Tag: John Burkland

Review: ‘4,380 Nights’ at Signature Theatre (Women’s Voices Theater Festival)

4,380 Nights is a raw, emotionally charged political theater production that makes the movie Zero Dark Thirty look timid. That is my trigger warning about a new play by Annalisa Dias that explores issues surrounding aftermaths in our post 9/11 world.

Ahmad Kamal (Malik) and MJ Casey (Bud Abramson) in 4,380 Nights. Photo by C Stanley Photography.

4,380 Nights provides a willing audience the opportunity to more than just ponder in the safety of an academic setting or at a small dinner party with like-minded close friends, plenty of real issues about power, history and what makes some folk do what they do. Can any of us become situationally xenophobic? These are some questions that playwright Annalisa Dias grapples with.

So, what is Dias’ 4,380 Nights about? Signature marketing material provides this synopsis: “For the last 12 years, or 4,380 days, Malik Djamal Ahmad Essaid has been held without charge by the United States government at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. As he languishes in his cell, his interactions with those on the outside are juxtaposed with historical events in a riveting exposé into the most dangerous prison of all—fear.”

Under the confident, forceful direction of Kathleen Akerley there are no hiding places for either the cast or the audience from a production with the prickly mien provided by Dias. Akerley has her four-member cast give performances that are unnerving. (especially the marvel of Ahmad Kamal in two roles; that of Guantanamo detainee Malik Essaid and as 19th-century Algerian Berber leader named El Hadj El Kaimand; and Michael John Casey in the role of Bud Abramson, a Jewish lawyer trying to help Essaid during his more than a decade detention).

Most often the audience is met with scenes of Kamal as detainee Essaid chained up, responding to others as he attempts to protest and project his innocence. Will no one believe him, even as some unlikely coincidences pile up making him seem not so innocent? Will punishment and worse make him confess “the” truth of his supposed crimes?

Then there are gentle moments when actors Kamal and Casey sit together at a metal table with little physical action between them, and not a whole bunch of dialogue, their vivid facial expressions give off power of individual character. Kamal, as detainee Essaid, shows a wide range of emotions; bewilderment, hate, fear, pain, and a simple longing for decency and human connections. In characters, both Kamal and Casey, are men hungry for a modicum of humanity as their characters try to deal with the most nightmarish of situations. In seeking-out some humanity, two particular scenes stood out. One scene involves the sharing of food. The other highlights the Job’s story in Islam in parallel to the Hebrew Bible story of Job. Both scenes are moments of exquisite beauty and decency and acted with such tenderness.

Rex Daugherty takes on two roles as well. Both are military men who have little regard for others. Dougherty is a ram-rod straight shooter American named Luke Harrison who knows how to punish, demean and humiliate. As a 19th French officer named Colonel Aimable Pelissier trying to “pacify” Algeria tribes, Dougherty becomes a character who demands a high body count, no matter what the cost to his own humanity and those he orders about.

And there is Lynette Rathnam in the role of “The Woman.” She is the play’s storyteller and Greek Chorus. She connects history, myth, and personal situations through poetic words spoken with strength and bearing. Her words and petite physical presence are calculated to become even more unsettling than the males’ bravado.

Ahmad Kamal and Lynette Rathnam in 4,380 Nights. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

Rathnam’s character, however, is also given a difficult task; to poetically describe actions, dreams and historical connections and many a back-and-forth of North Africa’s history with Rome, France, and the United States. That is no easy task and is not always accomplished easily, unless one knows some of that history before entering the theater. It is one of the flaws in the Dias script. There is a packing of too much into the proceeding; too many historical antecedents, a few too many off-ramps that take away from the play’s main territory and overall punch.

Signature’s ARK venue set for 4,380 Nights uses a backdrop of hundreds of chain links hanging down bearing witness to the close quarters of a prison (Elizabeth Jenkins did the set). Two side areas are not play spaces but places of observations for actors to watch the main action. Sound designer Neil McFadden fills the set with constant sound so the audience begins to feel how difficult sleep could be. And John Burkland often enough brings klieg-like lighting to bear. There is no place to hide in the intimacy of Signature’s ARK. Heather Lockard’s costume design is more than prison orange jumpsuit attire, especially for Rathnam who takes on the aura of Roman statuary or perhaps the French symbol of freedom, Marianne.

Dias and Akerley as a duo (they have worked together before) audaciously dare the audience to look away from 4,380 Nights. At the performance I attended, some tried. I saw people sincerely crying at what was before them especially during an Act I fight scene so well-choreographed by Robb Hunter that I shuddered. I heard folk during intermission discuss how un-nerved they were with the visceral nature of the production; some saying “I want to run away.” I heard others wonder if any of it could be true, that America might do such things, seemed not possible.

As part of the Women’s Voice Theatre Festival, 4,380 Nights gives a willing audience the opportunity to ponder lots including forced feedings and prisoner dehumanization and abuse in a drama that is “a work of revelation” to use words from Dias.

So, some final words. The script by Dias and the confident, focused directing touch of Akerley make 4,380 Nights a compelling “in your face” production. I like that kind of challenging theater. You may not.

I am interested in hearing your take on 4,380 Nights. What are your takeaways? Please add me to your conversation using the feedback section below this article. I can even pass on your feedback and comments to playwright Dias and director Akerley if you want. Let’s have a conversation. How can we resist if we hide from the tough things we are trying to resist?

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

4.380 Nights plays through February 18, 2018, at Signature Theatre – 4200 Campbell Avenue, in Arlington, VA. For tickets, call the box office at (703) 820-9771, or purchase them online.

Note: 4,380 Nights contains adult language and situations, strobe lights, and loud noises. It is suitable for adults only (18+).

Annalisa Dias (Playwright):
Annalisa Dias is a playwright, performer, and director. Her work has been staged in DC, New York, London, and Glasgow. She is a Producing Playwright with The Welders, a DC playwright’s collective; and is Co-Founder of the DC Coalition for Theatre & Social Justice. Plays include: The Last Allegiance, One Word More, A Legacy of Chains, Servant of the Wind, and To Defend Freedom.

January 27, 2018
Review: ‘Whipping, or The Football Hamlet’ at Longacre Lea

What a rush. DC area playwright Kathleen Akerley has aced her way through the hottest of “au courant” identity politics in her newest work, the penetrating Whipping, or the Football Hamlet.

Justin Weaks (video), Kamau Mitchell. Photo by Kathleen Ackerley.

With trenchant taunts and a flurry of dialogue that fluently picks at the hidden away scabs of supposed oppressors, the visible wounds of assumed victims to how society defines her fictional characters, Akerley gives no quarter in Whipping.

Riffing from The Bard’s soulful masterpiece, Hamlet, playwright and director Akerley takes off from this: “Use every man after his desert, and who should ’scape whipping?” Few of the characters in Whipping, Or the Football Hamlet escape the scorn of a verbal whipping usually for their own swaggering hubris.

Ok, now, so what is the setup for the inventive absurdist tragicomedy Whipping with its football moniker and the name Hamlet?

The time is now. A gabby Beer Man (Seamus Miller is a blissful hoot) is selling his wares along with some low-life sexist jokes. A young black quarterback named Ham (a mournful Kamau Mitchell deep into melancholy) is playing his first game in the DFL (Denmark Football League). Ham is replacing the unexpectedly retired older ghost-like, hoodie-wearing quarterback named Old Hamlet (Justin Weaks as a wisdom rich presence).

New quarterback Ham finds himself up against a whole lot of trouble (and how can I not mention Colin Kaepernick as does one of the production’s actors in his bio). There is a biased on-the-field referee (a cock-sure, don’t mess with me Scott Ward Abernathy) who at first tries to control the game even before it starts. On the playing field are also a befuddled coach (a to-a-T Ryan Tumulty) along with the representative from the opposing team; a tough minded, trash talking free safety (an arrogant, very nuanced William Hayes ) who loves to tackles hard. As an on-flied female sport reporter, Emily Whitworth is a pert presence who must suffer many fools who see only her physical presence.

Up in a press box, created by video projected high on the back wall of The Callan Theatre like a Jumbo Tron, are a pair of opinionated television announcers (the heavenly pairing of Chris Davenport and Matthew Pauli who just are full of delight as they pop off from one other like drum rolls. At half time of the game appear a trio of color commenters each with an axe to use on each other and Ham (Vince Eisenson, Gerrad Taylor and Annalisa Dias are vividly snippy seeing all things through their own personal and very diverss lenses of experience.

Scott Ward Abernethy, Ryan Tumulty. Photo by C Stanley Photography.

What Akerley does with her character and the football game is eye opening. It is as if each wears a tag over the character to become what is seen and defined by the tag. All is way fluid, with gender and personality as two examples.

Beyond that fluidity, there are no agreed upon rules for the game on the field. If there are rules, they change constantly. Everything is quicksand. Nothing is solid and spins. Even the fact of a pre-game coin toss comes under question. What we see is the only opinion. Facts and experience become contextual. Everyone has a humble opinion to contend with (IMHO). No one’s opinion is better or more than another character (except for the wisdom of Old Ham).

The production forms around Ham constantly questions why he is playing the game; he questions himself and his existence. He murmurs that he is alone on the field with no one by his side. He questions himself what he should do, or not do. Should he be the quarterback or not? Are everything and everyone stacked against him? Will he be able to act and not just mutter to no one in particular

The set (Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden) is left mostly to the audience imagination with painted yard lines and some ad signs. That is fine for such a verbally intelligent script. Lighting, including stadium like whites, is by John Burkland. The varied, character defining costumes are by Heather C. Jackson. Video work is first rate with credits to Seamus Miller and Kathleen Akerley.

Whipping, Or the Football Hamlet is a wonder of smart-set invention. Of course, not everyone works perfectly, but what does, on stage or in real life? The production should be very appealing for anyone open to question his or her own progressive views of the world (as I did and especially after Old Hamlet’s final words and a delightful video short take from three supercilious experts on the trigger powers of words within words (Thembi Duncan, Michael Dove and Kimberly Gilbert). Akerley is fearless with her absurdist view of the current world. I needed that; lots.

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

Whipping, or the Football Hamlet plays through September 10, 2017, at Longacre Lea performing at The Callan Theatre at The Catholic University’s Drama Complex – 3801 Harewood Road NE, in Washington, DC. Tickets are available online.

August 14, 2017
Review: ‘Uncle Vanya’ at Quintessence Theatre Group

There’s something seriously wrong with this house.

That’s what one character says early in Quintessence Theatre Group’s new production of Uncle Vanya, and boy, is she right. Uncle Vanya is set in a large country house where everyone seems to be in a funk, affected by a crippling, dispiriting malaise. But there’s one thing about this latest version of Chekhov’s classic that’s bursting with energy: the marvelous English-language adaptation by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker. It makes Quintessence’s production worth seeing.

Steven Wright. Photo by Shawn May.

Baker doesn’t update the play; it’s still set in Russia around 1899, when Chekhov wrote it. But Baker’s language has a contemporary feel, using modern American colloquialisms (like “clean and sober” and “don’t be rude”) without resorting to easily-dated slang. The dialogue’s lack of primness gives it a crackling vitality. And Baker’s sly use of dark humor – Vanya describes the climate as “perfect weather for hanging yourself” – gives an ironic, acid edge to a story that can seem fussy and formal in lesser hands.

The title character of Uncle Vanya is a man who has spent twenty-five years as the caretaker for a Russian country estate controlled by his brother-in-law, a pompous professor. Now things have changed: the professor is old and ill, and he’s planning a big change in his life. The professor also has a new young wife whose beauty bewitches most of the men in sight, including Vanya. Before the play is over, hearts will be broken, voices will be raised, and gunshots will be fired – yet Vanya and his loyal, loving, and downtrodden niece Sonya vow to find a way to soldier on.

Chekhov’s use of penetrating psychological insights to define his characters was groundbreaking in the late 19^th Century, and the ways in which the characters’ depths are explored are still pretty astonishing and dramatically rewarding. True, Uncle Vanya can get mighty depressing at times – Baker’s dialogue includes lines like “Life is pretty boring” and “He completely exhausts me,” and when you hear people complain repeatedly about how bored and frustrated they are, it’s hard not to feel bored and frustrated yourself.

But director Alexander Burns’ production generally maintains a tone that’s more reflective than mournful. It’s staged in the round, with the actors within close range of the audience; Burns’ set design uses just some understated furniture and minimal decoration. The production’s intimacy is a plus, but its pace could be quicker at times; the show runs nearly three hours, and some of the longer speeches drag on and on.

Julia Frey and Kevin Bergen. Photo by Shawn May.

The actors excel at exploring various states of extreme emotion. As Vanya, Steven Wright maintains a world-weary tone for much of the evening, but explodes with gratifying rage at key moments. Jessica M. Johnson brings finely tuned melancholy to Vanya’s niece Sonya, while Kevin Bergen adds a surprising amount of venom to the role of Astrov, the jaded (and, in this version, surprisingly crude) doctor whom Sonya longs for. As the reluctant temptress Yelena, Julia Frey certainly looks the part – stretched out languorously on a settee, posing like a fashion model in her every movement – but plays the role with an undercurrent of knowing bitterness that belies her image.

Dan Kern is suitably stuffy as the oblivious professor who antagonizes Vanya. Susan Chase and David Blatt have some terrific comic moments in supporting roles. Yet Rosalyn Jamal seems oddly detached in her role as Vanya’s mother. Daniel Ison might have little to do as a servant, but he makes a big impression when he sits down at a piano during scene changes to play Randy Redd’s poignant score.

John Burkland’s shadowy lighting design helps to create a properly gloomy atmosphere. And Christina Lorraine Bullard’s costumes add a modern sheen without being distracting. Sleek Yelena wears elegant gowns; earthy Sonya wears overalls; and the men deal with the summer heat by wearing handsome, elegant linen suits that straddle multiple eras. These costumes are, like Baker’s adaptation and Chekhov’s story, thoughtful and timeless.

Running Time: Two hours and 50 minutes, including an intermission.

Steven Wright , Julia Frey, Susan Chase, Jessica M. Johnson, and Dan Kern. Photo by Shawn May.

Uncle Vanya plays through June 18, 2017, at Quintessence Theatre Group, performing at The Sedgwick Theater – 7137 Germantown Avenue (Mount Airy), in Philadelphia, PA. For tickets call (215) 987-4450, or purchase them online.

June 8, 2017
Review: ‘Fear’ at Longacre Lea

Let’s say a wealthy patron approaches an ensemble theatre company with a proposition: “Shakespeare? Why so much Shakespeare? Why so revered? Surely, other playwrights deserve having theatre companies named after them as well?”

Ashley DeMain, Matthew Alan Ward, and Jennifer J. Hopkins. Photo courtesy of Longacre Lea.

Theatre people will probably have their answers. I have mine: after all, Shakespeare is America’s number one playwright (mistake intentional). When Peter Sellers opened his American National Theatre at the Kennedy Center in 1986 he did so with Henry IV, Part 1, saying: “I want to reclaim Shakespeare for Americans.”

The only thing more absurd than Sellers’ comment about “reclaiming” Shakespeare is the fact that many Americans probably think that Shakespeare is already American.

In Longacre Lea’s world premiere production of Kathleen Akerley’s Fear, the question of “why Shakespeare?” is tackled head-on: a wealthy patron, a company, a proposition, etc.

You won’t find any answers in Fear, even as the workshop explorations of Hamlet and Macbeth make for some entertaining theatrical fun.

Seven actors and a patron gather in a theatre to explore different directorial concepts of the Bard’s plays. There is Dune meets Macbeth, Graphic Novel meets Macbeth, Grotowski meets Macbeth (or is it Hamlet [Silent, Nude, or as Solo Show]). Either way, you get the drift: Shakespeare as anything but.

Supposedly, the company is exploring the depths of what makes the American “public” (more so than the theatre professional) so obsessed with a dead, 400-year-old white guy from England.

Akerley’s concept is a good one. With the wealthy patron acting as the on-stage theatre-goer’s representative, the play works as an entertaining didactic drama about the theatre’s role (versus playwright’s role) in production: for many, it might not be pretty watching the making of theatrical sausage, but then neither is childbirth.

Séamus Miller, Ashley DeMain, Michael Glenn, Matthew Alan Ward, Jennifer J. Hopkins, Vince Eisenson, and Tom Carman play the company’s actors, with Amal Saade as Penelope, the wealthy patron.

The ensemble work is particularly strong as they tackle each style with a combination of earnestness and comic parody.

To be sure, the situations between and among the actors outside of the “experiments” in performing Shakespeare are less developed, even though they occasionally flare up to make for dramatic tension. On occasion, they even lead audience members to believe that the plot of Fear has a traditional throughline of action.

Perhaps ironically, the script remains exactly what it is: an exploration of Shakespeare using various theatrical styles and techniques. Attempts to make it more than that bloom into being only to disappear like a tulip in early summer.

Akerley directs her own play, which has its advantages and disadvantages: the production would have been strengthened, i.e., tightened, by cutting some of the redundancies.

The production team consisted of Gail Stewart Beach (Costumes), John Burkland (Lighting), Elizabeth Jenkins McFadden (Scenic Design), Britney Mongold (Scenic Artist), and Neil McFadden (Sound). The scenography, though simple, was effectively workmanlike.

Fun fact: eight of Shakespeare’s plays mention “fear” 20 or more times. Of those eight plays, seven mention “love” five times more often.

Macbeth is the only Shakepearean play where the word “fear” dominates “love.”

That might be why this theatrical exploration is named Fear. Then, again, maybe not.

Fear is for anyone not afraid of a little theatrical experimentation.

Running Time: 2 hours and 45 minutes, with a 15-minute intermission.

large old paper or parchment background texture

Fear plays through September 4, 2016 at Longacre Lea performing at The Callan Theatre at The Catholic University’s Drama Complex – 3801 Harewood Road NE, in Washington, DC. Tickets are available online.

RATING:

August 8, 2016
Women’s Voices Theater Festival: ‘Night Falls on the Blue Planet’ at Theater Alliance

Kathleen Akerley’s Night Falls on the Blue Planet is a rapturously funny and brainy comedy about a woman named Renee who is losing her mind and finding her body. (Or something like that. It’s complicated.)

Jeanne Dillion-Williams, and Natalie Cutcher. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

In Act Two there comes a comic monolog so gut-bustingly, jaw-droppingly brazen that last night it stopped the show. Kerri Rambow playing Annette, Renee’s elder sister, delivers the speech seated on a chair as if in a restroom stall. Pissed because another woman has had the temerity to take a poop in the stall right next to hers—even though all the others are wide open!—Annette takes off on a potty-mouthed rant that, in Rambow’s supremely gifted performance, was one of the most hilarious schticks I’ve seen on stage.

The fact that this sidesplitting episode takes place in a women’s room in a play during the Women’s Voices Theater Festival is just…too perfect. And that’s a tip-off to how delightfully felicitous is this whole show.

Renee (played with passion and grace by Jeanne Dillon-Williams) is not doing at all well. Her ex has custody of her son, whom she feels she has failed as a mom. She goes through whiskey by the bottle. Her life is a hot mess. Renee has come to stay with her younger sister, Holly (played with exquisitely empathic comic timing by Natalie Cutcher), who is rightly alarmed about Renee’s well-being and offers her a gift of deep-tissue massage to work out the stress of said mess.

Little do Holly or Renee (or we) know what message that massage will bring. Increasingly, as Renee goes back for more and more sessions—her masseuse, Claudia (Amanda Haddock-Duchemin), offers her a bulk rate—Renee’s reality is altered. The first time this happens, there is a dramatic change in lighting (designed by John Burkland) and lovely/eerie music (original music and sound design by Eric Shimelonis), and we see Renee facing us downstage center enacting the experience of being massaged while Claudia, upstage facing the back wall of the set, performs the massage. Under Rex Daughterty’s astute direction, the writing, the performing, and the stagecraft converge to become a metaphorical passageway into a phenomenal other world where Renee has gone and the play is about to take us.

Thereafter the play moves back and forth between the real and the surreal, and as that other world unfolds, Renee’s body becomes the canvas for a painting that depicts (in her mind) the landscape and seascape of her inner aspiration to escape her pain and trauma. For Renee, the massages permit her to realize and own that there is something more concrete about her body than her mind, and indeed her body makes more sense. “My heart has lasted longer than any of my ideas,” she tells Holly. Renee even books a yoga instructor, Daniel (Peter Finnegan), who happens to be an artist and who assists Renee by body-painting her where she cannot reach.

For her part Holly wants only to help and be supportive. She gets that Renee “is trying to find out what’s in her” but “she’s going somewhere weird.” She tries to get through to Renee, whose body keeps showing up with more and more paint on it. To Renee the paint represents images of the natural world that are analog to her true inner self, but to Holly it’s only more cause for alarm. (Kelsey Hunt designed not only the costumes but the body painting.) “This is no different than a midlife crisis,” Holly tells Renee; “this is just way prettier.”

In a beautifully expressive pas de deux between Haddock-Duchemin and Dillon-Williams (choreographed by Daugherty), we see Renee literally lifted aloft to imagined freedom on the strength of her masseuse.

As Renee journeys further into her imagined world, the reality-based set (designed by Paige Hathaway) transforms into an abstract painting, and Holly’s fear for Renee increases. Uncomfortable about the attention Holly sees Daniel giving her sister’s barely clothed body, Helen warns Renee that he appears to be objectifying her. “Well, right now I’m an object,” Renee retorts, in a stunning/shocking Act One closer.

Kerri Rambow. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

In hopes of saving Renee from herself (a rescue Renee defiantly does not want), Holly asks their older sister, Annette—with whom Holly is on good terms but Renee is on the outs—to pay a visit. Annette’s entrance in Act Two is hysterically funny in a way you have to see to believe. Suffice it to say that Renee has engaged Daniel, Claudia, and Holly to participate in a playlet Renee has written and they are playing along in hopes of humoring/healing her—and so it is that Annette comes to play-act the aforementioned biffy bit.

On one hand Night Falls on the Blue Planet is a three-sisters play that I doubt any dude could have done. The dramas among Renee, Holly, and Annette have a real-life brittle edge, even as played here for laughs, and Williams’, Cutcher’s, and Rambow’s portrayals of those comic/turgid tensions are a thrill to behold.

On another hand Night Falls on the Blue Planet is a masterful meditation on the internal and external verities of a woman’s life. Akerley has got to be one of the most brilliant thinkers writing for the American stage, but her work (I think she would concede) has sometimes verged on the cerebral in a way that can leave audiences behind. Not so with Night Falls, though; no way. This is a crowd-pleaser plus. A light entertainment with deep thoughts. Its script is structured to shift episodically into an alternate world in a way that opens for Akerley a clown-carful of story-grounded opportunities to let loose her signature rich poetic diction—which in Night Falls on the Blue Planet becomes sweeping in meaning.

Amanda Haddock-Duchemin, Peter Finnegan, Natalie Cutcher, and Jeanne Dillion-Williams. Photo by C. Stanley Photography.

Is Renee really losing her mind? or is she really finding herself (“the me who is me”) in her own body on her own terms?

In Theater Alliance’s world-premiere staging at Anacostia Playhouse, Night Falls on the Blue Planet catapults to the top tier of Women’s Voices Theater Festival must-sees and must-think-abouts.

Running Time: Two hours 15 minutes, including one intermission.

Night Falls on the Blue Planet plays through September 27, 2015 at Theater Alliance, performing at The Anacostia Playhouse – 2020 Shannon Place SE, in Washington, DC. For tickets, purchase them online.

RATING:

September 6, 2015

Here Are The Recipients of This Year’s 2015 Helen Hayes Awards – in Order of Presentation With 2 Videos

Here are the recipients of the 2015 Helen Hayes Awards in the order they were announced tonight at The Lincoln Theatre.

THE RECIPIENTS ARE IN RED!

https://youtu.be/acNtQ0cq6Tw

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play-HELEN Production

Bonita Brisker	*Seven Guitars*	No Rules Theatre Company
Katy Carkuff	*One Man, Two Guvnors*	1st Stage
Maggie Erwin	*Failure: A Love Story*	The Hub Theatre
Lisa Hodsoll	*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*	Theater Alliance
Carolyn Kashner	*Failure: A Love Story*	The Hub Theatre
Irina Kavsadze	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Play-HAYES Production

Katie deBuys	*Seminar*	Round House Theatre
Sarah Marshall	*Marie Antoinette*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Nancy Robinette	*Tribes*	Studio Theatre
Erin Weaver	*Mother Courage and Her Children*	Arena Stage
Emily Young	*The Two Gentlemen of Verona*	Folger Theatre

The James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play-HAYES Production

Zachary Fine	*The Two Gentlemen of Verona*	Folger Theatre
Richard Gallagher	*Tribes*	Studio Theatre
Andy Grotelueschen	*The Two Gentlemen of Verona*	Folger Theatre
Matthew McGee	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Scott Parkinson	*Cock*	Studio Theatre
Alexander Strain	*Seminar*	Round House Theatre
Michael Anthony Williams	*Two Trains Running*	Round House Theatre

The James MacArthur Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Play-HELEN Production

Wayne Bennett	*Seven Guitars*	No Rules Theatre Company
Daniel Corey	*One Man, Two Guvnors*	1st Stage
Michael Kevin Darnall	*Failure: A Love Story*	The Hub Theatre
Irakli Kavsadze	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater
Alex Mills	*Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)*	Synetic Theater

Outstanding Performer, Visiting Production

Caroline Bowman	*Evita*	The Kennedy Center
Bethan Cullinane	*King Lear*	Folger Theatre
Tovah Feldshuh	*Golda’s Balcony*	Theater J
Joseph Marcell	*King Lear*	Folger Theatre
Alex Mugnaioni	*King Lear*	Folger Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical-HELEN Production

David James	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
David Jennings	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Nick Lehan	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Darren McDonnell	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Jeffrey Shankle	*SHREK The Musical*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Joshua Simon	*Dani Girl*	Unexpected Stage Company

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical-HELEN Production

Miranda Medugno	*Visible Language*	WSC Avant Bard
Ines Nassara	*Hair*	The Keegan Theatre
Lynne Sigler	*Memphis, The Musical*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Sarah Anne Sillers	*Visible Language*	WSC Avant Bard
Dani Stoller	*Bat Boy: The Musical*	1st Stage

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Musical-HAYES Production

Natascia Diaz	*The Threepenny Opera*	Signature Theatre
Sherri L. Edelen	*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*	Olney Theatre Center
Donna Migliaccio	*Sunday in the Park With George*	Signature Theatre
Nova Y. Payton	*Elmer Gantry*	Signature Theatre
Erin Weaver	*Ordinary Days*	Round House Theatre

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical-HAYES Production

Matthew A. Anderson	*The 25th Annual Putnam*	Ford’s Theatre
	*County Spelling Bee*
George Dvorsky	*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*	Olney Theatre Center
Samuel Edgerly	*Ordinary Days*	Round House Theatre
Lawrence Redmond	*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*	Olney Theatre Center
Bobby Smith	*The Threepenny Opera*	Signature Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical-HELEN Production

G. Carlos Henderson	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance
Lee Liebeskind	*Nero/Pseudo*	WSC Avant Bard
Jimmy Mavrikes	*Bat Boy: The Musical*	1st Stage
Lawrence B. Munsey	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Alan Naylor	*Jacques Brel is Alive and Well*	Creative Cauldron
	*& Living in Paris*
Roy Patten Jr.	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance
Bradley Foster Smith	*Nero/Pseudo*	WSC Avant Bard

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical-HAYES Production

Mitchell Jarvis	*The Threepenny Opera*	Signature Theatre
Sam Ludwig	*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*	Olney Theatre Center
Kevin McAllister	*Violet*	Ford’s Theatre
Charlie Pollock	*Elmer Gantry*	Signature Theatre
Matthew James Thomas	*Diner*	Signature Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical-HAYES Production

Mara Davi	*Beaches*	Signature Theatre
Erin Davie	*Side Show*	The Kennedy Center
Brynn O’Malley	*Sunday in the Park With George*	Signature Theatre
Emily Padgett	*Side Show*	The Kennedy Center
Alysha Umphress	*Beaches*	Signature Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical-HELEN Production

Priscilla Cuellar	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Ny’a Johnson	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance
Thomascena Nelson	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance
Krislynn Perry	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance
Barbara Walsh	*Carrie: The Musical*	Studio Theatre

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play-HELEN Production

Joniece Abbott-Pratt	*Seven Guitars*	No Rules Theatre Company
Caroline Stefanie Clay	*Gidion’s Knot*	Forum Theatre and NextStop Theatre Company
Karina Hilleard	*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*	Theater Alliance
Nanna Ingvarsson	*The Amish Project*	Factory 449
Nanna Ingvarsson	*Terminus*	Studio Theatre
Katie Ryan	*Terminus*	Studio Theatre
Irina Tsikurishvili	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Play-HAYES Production

Bianca Amato	*Private Lives*	Shakespeare Theatre Company
Kimberly Gilbert	*Marie Antoinette*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Susan Lynskey	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Emily Townley	*The Totalitarians*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Kathleen Turner	*Mother Courage and Her Children*	Arena Stage
Holly Twyford	*Sex With Strangers*	Signature Theatre
Dawn Ursula	*We Are Proud to Present…*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play-HAYES Production

Joseph Carlson	*Colossal*	Olney Theatre Center
James Caverly	*Tribes*	Studio Theatre
Rick Foucheux	*Freud’s Last Session*	Theater J
James Konicek	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Alex Mandell	*Bad Jews*	Studio Theatre
Ron Rifkin	*Camp David*	Arena Stage
Tom Story	*The Wolfe Twins*	Studio Theatre

The Robert Prosky Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Play-HELEN Production

Ro Boddie	*Seven Guitars*	No Rules Theatre Company
Ben Cunis	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater
Chris Dinolfo	*Stuart Little*	Adventure Theatre MTC
Dylan Myers	*Terminus*	Studio Theatre
Doug Wilder	*One Man, Two Guvnors*	1st Stage

Outstanding Sound Design-HELEN Production

Matthew M. Nielson	*Abominable*	The Hub Theatre
Matthew M. Nielson and Christopher Baine	*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*	Theater Alliance
Thomas Sowers (Sound Designer) and Konstantine Lortkipanidze (Original Music)	*The Island of Dr. Moreau*	Synetic Theater
Thomas Sowers (Sound Designer) and Konstantine Lortkipanidze (Original Music)	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater
Tom Teasley	*The Love of the Nightingale*	Constellation Theatre Company

Outstanding Sound Design-HAYES Production

Christopher Baine	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Christopher Baine	*Colossal*	Olney Theatre Center
Lindsay Jones	*The Tallest Tree in the Forest*	Arena Stage
Roc Lee (Sound Design) and James Sugg (Composer)	*Mother Courage and Her Children*	Arena Stage
Ryan Rumery	*Tribes*	Studio Theatre
Eric Shimelonis	*Marie Antoinette*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Outstanding Lighting Design-HAYES Production

Jason Arnold (Lighting Designer) and Eric J. Van Wyk (Projection Designer)	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Colin K. Bills	*Colossal*	Olney Theatre Center
Colin K. Bills (Lighting Designer) and Jared Mezzocchi (Video Designer)	*The Totalitarians*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Andrew Cissna	*Sex With Strangers*	Signature Theatre
Philip S. Rosenberg	*Private Lives*	Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Lighting Design-HELEN Production

Brian S. Allard	*The Jungle Book*	Adventure Theatre MTC
Colin K. Bills	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater
John Burkland	*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*	Theater Alliance
Brittany Diliberto (Lighting Designer) and Riki K. (Multimedia Designer)	*The Island of Dr. Moreau*	Synetic Theater
Heidi Eckwall	*Healing Wars*	Arena Stage
Cory Ryan Frank	*La Senorita de Tacna/The Young Lady from Tacna*	GALA Hispanic Theatre

Outstanding Costume Design-HELEN Production

Kendra Rai	*Beauty and the Beast*	Synetic Theater
Kendra Rai	*The Island of Dr. Moreau*	Synetic Theater
Kendra Rai	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater
Collin Ranney	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance
Collin Ranney	*Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol*	Adventure Theatre MTC
Collin Ranney	*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*	Theater Alliance

Outstanding Costume Design-HAYES Production

Helen Huang	*Marie Antoinette*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Frank Labovitz	*The Threepenny Opera*	Signature Theatre
Frank Labovitz	*The Totalitarians*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Jeffrey Stolz	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Paul Tazewell	*Side Show*	The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Set Design-HAYES Production

Tony Cisek	*Two Trains Running*	Round House Theatre
Simon Higlett	*The Importance of Being Earnest*	Shakespeare Theatre Company
Misha Kachman	*Marie Antoinette*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
JD Madsen	*Sex With Strangers*	Signature Theatre
Eric J. Van Wyk	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage

Outstanding Set Design-HELEN Production

Phil Charlwood	*The Island of Dr. Moreau*	Synetic Theater
Dan Conway	*Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol*	Adventure Theatre MTC
Adam Koch	*Bat Boy: The Musical*	1st Stage
Collin Ranney	*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*	Theater Alliance
David Israel Reynoso (Set Designer) and Kate Freer (Media Designer)	*Healing Wars*	Arena Stage
Klyph Stanford	*Stuart Little*	Adventure Theatre MTC
Greg Stevens	*The Amish Project*	Factory 449

Outstanding Choreography in a Play-HELEN Production

Jen Bevan	*Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe*	Molotov Theatre Group
Liz Lerman and Keith Thompson in collaboration with the performers	*Healing Wars*	Arena Stage
Irina Tsikurishvili	*Beauty and the Beast*	Synetic Theater
Irina Tsikurishvili (Choreographer) and Ben Cunis (Fight Choreographer)	*The Island of Dr. Moreau*	Synetic Theater
Irina Tsikurishvili (Choreographer) and Ben Cunis (Fight Choreographer)	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater

Outstanding Choreography in a Play-HAYES Production

Ben Cunis	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Ben Cunis (Fight & Movement Choreographer)	*Colossal*	Olney Theatre Center
and Christopher D’Amboise (Choreographer)
Matthew Gardiner	*Tender Napalm*	Signature Theatre
Joe Isenberg	*The Totalitarians*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
Joe Isenberg (Fight Choreographer) and Paige Hernandez (Choreographer)	*We Are Proud to Present…*	Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
David Leong	*Mother Courage and Her Children*	Arena Stage
Daniel Pelzig	*Private Lives*	Shakespeare Theatre Company

Outstanding Choreography in a Musical-HELEN Production

Michael J. Bobbitt	Miss Nelson is Missing	Adventure Theatre MTC
Princess Mhoon	Black Nativity	Theater Alliance
Mark Minnick	Mary Poppins	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Mark Minnick	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Christen Svingos	Memphis, The Musical	Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Outstanding Choreography in a Musical-HAYES Production

Byron Easley	*Five Guys Named Moe*	Arena Stage
Parker Esse	*Fiddler on the Roof*	Arena Stage
Parker Esse	*Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller*	Arena Stage
Dan Knechtges	*Beaches*	Signature Theatre
Susan Stroman	*Little Dancer*	The Kennedy Center
Anthony Van Laast	*Side Show*	The Kennedy Center

Outstanding Musical Direction-HELEN Production

Laura Brady	*Dani Girl*	Unexpected Stage Company
e’marcus Harper-Short	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance
Charles W. Johnson	*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*	Landless Theatre Company
Jake Null	*Hair*	The Keegan Theatre
Ross Scott Rawlings	*Memphis, The Musical*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Ross Scott Rawlings	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Outstanding Musical Direction-HAYES Production

Mary-Mitchell Campbell and Gabriel Mangiante	*Beaches*	Signature Theatre
Jay Crowder	*Violet*	Ford’s Theatre
Jon Kalbfleisch	*Sunday in the Park With George*	Signature Theatre
Gabriel Mangiante	*The Threepenny Opera*	Signature Theatre
Christopher Youstra	*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*	Olney Theatre Center

Outstanding Director of a Musical-HAYES Production

Bill Condon	*Side Show*	The Kennedy Center
Matthew Gardiner	*Sunday in the Park With George*	Signature Theatre
Matthew Gardiner	*The Threepenny Opera*	Signature Theatre
Jason Loewith	*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*	Olney Theatre Center
Eric Schaeffer	*Beaches*	Signature Theatre

Outstanding Director of a Musical-HELEN Production

Melissa Baughman	*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*	Landless Theatre Company
Christopher Goodrich	*Dani Girl*	Unexpected Stage Company
Mark Minnick	*Spamalot*	Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Steven Royal	*Bat Boy: The Musical*	1st Stage
Eric Ruffin	*Black Nativity*	Theater Alliance

Outstanding Director of a Play-HELEN Production

Matt Bassett	*Failure: A Love Story*	The Hub Theatre
Colin Hovde and Nathaniel Mendez	*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*	Theater Alliance
Paata Tsikurishvili	*Twelfth Night*	Synetic Theater
Holly Twyford	*The Amish Project*	Factory 449
Jerry Whiddon	*Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol*	Adventure Theatre MTC

Outstanding Director of a Play-HAYES Production

Maria Aitken	*Private Lives*	Shakespeare Theatre Company
Jessie Austrian and Ben Steinfeld	*The Two Gentlemen of Verona*	Folger Theatre
Kathryn Chase Bryer and Eric J. Van Wyk	*The BFG*	Imagination Stage
Will Davis	*Colossal*	Olney Theatre Center
David Muse	*Cock*	Studio Theatre
Aaron Posner	*Sex With Strangers*	Signature Theatre
Serge Seiden	*Bad Jews*	Studio Theatre

The John Aniello Award for Outstanding Emerging Theatre Company

Flying V

______

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical-HAYES Production

*The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee*		Ford’s Theatre
*Beaches*		Signature Theatre
*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*		Olney Theatre Center
*Side Show*		The Kennedy Center
*Sunday in the Park With George*		Signature Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble in a Musical-HELEN Production

*Bat Boy: The Musical*		1st Stage
*Black Nativity*		Theater Alliance
*Hair*		The Keegan Theatre
*Jacques Brel is Alive and Well & Living in Paris*		Creative Cauldron
*Memphis, The Musical*		Toby’s Dinner Theatre
*Spamalot*		Toby’s Dinner Theatre

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play-HELEN Production

*Failure: A Love Story*		The Hub Theatre
*Healing Wars*		Arena Stage
		Synetic Theater
*Seven Guitars*		No Rules Theatre Company
*Twelfth Night*		Synetic Theater
*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*		Theater Alliance

Outstanding Ensemble in a Play-HAYES Production

*Bad Jews*		Studio Theatre
*The BFG*		Imagination Stage
*Colossal*		Olney Theatre Center
*The Two Gentlemen of Verona*		Folger Theatre
*We Are Proud to Present…*		Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

Outstanding Play or Musical Adaptation

Ben Cunis and Peter Cunis	*Beauty and the Beast*	Synetic Theater
Patrick McDonnell, Aaron Posner, and Erin Weaver; Andy Mitton (Music & Lyrics)	*The Gift of Nothing*	The Kennedy Center
Nathan Weinberger	*The Island of Dr. Moreau*	Synetic Theater
Derek Goldman	*Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)*	Synetic Theater
Ken Ludwig and Jack Ludwig	*Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol*	Adventure Theatre MTC

The Washington Post for Innovative Leadership in the Theatre Community

National New Play Network

______

Outstanding Visiting Production

*Brief Encounter*		Shakespeare Theatre Company
*Famous Puppet Death Scenes*		Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company
*Golda’s Balcony*		Theater J
*King Lear*		Folger Theatre
*Pippin*		The National Theatre

Outstanding Production, Theatre for Young Audiences

*The BFG*		Imagination Stage
*Cinderella: The Remix*		Imagination Stage
*The Jungle Book*		Adventure Theatre MTC
*Pinocchio!*		Faction of Fools Theatre Company and NextStop Theatre Company
*Stuart Little*		Adventure Theatre MTC
*Tiny Tim’s Christmas Carol*		Adventure Theatre MTC

Outstanding Musical-HAYES Production

*Beaches*		Signature Theatre
*How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*		Olney Theatre Center
*Side Show*		The Kennedy Center
*Sunday in the Park With George*		Signature Theatre
*The Threepenny Opera*		Signature Theatre

Outstanding Musical-HELEN Production

*Bat Boy: The Musical*		1st Stage
*Black Nativity*		Theater Alliance
*Hair*		The Keegan Theatre
*Memphis, The Musical*		Toby’s Dinner Theatre
*Spamalot*		Toby’s Dinner Theatre
*Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street*		Landless Theatre Company

Outstanding Play-HELEN Production

*The Amish Project*		Factory 449
*Failure: A Love Story*		The Hub Theatre
*Healing Wars*		Arena Stage
*Twelfth Night*		Synetic Theater
*The Wonderful World of Dissocia*		Theater Alliance

Outstanding Play-HAYES Production

*Bad Jews*		Studio Theatre
*Cock*		Studio Theatre
*Colossal*		Olney Theatre Center
*Mother Courage and Her Children*		Arena Stage
*Tribes*		Studio Theatre
*The Two Gentlemen of Verona*		Folger Theatre

Watch a Sneak Preview of ONANON Productions and Todd Clark’s New Documentary of The Lincoln Theatre which will be shown tonight.

April 6, 2015

‘Pol Pot & Associates, LLP’ at Longacre Lea

This is a cunning conundrum of a play. It moves back and forth in time, sudden lighting changes signal shifts from realistic to magical, the characters speak like superliterate savants, one-line zingers carom among them, the plot is doled out in tantalizing tidbits, the story toys with our rapt attention like a Rubik’s cube in bubble wrap. Yet this is no ordinary brain-teaser. There’s meaning in this enigma. It plays like the best of Pinter except if Pinter had a point.

Michael Glenn, Daniel Vito Siefring, Michael John Casey, and Séamus Miller. Photo by Elliot Homburg.

Confused? Well, you might come to enjoy it. Because if your mind gets as engrossed as mine did during this world premiere play by Kathleen Akerley at Longacre Lea, perplexity may never have seemed such a pleasure.

This much we find out for sure: Six men, all former employees of a law firm, have gone off the grid to live in an intentional community on a property in the woods. The set by Elizabeth McFadden is a rustic retreat amid tree trunks in browns and greens with mismatched chairs and hanging window frames looking out. It’s a sanctuary of sorts, far away from anywhere, but vaguely unsettling.

At the law firm there was a rigid hierarchy. High up in it, as managing partner, was the man who has adopted the nom de nature Frog (Michael Glenn). At the bottom, as photocopier operator, was a young man who has dubbed himself Fiver (Séamus Miller). Ranked in between were men now named Hector (Michael John Casey), Raven (Chris Davenport), Todd (Daniel Corey), and Mal (Daniel Vito Siefring). Their purpose in going rural is to live on the land egalitarianly. A brotherhood of men who are eradicating hierarchy. Escapees from constricting careers, without wives or children or other ties that would preclude their pact to connect.

The basis of these men’s bond is somewhat elusive; it doesn’t appear to do with sex. Akerley’s script has one fleeting reference that might suggest these men even have a sexuality: a lame joke about the word “shaft” that gets only a so-so rise out of the guys. To all intents and purposes, these men comport themselves as campers in the woods with the same asexuality that characterized their workplace interactions. Their minds, and therefore ours, are elsewhere.

But there’s no doubt as to their joint genderedness and their aim to defend it. A beautiful young woman arrives, unnamed in the credits except as She (Kira Burri), limping helplessly because her ankle twisted when she stepped in a nearby hole. The men fumblingly apply ice to the injury and otherwise make a gentlemanly show of trying to help her. But ominously she represents to them an unwelcome incursion from outside. And when the lighting by John Burkland changes dramatically to surreal, she utters curselike incantations of bad things that will befall them.

After she’s gone, the men sing a song, their anthem of cohesion, Scarborough Fair in six-part harmony (“Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme…”)—and gosh these six actors have great voices.

Abruptly there is a furious banging, another outsider demanding entrance. Turns out to be the girl’s father, unnamed except as He (Jonathon Church). The girl has been shot dead in the head.

Up till then the play has been a scintillating display of oral arguments on a wild array of topics; now it becomes also a fascinating whodunnit. Who shot the girl and why? A detective arrives (Jonathon Church again). He interrogates each of the men. One by one he rules out suspects. Steadily, ineluctably, the men’s communitarian ideals fracture and fall to pieces. And there be shocking plot turns along the way.

Akerley’s shrewd script deserves and got an equally sharp director: Akerley herself. The pacing, the stage pictures, the performances, the whole production—it’s all first rate. Even the complicated scene changes work. They entail placing and removing then placing again certain set pieces in dim light, to signal the house before and after renovation, as time jumps to and fro. The sound design by Neil McFadden covers these transitions and makes them play like intriguing caesuras within a riveting momentum.

The title of this play makes more sense after seeing it than before. At a point Akerley’s characters chat about the radical agrarian socialism that the Cambodian dictator Pol Pot imposed. Their woodsy communal experiment implodes in violence for similar xenophobic reasons. Or something like that. There’s also a lot of Tarot card reading, a talent Fiver contributes to the mix.

Michael John Casey, Jonathon Church, and Kira Burri. Photo by Elliot Homburg.

The mashup of images and frames of reference that fly about in this brilliantly evasive new play—the law, a reign of terror, mystic fortune-telling, to name a few—can be head-spinning. And following the narrative can be like picking through pieces of jigsaw puzzle. Akerley was once quoted in an interview cheekily paraphrasing from the Dune series: “Exposition is the mind-killer. Exposition is the little-death that brings total obliteration.” So don’t expect straightforward storytelling. And don’t come seeking soppy sentimentality or maudlin heart-string plucking either. This play knows exactly what it’s doing and it’s not that.

Pol Pot & Associates, LLP is a nifty stimulation of brain cells and a buzz-worthy theater treat. If you’re smart you’ll catch it.

Running Time: Two hours and 20 minutes, including one 10-minute intermission.

Pol Pot & Associates, LLP plays through August 31, 2014, at Longacre Lea performing a The Callan Theatre, at The Catholic University’s Drama Complex -3801 Harewood Road NE, in Washington, DC.. Tickets are available online.

August 11, 2014
‘Man of La Mancha’ at The Lyric Opera House

To see life as it is and not as it ought to be is the gift of poets, playwrights, and now theatergoers of The Lyric Opera House in Baltimore as Man of La Mancha lands for a limited weekend engagement. Written by Dale Wasserman with Music by Mitch Leigh and Lyrics by Joe Darion, the classic tale of Don Quixote takes on a new musical life as the tale of the maddened wise man, or perhaps the wizened madman, unfolds. Directed by Jeffrey B. Moss, the show gallops briefly into the hearts of the audience only to be gone, chasing the quest once more nearly as soon as it arrived.

Scenic Designer Randel Wright has captured the simplicity of the story within a story. The play begins with Cervantes being welcomed to a holding prison, awaiting his trial with the Spanish Inquisition. Therein lies the story audiences have come to hear; his tale of Don Quixote which unfurls within the confines of the prison cell, using inmates as characters. Wright’s design work creates a stunning visual effect, enclosing the space into the tight confines of a prison shaped almost like a narrowing well as it rises up into the rafters. The lowering grate that allows the Inquisition access but keeps the prisoners trapped, mingled with the excessive fog and smoke, creates a loathsome atmosphere, a pit of discontent; perfect for the story’s setting.

Rick Grossman (Sancho), Jack E. Curenton (Don Quixote) and Jessica Norland (Aldonza) in a scene from “Man of La Mancha.” Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Lighting Designers Charlie Morrison and John Burkland handle the accents of lighting exceptionally well with their design work, particularly for the scenes that involve the Knight of the Mirror. Morrison and Burkland use a great deal of colored lights in their design, red for more vulgar scenes with Aldonza, and subdued blues and purples to create nightfall. The lighting for this production is executed with precision and creates heightened emotions in the atmosphere.

Director Jeffrey B. Moss’ decision to run the production in its entirety without an intermission creates a lack of momentum and build-up in the performance as a whole. With the Spanish Inquisition pauses that are crafted into the script to break away from Don Quixote’s fantasy and back into Cervantes’ reality, there is something to be said for having the pause. Without the break the cast loses their drive and the second half of the show drags. To Moss’ credit, the infamous rape scene is handled with poise and interpretive dance moves, choreographed by Denis Jones, to imply the intent of the scene without creating too harsh a reality for the audience.

Jack E. Curenton as the title character, the Man of La Mancha, both Don Quixote and Cervantes, gives an uneven performance throughout the production. His acting is on par for greatness; the way with which he narrates the initial story of his life to the prisoners both captivating and compelling. Even as the lunatic knight on his epic adventure his character is firmly in place and well recognized, even enjoyable during moments of hilarious encounters such as that with the gypsies. It is the ballads of this musical where Curenton falls short. His voice is scratchy and hoarse, clipping longer notes and failing to project in the opening declaratory ballad “Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote.)” His rendition of “The Quest (The Impossible Dream)” is stronger than any other song he sings, but unfulfilling as it fails to deliver the booming confidence his character requires to be believable.

Jessica Norland (Aldonza) has the exact opposite problem, her singing is beautiful; a songbird’s cry at times, but lacks emotional depth. Her character lacks the gruff and gritty nature that is attributed to Aldonza and the manner in which she speaks leaves her sounding modern rather than from the time of the story. “What Does He Want of Me?” is a sweet and delicate song that she delivers with crisp sound ascending to the rafters, but the compassion and confusion supported by the lyrics of this song is lacking.

Rick Grossman (Sancho) provides a great deal of talent and comic relief to this production. His hilariously upbeat numbers such as “A Little Gossip” and “I Really Like Him” are quirky and handled with zesty vigor. Grossman has a vaudevillian quality to his speech and his facial expressions; both which really keep the audience giggling during this melodramatic musical. Another scene-stealer of note is Eugene Steficek who appears as the Barber. While his cameo in this role is brief, Steficek gives a rousing rendition of “Barber’s Song” and has all eyes on him with his facial and physical antics during “Golden Helmet of Mambrino.” Rounding out a trio of hilarity in this production is the Innkeeper (Chuck Caruso). Appearing first as the surly Governor, Caruso dips deep into the comic wells of his talent and panders to the audience when he encounters Don Quixote; his rendition of “The Dubbing” a hilarious number where he belts out extremely low base tones to perfection.

The two strongest voices in the production come from Padre (Chuck Hodges) and Carrasco (Arthur Lazalde). Creating harmonies together in “I’m Only Thinking of Him” both Hodges’ voice and Lazalde’s voice echo strongly in the chorus and finale of this number. Hodges delivers a haunting version of “The Psalm” near the end of the production; a pristine and tranquil yet solemn number that is a great expression of his vocal prowess. Lazalde’s shining moment of vocal perfection comes when he performs during “The Knight of the Mirrors” where he not only sings a bit but delivers a swift blow of truth to Don Quixote with his almost villainous portrayal.

Jack E. Curenton. Photo by
Carol Rosegg.

Sally forth for this limited engagement as time is brief to follow the quest to The Lyric Opera House before Man of La Mancha rides off into another windmill-filled sunset.

Running Time: Approximately two hours, with no intermission.

Man of La Mancha plays through March 15, 2014 The Patricia and Arthur Modell Performing Arts Center at The Lyric — 110 West Mount Royale Avenue, in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call (410) 900-1150 or purchase them online.

March 15, 2014
‘Dirt’ at The Studio Theatre Theatre by David Friscic

Dirt may be the main scenic component of The Studio Theatre’s World Premiere production of Dirt now playing at their Studio Lab, but Scenic Designer Debra Booth has supplied twinkling stars in the skies as well. There is hope amidst the contamination, messiness, and squalor in Bryony Lavery’s stimulating and cerebral play as characters interact in a universe that seems random and callous. The five characters on stage here are all interconnected in their need for human interaction and there is a poetic thrust to their angry tirades. This play is challenging fare for a specialized audience but the rewards are plentiful in this very professional, polished, and striking production.

Holly Twyford in ‘Dirt.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.

Under the very controlled direction of David Muse, this intriguing play takes us to many subjective worlds that the playwright discloses as these characters try to make sense of their existence. The messiness of human life is shown through the manipulation of one character by an unscrupulous technician and – especially – through a dating couple who cannot agree on almost anything until the primal pull of the sex act pulls them together. The onslaught of chemicals and creams contaminating people and the digestive tract’s bile and gas are portrayed as toxic and disturbing yet the hope of rebirth is always present in the healing power of the very dirt we walk on. Life seems to be a continual cycle of death and disintegration – yet growth and hope are always possible.

Muse’s direction is marked by an almost cinematic, fluid approach where scenes play out like fast-dissolves. The scenes play off each other like interrelated vignettes – each scene is presented with a pared-down clean and economical style. This directorial approach helps to give cohesiveness to the often unpleasant and disturbing subject matter. The Lighting by John Burkland lends an evocative touch to the proceedings and the Sound Design by Christopher Baine is appropriately mesmerizing.

(l to r) Holly Twyford and Natalia Payne in ‘Dirt.’ Photo by Scott Suchman.

Acted to the hilt by all the actors, this is very fine ensemble playing indeed. Holly Twyford is superb and subtle in her portrayal of the main character, Harper. Twyford moves so beautifully and naturally on stage and she reinforces her hold on DC metro audiences. Natalia Payne as the waitress Elle is a particular standout and has a very commanding physical presence and a nuanced vocal delivery. Carolyn Mignini as May, Matthew Montelongo as Matt and Ro Boddie as Guy are all uniformly excellent in their roles.

Once again, The Studio Theatre has a hit on its hands with Dirt. Do not miss this one!

Running Time: Two hours with a 15-minute intermission.

Dirt plays through November 11, 2012, at Stage 4 at The Studio Theatre – 1501-14th Street, NW, in Washington, D.C. For tickets, call (202) 332-3300, or purchase them online.

October 23, 2012
‘The Big Meal’ at The Studio Theatre by Don Mike Mendoza

One of the most important things a family unit can share is a meal around a table together, and The Studio Theatre’s production of Dan LeFranc’s The Big Meal shows us how much of our lives can revolve around a meal, as we observe five generations of an American family meet at the same restaurant table over a period of 75 years.

(l to r) Matt Dougherty, Sam O'Brien, Hyla Matthews, Maya Brettell, Chris Genebach, and Annie Houston in 'The Big Meal.' Photo by Carol Pratt.

You may have seen it all before: the annoying in-laws, marriages, parenthood, colleges, family members moving away, divorce, illnesses, stress, the inexperience of youth, lack of communication, growing old, and people dying, but what’s different here is that it feels so real and honest – and at times – really funny and powerful and heartbreaking.

This was my first time at The Studio Theatre’s Milton Theatre, and I was treated to a truly memorable theatrical experience in this intimate space. The Big Meal’s success is due to LeFranc keeping it simple – focusing on the message of family without any extra pomp and circumstance, and this was ably accomplished by Set Designer Timothy Mackabee’s simple set – placing the characters within three tables.

Moving the three tables supported and set up each new plot twist, and I was intrigued by the fact that the actors stayed on stage and engaged for the entire time – rather than going off stage when they weren’t part of a scene.

Ashley Faye Dillard and Josh Adams in 'The Big Meal.' Photo by Carol Pratt.

Director Johanna Gruenhut did a phenomenal job with her cast because she created an ensemble with the right chemistry. The family was played by eight talented actors: Josh Adams, Maya Brettell, Ashley Dillard, Matt Dougherty, Chris Genebach, Annie Houston, Hyla Matthews, and Sam O’Brien, and each was required to play multiple characters from different generations of the family. Taking on multiple characters with different personalities is a difficult task, and this cast took that on with great ease. Sarah Taurchini – the ninth actor – played the role of a server at the restaurant.

Although all the acting was terrific, I really enjoyed Chris Genebach and Hyla Matthews as Nicole’s parents, Annie Houston as the optimistic great-grandmother and Hyla Matthews as Middle-Aged Nicole. Josh Adams was so convincing as a heart-broken soldier.

What made this show even better was the balance it presented between the family’s good times, such as a wedding reception, and the bad times such as the death of different members, or the drama that occurred when damaging secrets were revealed. The meals that they shared all represented either the entrance or exit of each person, which was worked in very well with the story.

Sound and lighting designed by Elisheba Ittoop and John Burkland, respectively, both contributed to the production without being too outlandish. It was simple, like the set design, and was not over -the – top yet supported the action on stage appropriately. Addy Diaz dressed the actors, and although each actor played multiple characters, not much changed physically except for a hat or a jacket to signify a new person, which was an excellent strategy. Without major costume changes, it gave the actors more room to play with personality and also made the audience focus on that rather than a costume change.

Chris Genebach and Hyla Matthews in 'The Big Meal.' Photo by Carol Pratt.

Overall, everything about this show flowed well together and it was an engaging story that held my attention for the entire time. There was never a dull moment. Just when you thought you knew everything about the family in front of you, a new twist was thrown at you. When the show ended, the thunderous applause didn’t stop until the cast came out for a second bow – beckoned by the excited audience members.

The Big Meal is a feast of tasty pleasures. Don’t miss it!

Running Time: 90 minutes with no intermission.

The Big Meal plays through May 20, 2012 at The Studio Theatre – 1501 14th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call (202) 332-3300, or purchase them online.

May 1, 2012

Tag: John Burkland

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