DC Theater Arts

Tag: Jenna Rossman

Review: ‘Waxing West’ at 4615 Theatre Company (Women’s Voices Theater Festival)

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” So said F. Scott Fitzgerald, at the end of The Great Gatsby. Waxing West, by Saviana Stanescu, is the story of a Romanian woman who is desperate to escape the results of the vicious regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. Like many others before her, she finds that the past is not so easily overcome. 4615 Theatre Company’s production is an intriguing addition to the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, and a darkly satiric evening.

Alani Kravitz and Alexandra Nicopoulos in Waxing West. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.

Daniela (Alexandra Nicopoulos) was in the streets during the bloody 1989 revolution. Her mother, Marcela (Sue Struve) is desperate to get her 29-year-old daughter married, and so sends her off to New York to marry the American Charlie (Charlie Cook), who is, according to his mother, a tender, humble computer genius.

The first scene between Daniela and her family is absorbing. The sweet-faced Alexandra Nicopoulos is a fine Daniela, always sympathetic, but with an underlying strength that we hope will emerge and rescue her. Her bratty college-age brother Elvis (Jack Russ) puts his feet on the table and behaves as such boys tend to do everywhere. The excellent Sue Struve, as Marcela, is a classically devoted mother, worrying about Daniela and obsessively attempting to control her future. Jack Russ’ Elvis is instantly recognizable and lovable despite his many complaints. We learn that Daniela’s father, now dead, was imprisoned by the Ceaușescu administration for political reasons.

In his book, The Devil in History, scholar Vladimir Tismaneanu refers to Ceaușescu’s government as a “baroque synthesis of Communism and fascism.” Many of Romania’s troubles have been attributed to its geographical location, close to other, stronger powers such as Russia. Ceaușescu’s Romania had a very low standard of living. The secret police were exceptionally brutal, and the dictator’s opponents tended to end up in psychiatrist hospitals, in prison, or dead. Over a decade later, at the time the play takes place, living conditions had continued to deteriorate. It is easy to understand why America seemed like the perfect escape.

Charlie, the American, turns out to be mild-mannered, intelligent, and slightly kinky. Although well-meaning, he’s anything but romantic, which drives the sensitive Daniela up the wall. Cook portrays Charlie as oblivious to Daniela’s needs but glad to accept whatever she can do for him.

The “waxing” in the title refers to skin waxing, a very painful process that removes hair from skin. It is part of Daniela’s profession as a cosmetologist. She even waxes Charlie’s sister Gloria, a strong-minded gay woman who is described as an artist. Jenna Rossman gives an expertly nuanced performance as Gloria, who is attracted to Daniela but ultimately frustrated by her passivity

Daniela’s good nature, despite some character flaws, which I won’t ruin by revealing, makes her struggles increasingly poignant. When Charlie turns to his computer, she feels ignored. She doesn’t like to cook for Charlie, and she doesn’t like Romanian food. Her one friend, Uros (the admirable Frank Mancino) is a homeless former professor from Yugoslavia with whose dream is to follow in the footsteps of Gilgamesh. Uros has an eccentric eloquence, and the two connect, due to their similar tragic backgrounds. Her efforts to help him are touchingly naïve.

She is haunted by the ghosts of the executed Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu, who have, unsurprisingly, become vampires. As played by Nahm Darr and Alani Kravitz, they are charmingly nasty, singing, dancing, and itemizing Daniela’s weak points with relish. They lend a Cabaret-like atmosphere to Daniela’s most frightening nightmares.

Sue Struve as Marcela and Alexandra Nicopoulos as Daniela. Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography.

The Ensemble, Morgan Sendek and Kiernan O’Brien, enact their diverse roles with energy and enthusiasm. Despite the dark subject matter, there is plenty of humor. Friend’s direction is a shining example of how to do more with less. Focus on the story, and the technical aspects will take care of themselves.

Kaitlin Tinsley’s lighting and Nathaniel Sharer’s scenic design blend together well. Director Jordan Friend is also responsible for sound design, which includes some lovely jazz as well as contemporary songs. If I am not mistaken, the cast sings John Denver’s Take Me Home, Country Roads in what I can only assume is Romanian. The costumes, by Greg Strasser and Emily Crockett are well suited to the mood and the material. The dancing (choreography is by Paige Washington) is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the evening.

4615 Theatre Company brings us a fine and funny production in their new home. Not only is it an excellent entry in the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, it highlights the dilemmas many immigrants face in a time of increasing xenophobia.

Running Time: Two hours, with one 15-minute intermission.

Waxing West plays through February 10, 2017, at the Highwood Theatre — 914 Silver Spring Avenue in Silver Spring, MD. For tickets, call the box office at (301) 928-2738, or order them online.

Playwright: Saviana Stanescu
Saviana Stanescu is a Romanian-born award-winning playwright and ARTivist based in New York/Ithaca. Her produced US plays include Aliens with extraordinary skills, Ants (both published by Samuel French), Useless, Toys, For a Barbarian Woman, Lenin’s Shoe, Waxing West (2007 New York Innovative Theatre Award). Honors include: New York Theatre Workshop Usual Suspect, EST member, Indie Theater Hall of Fame / Person of the Year, NYSCA playwright-in-residence with Women’s Project, TCG fellow, Women International Leadership, writer-in-residence for Richard Schechner, Audrey residency – New Georges, Director of Eastern European Exchange – Lark, NYC, John Golden Award for Playwriting (shared with rajiv Joseph), Golberg Award Finalist, O’Neill Finalist, Yale Drama Series Runner-Up, Best Romanian Play of the Year 2000 UNITER Award. She has published over 15 books of poetry and drama in English and Romanian.

Saviana holds an MA in Performance Studies (Fulbright fellow), MFA in Dramatic Writing (John Golden Award for Excellence in Playwriting) from NYU, Tisch; PhD in Theatre from UNATC, Bucharest, Romania. She has taught Playwriting and Theatre/Performance Studies at NYU, Strasberg, Fordham, ESPA. Currently, she teaches Playwriting and Contemporary Theatre at Ithaca College and is a Regional Visiting Fellow with the Cornell Institute for European Studies.

January 22, 2018
Review: ‘Disgraced’ at NextStop Theatre Company

What a combustible evening at NextStop’s production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Disgraced by Ayad Akhtar. Under Thembi Duncan’s adroit direction and with fascinating casting, this in-your-face drama aims to stimulate, challenge, and yes, even chafe audiences. And does it ever. It is right for these messy times in America.

Thembi Duncan, director of Disgraced, playing at NextStop Theatre through October 1.

There is nothing timid about Duncan’s take on Disgraced. The production succeeds forthrightly as a rich, complex, and ultimately fiery drama about the fluid nature of a person’s identity and how easily identity can shift under the harsh gaze of society, supposed best friends, and even marital partners. What was once thought solid becomes quicksand. With Duncan’s invigorating, subversive touch, Disgraced aims directly for the brain of those of us who consider ourselves card-carrying progressives who are, therefore, above it all.

Nor does playwright Akhtar not shy away one iota from exposing the ugly parts of characters who represent the polite, liberal “smart-set” of society. Those who hide behind a thin veneer of social acceptance of one and all into the American Dream, but, in the privacy of their own bedrooms, might say otherwise.

Oh, and these supposed “good people” try to conceal many a personal flaw that will lead to the betrayal of even those they say they love.

Jesse Bhamrah and Jenna Rossman as Amir and Emily. Photo by Lock & Company.

So what is Disgraced specifically about? It centers upon Amir (played by the physically-slight Jesse Bhamrah with a tormented demeanor, fragile bearing, and increasingly bewildered stance) – an American-born, Pakistani-American Muslim who is an up-and-coming New York City mergers and acquisitions lawyer. Dressing in expensive, high-thread-count white cotton shirts, he thinks himself on the cusp of being named partner in a major law firm.

Amir is married to Emily (portrayed by Jenna Rossman as an ambitious, dominant protagonist and sensual presence), a Western Christian woman who is a painter hoping to get her big break with her works based upon Islamic traditions and representations. When we first meet the married couple, Amir is too easily lost in his work and his cell phone. Emily wants intimacy and attention, even as she attempts to paint his portrait – a portrait based upon a centuries-old work of Velasquez, his portrait of Juan de Pareja, his “slave” of Moorish decent.

As the play progresses, there are plenty of hints of trouble and instability ahead for Amir and Emily, even before a dinner party becomes the production’s centerpiece of verbal and then physical altercations.

Beyond Amir and Emily, playwright Akhtar introduces three other characters. One is Jory (Chaela Phillips, as a no-nonsense, straight-talking, stately presence). Jory is an African-American woman at the same law firm as Amir. She is also seeking to make partner. Jory relishes a saying by Henry Kissinger that she keeps on her desk: “If faced with choosing justice or order, I’ll always choose order.” Her husband, Isaac (Jordan Friend as a blustery, overbearing, thin-skinned know-it-all), is a Jewish arts dealer who likes Emily’s Islamic-themed works – or perhaps more than merely her art.

Nahm Darr as Abe and Jesse Bhamrah as Amir. Photo by Lock & Company

The final, very key character is Abe (Nahm Darr in a strong performance in arc to a politically militant persona). Abe is the nephew of Amir. He is a Pakistani immigrant who changed his given name, hoping it would be better for his assimilation into American society. As portrayed by Darr and as directed by Duncan, Abe is no secondary character. He is a critical figure to what triggers the heat in the drama when a local imam is arrested on flimsy evidence that he is friends with those trying to do harm to America. Additionally, Abe is the key to understanding the play’s title, Disgraced.

The play turns at a small, celebratory dinner party that brings together some bright, passionate, well-educated folk of diverse backgrounds. The affair takes place in Amir and Emily’s Manhattan apartment, appropriately depicted by Set Designer Jack Golden to include comfortable furnishings and a balcony overlooking New York City’s splendor, with lighting design by Jonathan Alexander.

At the dinner party, the characters question not only what is permissible to think, but what thoughts are acceptable to say out loud. Does one’s appearance define who they are? What was the meaning of the events of 9-11 to each of them? Are feelings of pride for a horrible tragedy appropriate? Does Israel have a right to exist? And this: who, exactly, are America’s true underdogs in contemporary times?

From all of these tormenting questions, a powder keg explodes as Disgraced moves to its wrenching, explosive conclusion – one that must be witnessed. My jaw dropped and it left me leaning forward not to miss anything seen or said.

(L-R) Jordan Friend, Chaela Phillips, Jenna Rossman, and Jesse Bhamrah. Photo by Lock & Company.

The production of Disgraced has added vitality with Costume Designer Kristina Martin defining outfits for each of the characters. The outfits “say” plenty about each character and their journey through the play. Martin’s costumes accentuate a character’s changes. They also easily depict power and powerlessness if one looks closely, rather than just at the mere beauty of things.

Disgraced is a play of this very moment, about betrayal. About race and religion. And even about the flimsy nature of upward mobility and what it takes to be a success. There are no simple answers or responses to Disgraced as it moves through the torment of its characters. With the knotty, very real-life script by Akhtar, and the fine hand of director Duncan, Disgraced is a riveting production.

Let me confess this: NextStop’s production of Disgraced left me examining my own life experiences and my own long-time, deeply-held progressive values and beliefs. Go and see this one for yourself.

Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission.

Disgraced plays through October 1, 2017 at NextStop Theatre Company – 269 Sunset Park Drive, in Herndon, VA. For tickets, call the box office at (866) 811-4111, or purchase them online.

NOTE: For more about playwright Ayad Akhtar, let me point you to this article from the Sunday New York Times.

Save

Save

September 12, 2017
In the Moment: A Report on The Edge of the Universe Players 2’s Workshop Production of Young Jean Lee’s ‘Pullman, WA’

The Edge of the Universe Players 2‘s workshop production of Young Jean Lee’s Pullman, WA was an evening that defies easy categorization. It was charming one moment, annoying the next. It was a traditional passive audience theater experience much of the time, then “POW!” an audience member was selected, seemingly quite out of random, to be verbally harangued as part of the performance.

Here are Tia Shearer and Jenna Rossman in rehearsal. Photo courtesy of The Edge of the Universe Players 2.

As directed by veteran Michael Chamberlin, Pullman, WA is a play that purposely wanders restlessly, then sticks a landing with arms up in jubilation. I was smitten and charmed with this fascinating early work from OBIE Award-winning playwright Young Jean Lee that has three characters who try to be “helpers” to guide the audience into a better life. Then, of course, as all to often happens in real life – things fall apart as the characters begin to “fight and melt down” right before the audience – all in a 60-minute, intermissionless roller-coaster ride.

So what is Pullman, WA about? Well, the evening begins with a bright welcome from the first of the three helpers. She was the gamin, sneaker-wearing, rolled-up sleeves,Tia Shearer. She tried to explain through both words and cute images made with a thick black marker that she truly wanted to people live a better life. Over about 20 minutes or so, Shearer was a charmer full of warm sincere smiles. She moved smoothly like a figure skater, and at times fell softly, inside a circle of 40 or so chairs. She was just such a chipper speaker as if was being scored for her presentation by higher-ups hidden away somewhere. She seems to need nods of agreement from the audience. But, over time, well, something doesn’t quite seem right. And she became just so unctuous.

Then another helper lifted herself from one of the 40 chairs. It was Jenna Rossman. She was sharply and colorfully attired wearing up-to-date feminine boots. She began to attack not only the views just expressed by and the character Shearer was playing. As a “helper” Rossman spoke with childhood, if not child-like, descriptions of sweet happy birthday parties, mystical unicorns, and of beautiful mermaids along with some made-up words spoken brightly. Rossman used a lovely umbrella as a prop; an umbrella with a lighting effect that along with a string of colorful Christmas lights. She was all bright sugar and spice. But then she was more stinging and made accusations not just aimed at “helper” Shearer but some unlucky soul in the audience. (I was one the night I was there).

Drew Kopas. Photo courtesy of Drew’s website.

After the unsettling time listening or being scolded by Rossman, in came Drew Kopas. His appearance came on shoes with wheels;quite an appearance he made indeed. He offered a third way to live a better life. It was to accept Jesus and be saved. He was a happy warrior for religion -at times holding his arms up pointing to Heaven. Just accept and all will be so much instantly better. As he spun about the floor, Kopas was melodiously powerful, and less comic than the other two “helpers” as he made his case for religion to be the answer to any audience member issues about failngs and failures. Just get happy.

This imaginative workshop from The Edge of the Universe Players 2 was a dandy one. If you are not aware of The Edge of the Universe Players 2 their mission is put this way:

We love plays with big meanings that transcend particular ages and cultures. And we hope that cultural influences, including theatre, can change some part of the human family—or even one person—toward a more bearable, insightful, hopeful, or self-determining state. The subjects of our plays may include individual liberty, family, power, religion, death, or other fundamental issues of human existence.

Certainly this early script by Young Jean Lee seems without a mainstream plot. But, Pullman, WA left me with plenty to enjoy and chew on as I bounded into the DC early autumn night. I was quite happy to think about something beyond the recent election. Young Jean Lee’s attention-worthy Pullman, WA with its torrent of wordplay and interactions did that for me even if I was puzzled aplenty.

And for this workshop production, technical design included an appropriately minimalist set design by April Joy Vester, spiffy lighting by Rob Siler, and sound by Reid May.

So know that there are only two more workshop performances of the refreshing if strange, Pullman, WA. Get yourself ready for an experimental workshop in which one of the aforementioned “helpers” says this:

I have never felt like I was me. There was always something wrong with who I was so that I was always thinking of myself as some future-existing person, someone who is like an outline of someone.

Yup, I got that without any trouble at all. Now how to fix that, I have not a clue.

Running Time: 60 minutes, with no intermission.

Pullman, WA has two remaining readings on Saturday, November 19th at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, November 20, 2016, at 7:30 p.m. at Melton Rehearsal Hall at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company – 641 D Street NW in Washington, DC. For tickets, call (202) 355-6330, or purchase them online.

LINKS:
‘Getting to Know The Edge of the Universe Players 2’s ‘Pullman, WA’ 11/13-20 at Woolly Mammoth by Bill Goodman on DCMetroTheaterArts.

‘Straight White Men’ by Young Jean Lee at The Studio Theatre by Robert Michael Oliver in his column ‘Spine.’

‘Straight White Men’ at The Studio Theatre reviewed by David Siegel.

‘Straight White Men’ at The Studio Theatre reviewed by Amy Kotkin. (Coming).

Magic Time! Straight White Men’ at The Studio Theatre by John Stoltenberg. (Coming).

November 16, 2016
‘Getting to Know The Edge of the Universe Players 2’s ‘Pullman, WA’ 11/13-20 at Woolly Mammoth by Bill Goodman

Getting to Know the Play Pullman, WA by Young Jean Lee

Reflections by Producer Bill Goodman, The Edge of the Universe Players 2.

Artist Alex R. Hughes’s conception of ‘Pullman, WA.’

During the process of producing Pullman, WA, I’ve come to appreciate it far more than I did when it was first selected—even though I was responsible for approving it. As a script, Pullman is strange to say the least. It defies classification and contains a few mysteries that suit it.

Three “helpers” announce they can guide us to better lives, but the nature of the situation is unclear—it might be a planned talk or a spontaneous event. As the three helpers have vastly different beliefs about how to live, it seems unlikely that they’ve planned their efforts jointly, yet there are hints that they’re already acquainted–and might possibly be working together. Eventually, they break into rhythmic chant in either an obscure language or gibberish—the nature and meaning of this development aren’t immediately obvious. Other strange developments follow.

Pullman is ridiculous, hilarious, and, if you ask me, deeply philosophical.

While all plays are a little—or a lot—different in action as opposed to on the page, this one is far, far different—it’s much more alive, some subtleties of the script become clear, and an alteration between hostility and compassion becomes well realized.

As producer, my main contribution to artistic aspects consists in choosing the director, then trusting that person to select the cast, designers, and interpretation. So as the play emerges, I can sit back and enjoy it, occasionally providing some feedback to the director—protocol forbids me to directly engage anyone else. Occasionally, a director may even use one of my suggestions.

I feel fortunate to have attracted the group of artists we have, starting with award-winning Director Michael Chamberlin, who has been a fan of Pullman for a long time and suggested it to us in the first place.

Tia Shearer (Helper #1). Photo courtesy of The Edge of the Universe Players 2.

Tia Shearer, who will portray “Helper #1,” has considerable background in children’s theatre, but has proven to me that she can be outstanding at an adult role, and a complex one at that.

Jenna Rossman (Helper #2 ). Photo courtesy of The Edge of the Universe Players 2.

Jenna Rossman, who will play Helper #2, has demonstrated that she can make the role come alive and then some.

Drew Kopas (Helper #3). Photo courtesy of The Edge of the Universe Players 2.

Drew Kopas (Helper #3), the sole male actor, comes highly recommended by our director.

Naturally, I hope you’ll join us for a performance; I’m sure you’d enjoy it. The play is so experimental that we’re calling it a workshop and asking just $10, but I think you’ll find that this presentation is worth far more.

Artist Alex R. Hughes’s conception of ‘Pullman, WA.’

The Edge of the Universe Players 2 presents Pullman, WA by Young Jean Lee November 13-20, 2016 at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company – 641 D Street, NW, in Washington, DC 20004

For tickets, go to UniversePlayers2.tix.com.

For more information, see UniversePlayers2.org.

Pullman, WA is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.

November 1, 2016
‘One Man Two Guvnors’ at the Maryland Ensemble Theatre

Splendidly directed by Tad Janes and cleverly written by Richard Bean with songs by Grant Olding, One Man Two Guvnors is a laugh-out-loud riot with hysterical performances from a versatile cast with outstanding improvisational skills.

Matt Baughman, Jenna Rossman, and Thomas Scholtes. Photo by Joe Williams.

Inspired on the Commedia del Arte style and based on Carlo Goldoni’s play The Servant of Two Masters, One Man Two Guvnors updates the story to 1963 England during the beginning of Beatlemania. Francis Henshall is out of luck and out of money, looking for more work. Already employed as a modern manservant to supposedly dead Roscoe Crabbe (who is actually Roscoe’s twin sister, Rachel, masquerading as a man), a criminal accomplice on the run, he unexpectedly gains employment as a manservant to Stanley Stubbers, who is Rachel’s boyfriend, on the run for committing the same crime. Now, Francis must keep either of his guvnors from learning he is working for the other at the same time, keep them from meeting and remember which errand he is supposed to run for either master at the same time! Meanwhile, now that Roscoe is returned from the dead, “he” is still engaged to marry Pauline Clench, while Pauline has since agreed to marry over-dramatic actor, Alan.

Thomas Scholtes delivers a standout performance as the title character Francis Henshall. With his phenomenal comedic timing, natural ease, and charisma onstage, he absolutely steals the show. His bit where he attempts to lift a heavy trunk was absolutely hysterical and literally stopped the show with loud applause. Another scene where he gets into a physical solo fight with himself and drags, twists and turns his body in combat poses across the stage will make your sides ache with laughter. Scholtes is incredibly loveable and it is well worth the trip to Maryland Ensemble Theatre just to see his performance.

Matt Baughman gives Scholtes a serious run for his money when it comes to comedic abilities. In dual roles as wonderfully flamboyant and over dramatic actor, Alan, and then as elderly gentleman, Alfie (who hilariously springs into action whenever his pacemaker is turned up), Baughman displays fantastic character voices and laugh out loud physicality as an elderly gentleman prat falling, tumbling and shakily walking all over the stage.

Isabel Duarte is wonderfully wry and sarcastic as the Clench’s bookkeeper and Francis’ love interest, Dolly. Her excellently timed interjections were fantastic and she provided a wonderful contrast as a firmly feminist female character in the 1960’s.

Matthew Bannister displays boundless versatility as Harry Dangle, a lawyer and Gareth, a waiter. Bannister’s legal monologue at the top of Act II was very impressive and very hilarious.

Jenna Rossman gives a great performance as Roscoe/Rachel Crabbe, one of the guvnors in the title. Masquerading as a man for the majority of the show, Rossman milks every bit of comedy she can get from the gag and some of her occasional slip ups were incredibly funny.

Shea-Mikal Green is adorable as the obnoxiously ditzy blonde, Pauline Clench. The character’s own admissions of how dumb she is makes the performance even funnier, but many of Green’s funny lines are difficult or almost impossible to understand when she is shouting in her character’s thick British accent.

Bob Herbertson is delightfully funny as Pauline’s father, Charlie Clench. His character’s toast at the engagement party at the top of show was wonderfully executed and perfectly set the tone for the rest of the ridiculous comedy.

As the other titular guvnor, Todd Mazzie is haughty as Stanley Stubbers. His constant snobby and sometimes disturbing references to boarding school were incredible and his bit involving the character’s chest hair in Act II was fantastic.

Matt Lee does a phenomenal job as Lloyd Boateng. His constant references to prison involve side-splitting levels of hilarity and Lee still makes a character who is not extremely involved in the plot a very memorable character.

One of the unique factors of the production is the huge amount of direct audience interaction and participation. Audience members are literally pulled from the front row to play minor characters or hold certain props and the improvisational skills all of the actors use throughout the production are phenomenal. The creative freedom to frequently break the fourth wall and directly talk to audience members during monologues or scenes is very refreshing and makes the production even funnier.

Speaking of funny scenes, the dining room scene where Francis attempts to serve both employers in opposite rooms at the same time, with the help of Alfie, a waiter and a chef, was honestly one of the funniest scenes this reviewer has ever seen in any comedy. The classic physical comedy bits were outstanding and the speed of the scene steadily increased to a frantic, breakneck pace with all of the actors executing perfectly timed movements to create well controlled chaos. The series of tongue-twisting alliteration dialogue mid-way through Act II was also hilarious and expertly executed.

Shea-Mikal Green and Matt Baughman. Photo by Joe Williams.

Set design by Eric Berninghausen included simple unit backdrops of different locations which allowed plenty of space for all of the physical comedy and the clever design made the small stage area look much larger. The costumes, designed by Kirk Bowers, perfectly evoke the feel of 1960s and Beatlemania. Except for when the actors actually change which character they’re playing, the characters themselves never change costumes and each character is left in an easily identifiable pattern or color scheme.

Giovanni Kavota’s lighting design was fairly simple but used to great effect. Music is used for excellent transitions during the performance and expertly musically directed by Thom Huenger. Members of the cast perform different 60’s era songs during each set change and Huenger accompanies every song very well on guitar, harmonica, or sometimes both. Extremely hilarious musical moments included Matt Baughman playing the tuba and Thomas Scholtes and Shea-Mikal Green playing very unique instruments in Act II.

Running Time: Two hours and 50 minutes, with one 15-minute intermission.

One Man, Two Guvnors plays through October 4, 2015 at Maryland Ensemble Theatre – 31 West Patrick Street, in Frederick, MD. For tickets, call the box office at (301) 694-4744, or purchase them online.

RATING:

September 14, 2015
‘The Whale’ at Rep Stage

A man who refuses to budge often makes for fine drama. Does the same go for a man who cannot budge because he weighs 600 pounds?

Michael Russotto as Charlie and Wood Van Meter as Elder Thomas Photo by Katie Simmons-Barth.

That’s the first question posed by Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale at Rep Stage in Columbia, MD. The answer in this case is yes, thanks to expert playwriting and a first-rate collection of Equity actors.

Hunter’s play, which won the 2013 Drama Desk Award, is an exercise in empathy. It challenges us to examine our moralistic judgments of people and their behavior. It is also openly literate, exploring such matters as what makes a good essay, a good reader, a good parent.

The drama itself engages, though, mainly due to its fresh characters and to some dark humor that bubbles up from a subtext as deep and shadowy as the mammal in its title.

Kasi Campbell is back at the directorial reins for this one, and she is successful with her unerring casting choices.

Michael Russotto dominates the stage as Charlie, the morbidly obese man who seems resigned to spending his final days confined to a couch in his rundown Idaho apartment. Russotto radiates his humanity through soulful eyes, a gentle, probing tone, and a driving insistence on pushing all those around him to be honest about their feelings.

His retreat from life into gluttony and a job as an online writing tutor is being enabled by his no-nonsense friend Liz. Liz is played with an instantly recognizable mixture of practicality, hard-headed humor and flinty disapproval by local stage favorite Megan Anderson.

Liz is as needy as Charlie in her own way, and she blames the Mormon Church for her brother’s final nudge over the precipice. So she is aghast when Charlie makes friends with a local Mormon missionary named Thomas.

Wood Van Meter is excellent as the pink-cheeked missionary, almost getting us to accept that he could have once gone through a rough patch of drug addiction. (I’d pay to see a play about his past relationship with drug dealers.)

For a while it looks like The Whale is coming down to a battle between Liz and Thomas over Charlie’s soul. But the playwright, excuse the pun, is after bigger fish.

Charlie’s greatest regret in life, you see, is how he completely lost touch with his young daughter after running away with Alan. The next thing we know, his now 17-year-old daughter Ellie is there in his apartment, berating him for every bad choice that has brought him to this point.

One of the reasons we do not feel like criticizing Charlie too much is because those on stage do a far harsher job of it. When Charlie asks what Ellie is writing in the journal he gave her, she answers: “I was writing that when you die they probably won’t be able to get your body through the door or window, so they’ll probably have to take it out in pieces.”
Nice.

Jenna Rossman gets the evening’s most unsympathetic role as the brutally cruel Ellie. Yet it is also the richest role, begging us for a solution to the problem of adolescent hurt and betrayal. Rossman never pulls a punch nor hits a single false note.

The drama begins to feel a little schematic by the time the ex-wife Mary arrives on the scene, and Hunter barely touches on the issues between them. But Susan Rome makes the most of the appearance, suggesting a lifetime’s worth of bad luck and poor behavior in just a few well-chosen reactions.

The grungy apartment set by Scenic Designer James Fouchard is up to the high standards of the Rep company. Jay Herzog’s lighting design and the sometimes tricky sound design by Neil McFadden are exemplary throughout.

Michael Russotto (Charlie). Photo by Katie Simmons-Barth.

The Whale, here making its Baltimore/D.C. area premiere, is a heartbreaking and scattershot-brilliant little drama. It never tackles the existential ’night, Mother issues at its core, but it more than rewards with a moving and literate focus on humanity.

Running Time: About two hours, with one intermission.

The Whale by Rep Stage plays through February 1, 2015 in the Studio Theatre of the Horowitz Visual and Performing Arts Center at Howard Community College — 10901 Little Patuxent Parkway, in Columbia, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 518-1500, or purchase them online.

RATING:

https://youtu.be/QBAVRzhIOsk

January 18, 2015
‘Much Ado About Nothing’ at Baltimore Shakespeare Factory

Tis indeed summer and that to the world of the Bard means Much Ado About Nothing. And the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory is no exception to that rule as they mount their first in-the-round production this summer. Taking the well recognized comic back to its simplistic basics, the BSF strips away the scenery and all the other convolutions that can often clog-up Shakespeare’s wittiest comedy and present it in its original essence. Directed by Chris Cotterman, the show is an auspicious start to a fine summer season promised herein.

Benedick (Lonnie DeVaughan Simmons) and Beatrice (Jenna Rossman). Photo by Terence O’Hara.

Simplicity is the best approach, using nothing but the elements and simple white cloth for costumes, designed by April Forrer. It is this minimalist approach that nods to true Shakespearean style; natural light, outdoors, no cumbersome sets, and this approach to the production allows the witty gems of Shakespeare’s writing to truly shine through the performance. Director Chris Cotterman has gathered a fine group of performers are articulate and deliver the word of the Bard’s humors with precision and ease, landing joke after joke upon the audience’s ears while making the strange vernacular approachable to those less familiar with the sound of the archaic language.

For a first attempt at a production in the round, the cast acoustics need work. With more practice, it is certain that the volume will not be an issue, and at present it only stands to be an issue with a few of the minor characters. Projecting voices and adjusting to the new style of blocking, this BSF production is a growing experience and will work its way to full success by the end of the run. The other main issue are the two gulling scenes wherein the characters lay traps of love for Benedick and Beatrice. While the concept behind the scene— having both Benedick and Beatrice respectively take umbrage in the audience as they try to spy upon their cousins and council— is brilliant, it is sadly lacking in its execution. Beatrice’s time in the audience is a bit more successful than Benedick’s as she crawls about more in earnest and haste. To make these scenes live up to their full comic potential the characters laying the trap and doing the gulling need to enter the audience as well, perform a bit of a chase to make the danger of being discovered real.

That said, Director Chris Cotterman has implored a few intriguing casting choices in his efforts to keep the cast contained. Using only 13 performers, who also double as musicians for the pre-show and intermission musical entertainment (a long-standing tradition at BSF where modern and appropriately themed songs are performed by the cast and characters to fit the mood of the show,) Cotterman finds unique approaches to a play that could easily contain a cast of 25 or more. In addition to his curious but rather effect double-casting, gender crossing comes into play where not only Senor Leonato (Sue Struve) is played by a woman, but Margaret (Jim Knost) and Ursula (Sean Elias) are played by men.

Elias, who doubles as the lovely singing Balthazar and Dogberry, has hilarious charm as the good lady Ursula. His dulcet tones harp well upon the audience’s ear when singing as Balthazar and his flamboyant over-the-top performance as Dogberry is one of the most memorable in the production. His true theatrical nature blazes through in the “I am an ass!” scene, a startling and hilarious moment which favors his sassy and histrionic nature.

Other performances of note include Don Pedro (Josh Thomas) who has a very modern approach to the character, making him one of the most relatable characters in the performance. There is something giddy and amusing about the way he teases Benedick over being in love. Thomas, who is one of only five performers who does not double his role, brings a jovial presence to the stage, even in the face of the showdown at the initial wedding, trying to keep his merriment subdued into a more stern visage.

The cast all round— from the rather mild mannered and deceptively cool-tempered Don John (Sean James) to the angsty young twitwit Claudio (Brendan Edward Kennedy)— gives strong performances of these characters, many still developing how best to relate their characters to the show and to the audience. The concept of having them all sit around the performance round as the show is in progress eases the transition of scene changes as the actors literally hop up and into the scene as their character approaches or arrives.

The sarcastic and easily incensed Beatrice (Jenna Rossman) has her work cut out for her against the strapping presence of the equally sarcastic and easily ruffled Benedick (Lonnie DeVaughan Simmons.) The pair quarrel well together, as a proper Beatrice and Benedick ought to; just enough flirtatious and underhanded subtext spritzed into their repartee so that when they land insults upon one another it stings with a hidden hand of pleasure. Rossman brings a saucy nature to show, a rather modern sound to her approach to the character as well. But there is something refreshing about her off-handed approach to the good lady Beatrice.

Background Left- Sean Elias as Balthazar and Christopher Ryder as Antonio. Background Right- Josh Thomas as Don Pedro. Center- Brendan Edward Kennedy as Claudio. Photo by Terence O’Hara.

Simmons excels in his asides to the audience, particularly the inner trappings of his mind which pour out in soliloquy. The “perfect woman” speech ends up reading like a poem, addressed specifically to the audience as he plucks out women for comparison. Rossman’s delivery of her “beard speech” has a similar approach and effect as she hones in on various men from which to make examples. Simmons gives a versatile performance, following the tracks of the ride of love all the way to the end, upholding the Shakespearean witcrackers to the highest level of high-brow humor one can hold them.

Be sure to enjoy the end of the show; you might just find yourself feeling a little crazy in love after all the shenanigans that go down.

Running Time: 2 hours and 40 minutes with one intermission

Much Ado About Nothing plays through August 10, 2014 at the Baltimore Shakespeare Factory on the Great Meadow at the Evergreen Museum and Library— 4545 N. Charles Street in Baltimore, MD. Tickets may be purchased at the meadow or in advance online.

July 19, 2014
‘The Homo Poe Show’ at Iron Crow Theatre Company

Conceived as a new work by Artistic Director Steven J. Satta, where each of the seven installments has an individual director, Iron Crow Theatre Company’s The Homo Poe Show – a reinvention of Edgar Allen Poe’s dark and twisted works – is a conceptual stretch of the -To quote the raven, “Never before…” Well not exactly, but it can be said that never before have the likes of imagination, inviting the audience into the skewed perceptions and reinvented notions of the company’s core mission. Overall the show should be considered a work-in-progress with a great deal of potential that upon further workshopping sessions could be an intellectually provocative and aesthetically pleasing success. At present the show stands as seven loosely connected segments that have subtle sprinklings of Edgar Allen Poe misted throughout as their unifying bond.

Satta’s ambitious approach to skewing the already queer perception of Edgar Allen Poe into something profound becomes lost throughout the production and feels muddled. Without an intimate and thorough knowledge of Poe’s work, the average theatergoer may not so easily relate to the more subtle references crafted into the production. As a main theme, going so far as to make it the title of the show, Poe feels under-represented in several of the works. With each segment, or one-act, having its own playwright or choreographer and director as the case may be, the ideas of what represents Poe become further blurred and the focal points (in the productions that have more than one character or dialogue) become the homosexual relationships. Some pieces work better than others and the show does have potential to evolve into something great, as Iron Crow is often known for its evocative and talented work.

I Dream of Poe
Choreographed and Performed by aerial artist Mara Neimanis, this introductory piece, while aesthetically stunning, feels completely superfluous to the show as a whole. The music that underscores the aerial composition has little if any relation to Poe in any obvious sense. Grasping at straws, one might say that the chaos of this piece is intended to represent the ever churning chaos present in Poe’s mind and thusly in his works, but this is a stretch at best. Neimanis’ aerial performance is exceptional; her body fully engaged, but the piece as a whole does not fit into the evening’s remaining performances.

(L): Young Man (Nick Horan) and (R): Thomas (John Dallas). Photo by Zachary Handler.

Thomas
Written by Daniel Talbott and Directed by Steven J. Satta, this piece is one of the remaining six that does touch quite closely on Poe’s style of prose and his notes of obsession. Hovering over the theme of madness, this segment envelops the emotional flow of Poe’s work quite well. But Satta’s decision to include gratuitous, albeit tasteful and delicious, full body nudity detracts from the overall message of the piece. Without the enticing distraction the play would have been just as profound, if not more so.

Sound Designer Nick Hood really brings the tranquility of the seashore to this piece with his simple sounds of wave crashing on the sand mingled with the delicate cry of gulls; a fitting aural pleasure that augments the fluid prose of the Young Man (Nick Horan). Honing in on the dark emotional sensations of longing and grief, Horan’s delivery of this lengthy text is one of the closest links to Poe’s lovelorn poems in the entire production. Horan also engages in exceptionally intimate physical moments with Thomas (Jon Dallas) creating striking moments of visual intimacy.

The Trick
Written by Rich Espey and Directed by Ryan Clark, this performance segment focuses on a more direct link between Poe’s work and his use of repetition in his poetry. This is also the only piece where the aerial choreography does not feel completely out of place and gratuitous. Espey’s ability to craft a sharp and witty personality into the character of Time (Jenna Rossman) juxtaposes quite vivaciously against the obsessive tendencies of Billy (Sean Elias). Both performers are fully present in their quirky delivery of these two characters that are no stranger to Poe’s work; time and the man obsessed with defeating it. Espey’s work also includes blatant references to Poe’s stories, including The Cask of Amontillado, among others. Director Ryan Clark drives this piece with a constant pace, further echoing the sentiments of time’s infinite movement. Having the character of Time suspended from the aerial hoop is symbolic irony and fits the work well.

Super-Hot Raven
Written by Megan Gogerty, and Directed by Ryan Clark, this piece also focuses intently on Poe’s obsession, repetition and quite obviously is a play on his poem The Raven. The character’s are well constructed, both the Poet (Meggie Twible) and the Raven (Madeline Hicks) have distinctive voices and tones in which they speak. The chemistry created between Twible and Hicks’ characters is heated and genuine, not relying on devices or text to make it feel authentic. Both women embody extremely sensual body language, letting the more subtle undertones of sexuality in a potentially forbidden relationship bubble to the surface. Gogerty’s ability to craft a completed story in a short space is impressive. Giving both actors a great deal to work with in this short scene, this segment of the work could easily be fleshed out into a full-length one-act, fully encompassing many of the keynotes that define Edgar Allen Poe’s works.

Points of Grief
As the only work not conceived solely for The Homo Poe Show, once again the piece, while visually stunning, feels out of place and superfluous. Choreographed and Performed by Mara Neimanis, this aerial feat, performed on a metal sculpture (created by Tim Scofield) of an arrow has the right emotion to be a work of Poe re-imagined, but otherwise feels disconnected. There is a striking moment in the choreography where Neimanis is laid upon the floor with the arrow swinging over her and this is reminiscent of The Pit and the Pendulum. Outside of that moment the piece feels a lot like filler.

Do You Mark Me Well?
Another curious piece, Choreographed by Tony Byrd with Original Music by John Somers, this segment is entirely without words and done as an interpretive dance piece. The piece is aesthetically stunning; a truly sensual and emotionally evocative piece to watch, but again the overall relation to not just Poe but to the performance as a whole feels lacking. That said, the emotions that are portrayed by dancers Tony Byrd and Alex Weinberg are remarkable. The use of shadow play, compliments of Lighting Designers Alec Lawson and Kendra Richard, creates a surreal layer of existence around the performance. The constant give and take, back and forth of the dance itself is mesmerizing. There is a magnetism with which Byrd and Weinberg relate to each other’s bodies; falling in on themselves, wrapping around each other and overlapping each other’s movements. Their physicality in this performance piece is a stunning visual representation of co-dependency and obsession.

Grieving and Sequins
Written and Directed by Steven J. Satta, this piece is the best and most fully articulated of the seven in regards to vision and mission statement. While the references to Poe are not as strong as they are in Super-Hot Raven and The Trick, they are clear. The story moves fluidly, the grief and emotions are felt thoroughly and it is acted with concise integrity. The minor drawback of this piece is again the superfluous use of the aerial device; scenes played out upon which that could have just as simply been blocked on the floor and focused the audience on the emotion of the relationships and text in that scene rather than distracting them with the bodies in motion in the air.

Playing Rory, Nick Horan gives a startlingly raw emotional portrayal of grief in its darkest hour; a true sensation to behold and experience. Interacting with both The Figure (Weinberg) and Richard (Elias) Horan’s approach to the piece comes from a place of genuine understanding, each moment lived to its fulfillment before gliding into the next. The piece is intriguing even if the seven segments are disjointed and the title is a bit misleading; worth investigating before its brief run concludes.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, with one intermission.

The Homo Poe Show plays through April 5, 2014 at Iron Crow Theatre Company at The Baltimore Theatre Project— 45 West Preston Street, in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (410) 752-8558, or purchase them online.

March 25, 2014
‘Worst Case Scenario’ at Single Carrot Theatre by Amanda Gunther

So you think you’re going to see a show at Single Carrot Theatre? Ha. Ha. Ha. Worst Case Scenario: You get into your car all ready to drive into Baltimore City for a hilarious night at the theatre. Your low-fuel indicator light comes on halfway through the drive. As you pull onto Charles Street a car driven by someone way too old to be driving taps into your back bumper and you surge forward into the SUV in front of you. With the hood of your car crumpled and engine smoking you get of the car and step into on-coming traffic, which serves to avoid you. Several cars spin manically in various directions, one of which slams into the front of the theatre building. An outcropping of furious actors pours out into the street hungry for your blood now that your Worst Case Scenario has wrecked months of their hard work. Sound like a comic riot? Then you might just be in for a treat with this sketch comedy show written by Single Carrot company members and cast, and directed by Jessica Garrett.

“Diane Diane” (l to r) Mike Smith and Jenna Rossman. Photo by Britt Olsen-Ecker Photography.

A deviation from their usual productions in the sense that it’s a series of brief humorous sketches rather than a full-length play, this original creation does maintain the overall mission of the theatre: making you question and think. There are several sketches throughout that really put your noggin to the test in a good way – making you wonder if you should laugh and wonder why the people around you are laughing. While the humor in places may be warped and twisted— and not everyone’s cup of tea – there is a little something for everyone.

Set Designer Michael Varelli crafts a uniquely comforting interior for both the play space and the audience. Transforming the space into a “lounge” of sorts, complete with mismatched couches and comfy chairs (and the very clever use of upturned music stands for tables) Varelli sets the audience at ease so that they can more fully enjoy the show. With a bar at the back of the house— to be visited throughout if patrons so choose (the signature cocktail is whiskey!) and a few pillows to spare there is a modicum of swanky charm infused into Varelli’s house design. The stage itself is particularly clever with its revolving door made out of literal doors. Varelli has constructed four doors onto an axle to create a pun in this set structure that works exceedingly well when it comes to adding laughs to cast entrances and exits.

Director Jessica Garrett keeps the flow of the show moving. The jokes land with a solidarity that speaks volumes of her understanding of comic timing. Garrett hones the focus of the performance to its ensemble balanced nature, making sure that everyone feels like a part of the group rather than having featured performers with supporting players. The best overall execution of sketches comes from the title’s namesake, where a “worst case scenario” is described, rolling down the line of performers often with words being spoken in unison. They become the unifying framework for this production that both opens and closes the show; a unique and highly comic approach to giving the audience a twisted taste of what’s in store.

The other unifying sketch that recurs throughout the piece is the Open Mic Night at the Hospital sketch featuring Jack Sossman as the main doctor who invites patients and doctors (of varying degrees of wellness and sanity) up to the microphone to perform. Loaded with bad jokes and poor puns, this also becomes an amusing sketch.

Each of the sketches plays to the performers strengths throughout the show. Jenna Rossman has a charming knack for accents and gets to utilize several of them in various scenes, each one different and clearly distinctive from the former. Elliott Rauh and Jack Sossman tend to rely a bit more on the aspects of ‘dirty humor’ in their sketches, augmenting these ‘bad-taste’ ideas and really pushing the envelope with them. Casey Garner and Giti Jabaily are woven into sketches that feature their reactionary responses, often wildly hilarious particularly the grieving widow character constructed by Jabaily in a scene shared with Rauh. Mike Smith dabbles a little bit in each of these specialties, his strongest suit being his comic delivery and sharp understanding of how to land a joke.

Moment of the show (at least for the WCS Fan) is the Ravens’ Broadcast segment, featuring Elliott Rauh and Mike Smith where they poke fun at Joe Flacco, impersonate Ray Rice, and have an overall rip-roaring good time at the Ravens’ expense (as any true Ravens fan can totally appreciate and understand this season).

“Coke” (l to r) Jack Sossman and Elliott Rauh. Photo by
Britt Olsen-Ecker Photography.

Worst Case Scenario is well worth investigating, especially if you’d like a holiday chuckle that’s a bit off-color this season.

Running Time: Approximately 70 minutes, with no intermission.

Worst Case Scenario plays through December 21, 2013 at Single Carrot Theatre— 1727 North Charles Street, in Baltimore, MD. For tickets, call the box office at (443) 844-9253, or purchase them online.

December 6, 2013