colors and figures, paralleling the music and the movements of the dancers.

‘CATCH AND RELEASE’ is dance and Groundworks at its very best.

‘A SOLDIER’S TALE’ is a morality story of war in an absurdist world. Conceived by Igor Stravinsky, it is ballet, camera opera and theatre which was made to be read, played and danced. Based on a fable by C.F. Ramuz, it was first staged in 1918 and centered on a story of a soldier who trades his fiddle to the devil for a book that predicts the future of the economy.

In 1993, United States novelist Kurt Vonnegut reworked the libretto into a tale about World War II Private, Eddie Slovik, the first soldier in the United States military to be executed for desertion since the Civil War. It is this version that is being staged at CPH.

The Groundworks dancers weave in and out between the actors, often playing parts in the story, enhancing the visual images. The acting cast, under the direction of Seth Gordon, is excellent. The staging, a blend of Gordon and Shimotakahara’s imagination, is intriguing.

Justin Tatum creates a truly sympathetic and real character as Slovik, a soldier who hates war, has seen too much horror, and needs to escape from life as he knows it. His mobile face, appealing voice and ability to blend in with the dancers, all add up to a well performed role. Robert Ellis is properly gruff, yet human as the General. Zac Hoogendyk gives an excellent reading of Dwight Eisenhower’s reasoning for Slovik’s conviction. Lindsay Iuen is fine portraying the Red Cross Girl.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: ‘A SOLDIER’S TALE and CATCH AND RELEASE’ combine to be the highlight performance of CPH’s 2010 Fusion Fest. This is a must see experience!

Inlet Dance 4/10

Inlet Dance wraps up DanceWorks10 performances with emotion draining piece

Inlet Dance is a special performance company. They spend most of their time educating children. That’s a great mission. But, it’s a shame that they only do several public performances a year. Artistic Director Bill Wade’s dancers are well trained, his choreography is focused, and the performances are always filled with innovative concepts.

Their performance as part of Danceworks 10 at Cleveland Public Theatre was up to their usual high standards. The seven segment program was highlighted by the emotional closing piece, ‘BEAUTY IN TENSION,’ which was being premiered. This was Bill Wade at his creative best. It is based on the tension that surrounds us in this era of crisis and the amount of stress which precipitates a search for peace.

The dancers stretched a large square of material to create a vision of tension. Suddenly a body emerged as a cloth-covered gauzed image from the center of the material. During the piece, each of the dancers, in singles or duos, slipped under the gauze and tried to escape. Even when they got out, they were dragged back under. The combined tension of the musical score by Jeremy Allen and the anguished body movements of the dancers resulted in a mesmerizing effect. This is a very special experience.

‘CREATE,’ the opening dance, featured excellent corps unity. It was created with the help of students at the company’s Summer Dance Intensive 2009.

‘TIGHTROPE’ was, like life itself, full of ephemeral moments. A movement poem, it was a creative walking of a chalk line that appeared as a dancer walked an imaginary tightrope which found the line disappearing as the dancer proceeded. It was billed as a dance showing the precarious balance of living a time constrained experience, the balancing act of life.

‘A CLOSE SHAVE’ was originally conceived in 2006. At first, an ironic and humorous offering, it has evolved into a serious picture of the fears of losing everything. It would be interesting to see the two versions danced back-to-back.

In the Spring of 2008, Inlet dancers went to Easter Island to expose the citizens to modern dance and learn the culture and dance of the natives. Upon returning the company started to develop ‘TE PITO O TE HENUA,’ a seven-part program based on their Eastern Island experiences. ‘WIND’ is the newest, the fifth segment. Joshua Brown and Justin Stentz, two premiere Cleveland area male dancers, used ropes to create sounds and movements that carried the audience across the waves.

Mikaela Clark, Mackenzie Clevenger, Elizabeth Pollert and Rebecca Inman, the women of the company, danced ‘BROKE,’ to the lush music of Vivaldi, dressed in beautiful leotards based on modern paintings as designed by Kristin Wade. As with the rest of the program, the choreography was creative and well executed.

Capsule judgement: Bill Wade is one of my favorite choreographers and educators. His ability to motivate and teach his dancers to be a unified and coordinated unit is to be admired. I wished there were more opportunities to see INLET DANCE in action.

Eat It's Not About Food

Must see production for teens, their parents and teachers at FPAC

Teens, their parents and teachers should go to Fairmount Performing Arts Conservatory to understand the potentially horrendous effects of Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating. ‘EAT IT’S NOT ABOUT FOOD’ is a production that should tour the junior and senior high circuit and be force-fed to audiences, both males and females. I say this as a crisis and school counselor who has dealt with those who are the victims of these eating disorders.

‘EAT’ was written by Linda Daugherty, playwright in residence at Dallas Children's Theatre.

As the author states, “‘EAT IT’S NOT ABOUT FOOD’ examines the dangerous and baffling world of eating disorders in girls and boys. Using interwoven vignettes, ranging from realistic to satirical to humorous, EAT candidly explores causes and warning signs, takes a hard look at the influences of society and the media, and tells individual stories of young people struggling with this epidemic and too often tragic problem.”

Published comments about the script state, “EAT inspires as much laughter as it does tears. ... The emotional impact is raw and unapologetic ... awe-inspiring ... It is a difficult hour to spend in the theater. But it is also one of the most revelatory plays I’ve seen. It makes the inevitable pain one will feel well worth it, especially if it means a deeper understanding.”

In an attempt to alert the general public to the problems of eating disorders, the Cleveland Center for Eating Disorders (CCED) is the lead sponsor of the theatrical production. Dr. Mark Warren, CCED’s co-founder and medical director states, "We value the opportunity to support this influential performance that addresses the issues surrounding eating disorders We aim to create an open dialogue and help give a voice to those suffering in silence."

CCED, in conjunction with University Hospitals' (UH) Geauga Medical Center and local physicians, will lead 30-minute open discussions immediately following each performance to interact with the audience on the topics presented.

Director Fred Sternfeld and his large cast of adults and teens do a very credible job of developing the play’s ideas. The staging is creative and meaningful. Especially strong performances are given by Amy Pawlukiewicz, Dylan White, Meghan Grover and Alexis Floyd.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: If you are a teenager, the parent of a teenager, or an educator of teens, ‘EAT IT’S NOT ABUT FOOD’ is required viewing. Shut off the tv, stop the texting, and go---if you are teen, it could save your life or, if you are a parent, it could save the life of your child.

August: Osage County

‘AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY,’ long but well worth the sit

Tracy Letts’ ‘AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY,’ gives new meaning to dysfunctional family. His subjects are one large assemblage of people who desperately need long-term group therapy.

There’s the drunken father and drug abusing mother. There are three sisters who are alienated from each other. One is having a relationship with… (let’s not talk about that because it could ruin your enjoyment of the revealed truth). Another has a husband who is having an affair with one of his students. The youngest sister has had a number of failed relationships, is desperate to get married, and has hooked up with a guy who …(nope, can’t reveal that either). There’s an angry aunt who says whatever comes into her filth-filled mind and has a secret to hide (hmmm). Add a teen-age granddaughter who is not only a habitual pot smoker, but also… (woops, let’s not bring that up). I could go on, but you get the idea….this is one messed up bunch of people whose lives make for great theatre, must see theatre.

It wouldn’t be so bad if the whole menagerie was made up, but, the author admits the play is a “largely fictional story of Letts’ family,” and Violet, the vindictive, substance abusing mother, is based on his maternal grandmother. He states, “My grandmother was a piece of work.” When Letts gave the play to his mother to read he was nervous, but her first response was, “I think you’ve been very kind to my mother.” Kind? Only if kind means Attila the Hun on meth!

The dark comedy (yes, the show is full of laughs) had its Broadway debut on December 4, 2007, moved to another theatre April 29, 2008, and ran for 648 performances. In the process, it deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony for Best Play.

The plot centers on a reunion of the Weston family, living in the state of Oklahoma. The title refers to Osage County, which lies northwest of Tulsa, on the plains. The setting plays a major role in the story.

The three-act production, which runs for about 3 hours, 20 minutes including intermissions, deals with such issues as drug abuse, alcoholism, suicide, death, family dysfunction, sexual harassment, pedophilia, aging, generational change, incest, infidelity, and even love.

The touring production is outstanding. Everything from the fully constructed three-story house, to the well-used lighting, to the character development, are well done. This is professional theatre as its best. The play and production hark back to the era of Williams, Miller and Inge and the well made, well produced play.

Estelle Parsons is Violet. She doesn’t portray Violet, she is Violet, with all her warts and flaws. This is an award winning performance. Also outstanding is Shannon Cochran as the oldest daughter. This is a “have a nervous breakdown every night” part.

The rest of the cast are all excellent, not a weak link in the chain.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: As a line in the play states, “Life is very long.” So is ‘AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY,’ but its worth every minute of the time you spend while watching a well-conceived play get a superb production.

Bill W. and Dr. Bob

The story of Alcoholics Anonymous unfolds at CPH

Two men stand on opposite sides of the Cleveland Play House’s Bolton Theatre stage at the start of ‘BILL W. AND DR. BOB.’ As they speak we learn that they are going to share with us the tale of two alcoholics and how they founded Alcoholics Anonymous.

Alcoholism is an addictive disorder characterized by the compulsive and uncontrolled abuse of alcohol. The alcohol controls the person, rather than the person controlling the substance. It often results in adverse effects upon the drinker's health and can cause life issues. It is medically defined as a treatable disease, but definition and reality are not the same. Alcoholism is a major disease in the US. It is estimated that among persons aged 12 or older, 7.6 percent (18.2 million) meet the criteria for being alcoholics.

In the spring of 1935, New Yorker, Bill Wilson, found himself on a business trip in Akron, Ohio, trying to annihilate his craving for a drink. This was not his first slam against the wall of alcoholism. He had bottomed out in a hospital some months earlier. While he was there he supposedly was awakened by a flash of light and experienced what he described as a “spiritual conversion.” He could have gone in many directions, but as the story goes, through a serendipitously happening, he contacted a surgeon named Bob Smith, also an alcoholic. The rest is history.

‘BILL W. AND DR. BOB’ is the attempt of Stephen Bergman, a doctor and novelist, and his wife, Janet Surrey, a clinical psychologist, to explain how the two men developed what many consider to be the best non-clinical approach to dealing with alcoholism.

The play, though it is emotionally stirring from the standpoint of the good the two men did, is not totally satisfying. I found some of the dialogue stilted and I left the theatre with lots of questions. We hear over and over the plea to join the duo in their process. What, exactly, is the process? We are never directly told. Queries such as, how did the philosophy of the meetings develop? Why are the sessions leaderless? Maybe answers to those questions weren’t the purpose of Berman and Surrey, but it seems a lot of time in the play was used to discuss factors that could have been left out and some more meaty matters dealt with.

The CPH production, under the adept direction of Seth Gordon, is quite good. The angst and the frustrations are evident. The humor--yes, there is humor--comes through.

Timothy Crowe is outstanding as Dr. Bob, He, of tall and gawky stature, has a wonderful way of keying humor and his displays of his character’s frustrations with himself, and the world in which he lived, are compelling. His pitch-perfect New England sound helps shape the person. Though fine, Sean Patrick Reilly is not Crowe’s match. Reilly is void of accent and seems to move in and out of concentration and realism.

In supporting roles, Denise Cormier isn’t always given line motivations in her role as Bill W’s wife, but makes good of what she is given. Margaret Daly plays the understanding wife well, but, again, her lines don’t always give her the ability to develop a complete being.

Charles Kartali does wonderfully with his mutli-roles. He presents a mesmerizing reading of one of the strongest speeches in the play, that of a hospitalized alcoholic who is forced to make a decision as to whether he will turn himself over to the theories of Bill W. and Dr. Bob or continue to flounder in a world of alcoholic haze. Also good in various roles is Heather Anderson Boll.

CAPSULE JUDGMENT: ‘BILL W. AND DR. BOB’ is an introduction into the frustrations of alcoholism and how the basic idea of Alcoholics Anonymous was developed. It is an illuminating, if not an entirely satisfying evening of theatre.

Verb Ballet--Fresh Inventions

Verb Ballet presents unique evening of dance


The diminutive 14 year-old stood in the lobby, surrounded by a group of gushing admirers, selling cds of his self-performed piano compositions. The setting? Intermission of ‘VERB BALLETS @ DANCEWORKS: FRESH INVENTIONS.’

Margaret Carlson, the Artistic Director of Verb Ballets envisioned an evening of dance with a creative twist--a night of dance collaboration and experimentation. She assembled seven Northeast Ohio choreographers, seven local composers, and seven dancers (Jennifer Moll Safonovs, Gary Lenington, Katie Gnagy, Brian Murphy, Erin Conway Lewis, Ashley Cohen and Antwon Duncan), assigning a composition to each choreographer, with the idea of stretching the creativity of each. Some of the music was to be played live, some recorded, all productions would receive only one hour of actual rehearsal time to get ready. This means the dancers had to learn all the pieces with short exposure and no ability to adjust to the idiosyncrasies which are always present in live performance.

The results? An evening of dance which was very well received by large and appreciative audiences. When was the last time you went to a dance concert and heard audience members pounding their feet with pleasure on the seating platforms?

Of course, as the four-production series rolled out, each night the nuances of the dancing became more exposed. The entire process would have made for an excellent video docudrama.

‘RANDOM ACTS,’ with choreography by Sara Whale, was danced to “Habanera” by Nicholas Underhill. An often strident composition, it was beautifully performed by violinist Cara Tweed. Controlled and quick movements, often chaotic in nature, created a severe contemporary visual set of images.

‘CLEVELAND FLATS SUITE,’ with music by Richard Rinehart and choreography by Diane Gray, was enhanced with visual effects by Jay Horowitz and lighting designed by Trad Burns (who did a wonderful job of lighting all the shows). A flow of water, images of the bridges and the flats area of Cleveland, which faded to other abstract visual impressions, created a perfect background for a piece which was nicely danced by the company.

‘PIANO RHAPSODY’ was set to “Volcano Rhapsody,” by Alex Berko. The mutli-award winning piano composition was enhanced by the live performance by the junior high student. Kay Eichman used classical modern ballet movements to create a vision that fit the moods of the music. (In full disclosure, the composer is my grandson.)

‘10:39’ was choreographed by Troy McCarty to “Overtures” and “Blood and Oil,” by Alan Emerson. A six-piece orchestra played the fast atonal music and the dancers performed gymnastic and jazz movements to a positive effect.

Following the intermission, Lisa Lock’s choreography brought forth ‘the cat is watching,’ set to “Coil,” an atonal composition of Larry Baker.

‘CHAIR,’ a five-movement composition by Loris Ohannes Chobanian, entitled, “Characters You are Likely to Meet” was staged by Richard Dickinson. Much of the choreography was a series of point and counter point movements which did not always parallel the music. Cellist Regina Mushabac was excellent in her interpretation of the modern composition.

The dance highlight of the evening was ‘KIDS AT PLAY,’ a joyful presentation played to “Cosmo,” a composition by Eric Ziolek. With much of the feeling and energy of Jerome Robbins’ “Fancy Free,” which was the basis for Leonard Bernstein’s musical ‘ON THE TOWN,’ Terence Greene created a fun, fast paced, visually pleasing performance. This number should be considered for inclusion in the Verb repertoire.

Why was Alex hawking albums at intermission and after the performance? So many people on Thursday and Friday asked whether he had an album of his music that the enterprising young man, who has an album entitled ‘ALEX BERKO UNPLUGGED,’ decided to bring some along for the final two performances. The results was a generous addition to his college fund. Alex, asked me to remind my readers that if they attended the program on Thursday or Friday night, and didn’t get a chance to buy a cd, they are still available for $10. (I guess you can contact me and I’ll forward the info to him.)

The evening worked well, but if Verb is to do this type of program again, it would be wise to vary the kinds of music. There was only one tonal piece and after a while the sounds started to grate on the nerves. As a lady behind me moaned, “I love the dancing, but why is so much of the music ear piercing?”

Capsule judgement: Verbs’ gamble paid off! Very sizable houses showed up to see and hear creative productions. Nice job Margaret.

Bat Boy

GLTF spreads its wings with the bizarre ‘BATBOY’

When one thinks of the Great Lakes Theatre Festival, the normal vision is for a Shakespearean drama or comedy, or maybe a Noel Coward farce, but, not a musical, and especially not a musical based on sensational headlines from The National Inquirer.

In a search for new and younger audiences, and wanting to go down a path less traveled, the company’s Artistic Director has reached into his hat of tricks and pulled out Keythe Farley, Brain Flemming and Laurence O’Keefe’s outrageous Off-Broadway” ‘BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL,’ which in its Big Apple run was referred to as the “musical of the year.”

What is this outrageous show all about? According to the Weekly World News, the Bat Boy saga began in 1992 when the 19-pound mutant, described by scientists as half human and half bat, was captured in a cave in Virginia's Shenandoah Mountains. Supposedly, the strange creature had enormous amber eyes that enabled him to see in the dark and oversized ears that worked like radar! The feisty creature was taken to a secret federal laboratory, where experts from all over the world came to study him. In 1993 and again in 1994, government officials denied rumors that Bat Boy had escaped from the lab and was on the loose. His present whereabouts is unknown. (Gee, maybe that kid sitting next to you in the theatre is not really a nice little child, but….Bat Boy!)

THE musical tells the tale of finding the Bat Boy and his struggle to assimilate and gain societal acceptance against great odds. It takes on a ‘MY FAIR LADY’ meets sci-fi, as Bat Boy is taught how to behave like a respectable citizen, complete with a proper British accent, and finds out the “real” story of his conception. The moral? Who cares! You go to see ‘BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL’ to be entertained. It’s the National Inquirer, Cleveland-Action 19 News version of theatre.

The Great Lakes Theatre Festival production, under the direction of Victoria Bussert, starts slowly but, in the second act picks up steam. So much of the fun, the outrageous visual images, is undoubtedly the creation of Martin Céspedes. Listed as the choreographer, his imprint is all over the staging, from the gestures, to the body poses, to the visual images, to the movements. He not only gets Shakespearean actors to dance--let’s say, move creatively to music--but he creates physical images that become the mountain folk caricatures that the show needs to be outrageous.

Mitch McCarrell, a Baldwin Wallace musical theatre graduate, is Bat Boy incarnate. He hangs from the rafters, sings with gusto, textures the role with pathos, and captivates the audience. His diminutive physical size enhances his believability. He is one of the few cast members who can actually sing as a musical theatre performer should sing. The others, unfortunately, are actors who have been required, because of the repertory nature of GLTF, to vocalize.

Lynn Allison is fun as the mother with a secret. Lynn Robert Berg is less successful in portraying the tortured doctor/father. An even more outrageous melodramatic interpretation is needed to flesh out the role. Erin Childs makes for a nice “forbidden” love interest for the Bat Boy, though she could have been filled with more disdain and teenage angst in the opening scenes. Aled Davis is a hoot as the Barney Fife-like Sheriff. Eduardo Placer does a wonderful vocal version of “Children, Children.”

Unfortunately, many of the lyrics to the songs are drowned out by the overly enthusiastic on-stage band. Why, oh why hasn’t musical director Matthew Webb learned that the purpose of the band in musical theatre is to back up, not drown out the singers. This is not a rock concert. Calm down the guitar and percussion. If the audience can’t hear the singers, there is no story line understanding.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: You have to go see ‘BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL,’ with the right attitude. You have to will yourself to have fun, realizing that you are participating in a tabloid fantasy. Set aside your traditional beliefs about what GLTF theatre should be. If you do, once you get past the draggy first act, you are in for a fun-filled flight of fantasy.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada--2010 preview

Stratford Shakespeare Festival of Canada…a celebration of theatre

The economy has started to stabilize. It’s time to start thinking of a place to go that is filled with quality entertainment and good food. One surefire answer is The Stratford Festival of Canada which takes place in Stratford, Ontario, Canada.

Stratford plays are done in four theatres. This season’s productions are:
‘AS YOU LIKE IT’ (Shakespeare), ‘KISS ME KATE’ (music and lyrics by Cole Porter, book by Same and Bella Spewack), ‘THE TEMPEST’ (Shakespeare), ‘DANGEROUS LIAISONS’ (Christopher Hampton), ‘EVITA’ (lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber), ‘PETER PAN’ (J. M. Barrie), ‘THE WINTER’S TALE’ (Shakespeare), ‘JACQUES BREL IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN PARIS’ (Eric Blau and Mort Shuman, based on Jacques Brel’s lyrics and commentary), ‘FOR THE PLEASURE OF SEEING HER AGAIN’ (Michael Tremblay), ‘DO NOT GO GENTLE’ (Leon Pownall), ‘THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA’ (Shakespeare), ‘KING OF THIEVES’ (George Walker, songs and music by John Roby, lyrics by George F. Walker

Besides their regularly scheduled plays, the Festival offers stage side chats, the Celebrated Writers Series, Night Music, Table Talks, pre-show lectures, lobby talks, public lectures, the teaching Shakespeare School and The Teachers’ Conference.

What’s the lodging like? Hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts abound to fit any wallet. I enjoy the B&Bs where you get to meet local people who operate the facilities and fellow travelers from around the world. My favorite has been “The Jennie Forbes Cottage” a charming regency cottage erected in 1857 (www.jennieforbescottagebb.com). It has recently changed hands and been updated, so I’m not sure what to expect when we arrive this year.

Hungry? For moderate cost and high quality, try The Annex Cafe (38 Albert Street). For a relaxed and fairly inexpensive breakfast treat try Demetre’s Family Eatery (1100 Ontario Street). Cleveland theatrical legends Dorothy and Reuben Silver, who are Stratford regulars, recommend The Waterlot Restaurant and Inn (17 Huron Street behind the Royal Bank) in New Hamburg, which is about 20 minutes away “and well worth the trip.”(www.waterlot.com) Also on their favorites list is The Keystone Alley Cafe (34 Brunswick Street) in Stratford (www.keystonealley.com) which has an outdoor patio.

Packages can be arranged by www.theatrevacations.com. Stratford Escapes (theatrevacations.com), is an efficient way to make reservations. For individual tickets call 800-567-1600 or go on-line to www.stratfordfestival.ca.

Helpful hints: The ride from Cleveland is about six hours through Buffalo. Go on-line to the festival to get directions. (The routings offered by both the AAA and Yahoo maps are confusing and miles longer.) And, to satisfy board requirements carry some official form of identification (passport, or driver’s license with a picture).

Go to Stratford, Canada! Find out what lovely hosts Canadians are, and see some great theatre!

Shaw Festival 2010 Preview

It’s the time of year to start thinking…..THE SHAW FESTIVAL

The brochure has arrived. The season is set. It’s time to start thinking about spending some time this spring, summer or fall at the SHAW FESTIVAL.

The Shaw Festival is conducted in four theatres in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada, an easy four-hour trip from Cleveland. Once you arrive, you will be entranced by the “most beautiful city in Canada.” Lovely flowers, classical home architecture and inviting well-stocked shops and galleries make for an inviting experience.

The season has actually opened already with lots more to come. It’s possible to see three or four shows a day and pack in an extra special event. As always, The Shaw has a balanced season…comedies, social critiques, musicals and dramas.

This season’s theatre offerings are: ‘AN IDEAL HUSBAND’ (Oscar Wilde), ‘THE WOMEN’ (Clare Boothe Luce), ‘THE DOCTOR’S DILEMMA’ (G. B. Shaw), ‘THE CHERRY ORCHARD’ (Anton Chekhov), ‘JOHN BULL’S OTHER ISLAND’ (G. B. Shaw), ‘AGE OF AROUSAL’ (Linda Griffiths), ‘HARVEY’ (Mary Chase), ‘ONE TOUCH OF VENUS’ (music by Kurt Weill, lyrics by Ogden Nash), ‘HALF AN HOUR’ (J. M. Barrie) and ‘SERIOUS MONEY (Caryl Churchill).

Besides the plays themselves, the Festival includes a play reading series, pre-cast chats, Tuesday Q&A, Saturday conversations, Sunday coffee concerts and backstage tours. Also check out the Shaw Workshops for Adults and the Teen Workshops.

The area itself is filled with activities ranging from a golf course within the city limits; an art park (www.artpark.net), The Good Earth Cooking School (www.goodearthcooking.com), the Jordan Village, a diverse blend of fine shopping, dining, and antique treasures (www.jordanvillage.com), an international chamber music festival (www.niagramusicfest.com), learning vacations at Niagara College (www.niagaralearning vacations.com), bike paths,
Mystery on the Lake (www.motl.ca), and a Niagara river jet boat trip.

The Niagara area is dotted with wineries, many of which, besides offering wine tastings and sales, have fine dining restaurants. My favorite is Hillebrand Estates Winery. Friends love Peller Estates.

There are some wonderful restaurants including my favorite, Queenston Heights Restaurant (www.queenstonheights.com). The latter is located in a park just over the US-Canadian border and has a breathtaking view of the Niagara River gorge. (Make a reservation and ask for a window table.) Lunch often finds me at The Epicurian, next to the Court House theatre. A real find is the restaurant at the Niagara Culinary Institute (www.niagaracollege.ca/dining), at which student chefs hone their skills.

Downtown has a new influx of stores and restaurants. Old favorites include Greaves Jams and Marmalades which is famous for its products since 1927. A Niagara tradition is the Maple Leaf Fudge store.

The area has many excellent hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. Our home away from home is the beautiful and well-placed Wellington House (www.wellington.house@sympatico.ca), directly across the street from The Festival Theatre. For information on other B&Bs go to www.niagaraonthelake.com/showbedandbreakfasts.

For theatre information, a brochure or tickets, call 800-511-7429 or go on-line to www.shawfest.com. Ask about packages that include lodging, meals and tickets. Also be aware that the festival offers day-of-the-show rush tickets and senior matinee prices.

Tired of waiting for a casino to come to Cleveland? Niagara Falls, a half-hour ride from Niagara-on-the-Lake, has several casinos. The falls area has a large outlet store complex for the bargain shopper. If you are taking kids, there is a huge indoor water park which connects to several hotels. And, of course, not to be overlooked are the attractions connected with the magnificent falls.

Helpful hint: To satisfy border requirements carry some official form of identification. A passport, US birth certificate or naturalization certificate) will all do.
Go to the Shaw Festival! Find out what lovely hosts Canadians are, and see some great theatre!