A Number is a riveting 2002 play by the award-winning British playwright Caryl Churchill. It’s been given as remarkable a production by Edge of the Universe Theater in association with Avant Bard Theatre.
Remarkable because its two performers — father and son actors David Bryan Jackson and Max Jackson, playing father and son — are flawless.
David Bryan Jackson and Max Jackson in ‘A Number.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
To be clear: a father who has cloned his original flawed son. The truth of the situation cleverly unravels in four stark scenes set at a kitchen table.
Are we who we are because of nurture or nature? This long-argued debate simmers here as the two actors delve into what happened with a cloning experiment.
How do the lies and hubris of the father weigh on his sons? The elder Jackson unravels a deeply disturbing father with chilling deception and precision.
Each scene uncovers more of the father’s lies. This compelling play is structured in short scenes that must be pieced together. There is little exposition. We are driven into the middle of the conflict. We are the sons wanting to know the truth, and finally understanding that our father’s truths can never be our own.
The star of this production is the younger Jackson playing the roles of three sons with three distinct life paths and personalities. What we do know is that at every turn the performance of Max Jackson pulses with life and fervor.
Max Jackson and David Bryan Jackson in ‘A Number.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
And the play, while dark, probing, and thought-provoking, ends with innocence and joy.
The direction, by Stephen Jarrett, reflects the sparingly written play — keeping the characters almost claustrophobically in one another’s face for most of their 60-minute, one-act performance.
The elegantly simple set design by Simone Schneeberg and the dramatic lighting by Hailey LaRoe, along with the eerie acoustics of Steve Antosca, enhance the intensity of the father-son conflict. Lauren K. Lambie’s costume changes, especially for the younger Jackson, seamlessly convey the multiple clones.
At the 2022 Capital Fringe Festival, a production of A Number by this theater group was performed, which received positive reviews. However, the number one reason to see this current production of A Number is this: a father and son play a father and son, raging at one another, disappointed with one another, and seeking love from one another. On this set, in close range, with lies unfolding before us, their chemistry adds another level of emotional and physical intimacy to an already terrifyingly intimate play.
Running Time: 60 minutes, no intermission.
A Numberplays through September 1, 2024 (Thursdays through Sundays), presented by Edge of the Universe Theater in association with Avant Bard Theatre performing at Gunston Arts Center Theatre II, 2700 S. Lang St., Arlington, VA. Purchase tickets ($30) online.
Even before The Caretaker officially opened this weekend, the buzz was humming in theater streams. The word is out, the show is a strange and stunning experience.
Harold Pinter’s The Caretaker is less frequently performed than his more well-known plays probably because “it’s not easy to watch or even understand” — the disclaimer is right there on the production’s program material. But that’s Pinter, and some of us think he’s worth the struggle.
Mark Krawczyk (Aston), Max Johnson (Mick), and David Bryan Jackson (Davies) in ‘The Caretaker.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
A quick synopsis: Two strange brothers have a strange encounter with, you guessed it, a strange stranger. Each brother separately offers the man a “job” of caring for their decrepit property, only nobody confirms what that means, so they all swirl along with their own delusions and oddities in dealing with each other. The program says, “…they’re soon at odds as kindness and loyalties give way to cruelties unleashed and lies exposed in this bitingly funny psychological exploration of life’s menace and absurdity.” Only Pinter could pull this off, and a special cast is required to make it work. The production at the Writer’s Center has a winning combination of talent, experience, and verve.
At first, I thought that David Bryan Jackson would be the major draw — he is an absolute treasure in the metro region and beyond, and I have yet to see a false move out of him. His entrance and opening animated montage as old Davies sputtering nonsense is marvelous, pontificating about what he would’ve done to the other guy in a scuffle if Aston hadn’t shown up and brought him to his flat. We find out later Davies is destitute and rather homeless, but that doesn’t stop his bravado about his plans and what he could’ve done.
Then I saw the other two actors at work and I was just as mesmerized. Mark Krawczyk as older brother Aston is a quiet gentle giant hulk of a man who listens to the jabbering Davies and for some reason provides aid and assistance to help him out. Aston offers Davies a place to stay, finds clothes for him, quality shoes, even clears furniture and household items from off the extra bed in the shabby cluttered room for him to sleep. They settle into a somewhat stable routine overnight, when younger brother Mick played with slick ease by Max Johnson pops in.
Mick is the live wire, dangling bits of sanity, periodically making sense, then tumbling into a morass of gibberish himself. But then, thanks to the brilliance of Pinter, there are moments when the blathering morphs into absolute clarity. Mick describes plans to “remodel” the flat with the precision of a master designer, complete with azure-colored carpets, beautifully carved bureaus, and exquisite light fixtures. Mick slithers and slides onto the scenes, even points with his leg and foot while reclining. He confidently weaves a fantasy world for Davies, who switches his alliance from the brother who rescued him to Mick.
Mick soon shows his mercurial side accusing Davies of trespassing on the property and even torments the old guy jostling, withholding his items, and bullying him until Aston rises up and with not a word but a steady serious gesture puts an end to the shenanigans. The roughhousing immediately stops, and we’re back to deliberating who’s really in charge, an ongoing loop of wonder. The stakes only get bigger as we find out from Aston’s remarkable soliloquy that helps explain his mental circumstances. The rest of the play is filled with turmoil about twisted alliances where Davies gets cast off like a bad shoe (as in August Wilson’s Ma Rainey, shoes are significant in the show) and expectations are in disarray. By the end, Davies spouts a line asking, “What about me?” That’s what we’re all left wondering. Pinter doesn’t tie anything up in tidy bows — this as his first successfully produced work is a testament to that. Instead, we’re left with a mesmerizing jostling of three strange characters wrestling with their own absurd place in life, and maybe even pondering our own questions of — What about me?
David Bryan Jackson (Davies), Mark Krawczyk (Aston), and Max Johnson (Mick) in ‘The Caretaker.’ Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
The trio works because of all the talent bursting out of the actors directed with maniacal glee by Stephen Jarrett. It’s unusual to highlight casting directors but in this case, Naomi Robin is getting well-deserved accolades for securing this powerhouse trio. Properties designer Liz Long gets kudos for amassing and keeping track of all the clutter that fills the set, including a bucket hanging from the ceiling periodically catching loud drops of water in the terrific sound design by all-purpose Jackson. Lighting by Christina Giles reflects the changing moods as the moments shift from humorous to morose to reflective, and includes a spotlight on a jubilant Buddha figure statue that Ashton seems to treasure so much until he doesn’t. Costumes by Lauren K. Lambi clearly distinguish the brothers’ tailored wardrobe with suitcoats, fitted trousers, and of course, buffed and polished shoes, from the stained and threadbare rags for Davies.
The Caretaker was first staged in London in 1960, then opened on Broadway in 1961. Alan Bates was in the film version in the 1960s and Patrick Stewart played Davies in a New York revival 20 years ago. There’s obviously something there to entice the greats, and it’s remarkable that a small theater company in Bethesda has the moxie to tackle it.
For those not familiar with the producing company, The Edge of the Universe Theater (formerly The Edge of the Universe Players 2), their blurb describes their philosophy:
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.
This production of The Caretaker speaks volumes about the company’s reach and potential. Here’s hoping there will be more in store.
Running Time: Two hours and 10 minutes, including a 15-minute intermission.
The Caretaker plays through October 22, 2023, presented by The Edge of the Universe Theater at The Writer’s Center (4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD), with performances Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2:30 p.m. & 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Purchase tickets ($25) at the door or online. Additionally, a limited number of $20 discounted tickets are available as part of TheatreWeek (through October 8).
COVID Safety: Masks are optional in current practice.
The Caretaker by Harold Pinter Directed by Stephen Jarrett
Cast: David Bryan Jackson, Max Johnson, Mark Krawczyk
Sarah Reed: Scenic Designer; David Elias: Stage Manager; Lauren K. Lambie: Costume Designer; Christina Giles: Lighting Designer; David Bryan Jackson: Sound Designer and Composer; Liz Long: Properties Designer; Naomi Robin: Casting Director
The Edge of the Universe Theater follows up its 2022 Capital Fringe production of Caryl Churchill’s A Number with a work by another British playwright, Nobel Prize winner Harold Pinter’s THE CARETAKER. The production of this “important work of theatrical art” (New York Post) features David Bryan Jackson, Max Johnson, and Mark Krawczyk under the direction of Stephen Jarrett.
Synopsis: “It’s funny — til it’s not.” First staged in London, 1960, Pinter’s first success still has the power to surprise, entertain, and unsettle audiences. Soon after a pair of working-class brothers allow a boastful vagabond to temporarily stay in their decrepit London house, they’ve each separately offered the man a job as caretaker. Trapped in their own individual worlds of dreams and delusions — they’re soon at odds as kindness and loyalties give way to cruelties unleashed and lies exposed in this bitingly funny psychological exploration of life’s menace and absurdity.
‘The Caretaker’ show art by PIXTRIXDESIGN.com
“…powerful drama with a climax that tears at the heart.” —The New York Times
“It’s an incisive, delicately balanced study of a power struggle between three lost souls who are drowning in absurd fantasies.” —Evening Standard
“This remarkable play is not one that leaps off the page. It’s difficult to read; many people find it challenging. The fact, though, is that it teems with life, and offers innumerable ‘moments’ in which a character — or the audience — realizes a truth. They are moments of connection, heart-stopping for actor, character, and audience,” said director Stephen Jarrett. “The director’s challenge is to find and examine these moments, shepherding a cast of skilled, insightful actors through a rollercoaster of emotions to make it all true enough to effect a change in the viewer, to provoke a feeling of ‘yes, this is me.’ And all of this with language that might as well be poetry.”
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Harold Pinter (1930-2008). After studying at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the Central School of Speech and Drama, he worked as an actor under the stage name David Baron. Following his success as a playwright, he continued to act under his own name, on stage and screen, the last time in 2006 in Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape at the Royal Court Theatre. He wrote 29 plays, including The Birthday Party, The Dumb Waiter, A Slight Ache, The Hothouse, The Caretaker, The Collection, The Lover, The Homecoming, Old Times, No Man’s Land, Betrayal, A Kind of Alaska, One for the Road, The New World Order, Moonlight and Ashes to Ashes. Sketches include “The Black and White,” “Request Stop,” “That’s Your Trouble,” “Night,” “Precisely,” “Apart from That,” and the recently rediscovered “Umbrellas.”
He directed 27 theater productions, including James Joyce’s Exiles, David Mamet’s Oleanna, seven plays by Simon Gray, and many of his own plays, including his last, Celebration, paired with his first, The Room, at The Almeida Theatre, London in the spring of 2000. Pinter wrote 21 screenplays, including The Pumpkin Eater, The Servant, The Go-Between, The French Lieutenant’s Woman and Sleuth. In 2005 he received the Nobel Prize for Literature. Other awards include the Companion of Honour for Services to Literature, the Legion D’Honneur, the European Theatre Prize, the Laurence Olivier Award and the Moliere D’Honneur for lifetime achievement. In 1999 he was made a Companion of Literature by the Royal Society of Literature. Harold Pinter was awarded 18 honorary degrees.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Stephen Jarrett (Director) has worked previously with The Edge of the Universe Theater, most recently directing the 2022 Capital Fringe production of A Number, as well as Entertaining Mr Sloane, The Summoning of Everyman, and audio plays The Marriage Proposal and Laughter in the Shadow of the Trees. David Bryan Jackson’s* (Davies) decades of work in the DC region include working with Jarrett previously on A Number and Entertaining Mr Sloane with Edge of the Universe. Most recently, he performed in Endgame (Washington Stage Guild), Birds of North America (Mosaic Theater Company of DC), with other productions including Hamlet (Shakespeare Theatre Company), The Two Character Play (Spooky Action Theater) and Someone is Going to Come (Scena Theatre). Max Johnson (Mick) is a DC-based actor, teaching artist, electrician, and deviser. His recent theater credits include Angel Number Nine (Rorschach Theatre), Mankind (Iron Crow Theatre), Spies 2 (Imagination Stage), WVL Radio Presents: It’s a Wonderful Life (Immediate Theatre Project), and A Midsummer Night’s Dream and A Raisin in the Sun (Olney Theatre’s National Players Tour 72). He will be starring in the upcoming feature Questions by Outlaw Dawn Productions in Winter 2023. Mark Krawczyk* (Aston) is an innovative and purpose-driven theater practitioner with over 20 years of experience in professional acting, devising, arts management, directing, and teaching. He has worked with Utah Shakespeare Festival, The Shakespeare Theatre, Folger Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse, Baltimore Shakespeare Festival, The Hub Theatre of Boston, Constellation Theatre, Taffety Punk, Theater J, and others. He’s had the privilege of teaching acting and other theater classes at a variety of institutions around the U.S. including Boston Conservatory at Berklee, where he was a member of the leadership team for the Contemporary Theatre program. Mark’s next projects will be creating a new, original piece of solo theater as part of The Incubator Residency with Barking Legs Theatre in Chattanooga, as well as directing Scrooge: The Musical at Chattanooga Theatre Centre in December 2023. For many years, Naomi Robin (Casting) was a professional stage actress across the U.S. and Canada with such actors as Theodore Bikel, Robert Merrill, and Jan Peerce, later combining that with a second career as a SAG/AFTRA voiceover artist. She worked as Casting Director at Theater J, and also served for many years as a judge with the Helen Hayes Awards. Most recently she has focused on freelance casting, including for The Edge of the Universe Theater.
The production and design team includes Sarah Reed (Scenic Designer), David Elias* (Stage Manager), Lauren K. Lambie+ (Costume Designer), Christina Giles (Lighting Designer), David Bryan Jackson (Sound Designer), Liz Long (Properties Designer), Naomi Robin (Casting Director).
*Member, Actors’ Equity Association
+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829
THE CARETAKER is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com
DATES & TICKETS
THE CARETAKER runs September 29 to October 22, 2023, at The Writer’s Center (4508 Walsh Street, Bethesda, MD), with performances Friday at 8 pm, Saturday at 2:30 pm & 8 pm, and Sunday at 2:30 pm. The run begins with three pay-what-you-can performances Friday, September 29 at 8 pm, and Saturday, September 30 at 2:30 pm & 8 pm (pay-what-you-can tickets can be purchased for any cash price at the door beginning one hour prior to curtain). Opening/press performances are Saturday, September 30 at 8 pm and Sunday, October 1 at 2:30 pm.
All tickets are general admission and are $25. Additionally there will be a limited number of $20 discounted tickets offered as part of Theatre Week (September 21 to October 8), a program of Theatre Washington. Discounts for students with a valid student ID and senior citizens 65 years and up for the first weekend only. Purchase tickets at the door or online.
ABOUT THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE THEATER
Formerly known as The Edge of the Universe Players 2, The Edge of the Universe Theater’s intention is to produce plays with big meanings that transcend particular ages and cultures. The company hopes that cultural influences, including theater, 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 The Edge of the Universe Theater’s plays may include individual liberty, family, power, religion, death, or other fundamental issues of human existence. UniversePlayers2.org
Caryl Churchill is one of the most provocative and original playwrights in the English language, and fans of her work will not want to miss her one-act A Number, being given a crisp and stimulating Capital Fringe production by The Edge of the Universe Players 2, smartly directed by Stephen Jarrett. Written in 2002 when animal cloning was in the headlines, A Number is a tantalizing “what if?”: a dramatized thought experiment about the interpersonal consequences of human cloning.
The play gives almost no scientific detail about how human cloning would actually be achieved, but we get a fascinating earful of what being cloned could mean to the cloned. In particular we hear from three sons who are genetically identical but have different chronological ages and distinctly dissimilar personalities and have only recently learned their laboratory origin story. We are led to understand there are “a number” of other such cloned sons now alive elsewhere — no one knows how many.
The three sons (each played appealingly by the chameleonlike Jacob Yeh) have sequential scenes with the man who genetically is their father (the reliably compelling David Bryan Jackson). Dressed comfortably in a cardigan but clearly discomfited, he is just now finding out how his woefully misbegotten idea to duplicate his lost first son has gone dreadfully awry.
Though Churchill places the time “in the near future” she specifies no location, but the generically beige kitchen designed by Simone Schneeberg — checkered tablecloth, two wood chairs, a plain cupboard — serves the human-relationship stories well. And eerily atonal inter-scene music by Steve Antosca — wind chimes, scraped piano strings — sustains a sci-fi vibe.
Churchill’s text is a flurry of staccato unpunctuated fragments, and both actors parry and thrust their lines in arresting interrelated rhythms, such that as we listen we can piece together not only the sense of what they are really saying to each other but also the depth of feeling each brings to the table.
Jacob Yeh and David Bryan Jackson in ‘A Number’ by Caryl Churchill. Photo by DJ Corey Photography.
Costumed tellingly by Lauren K. Lambie, Yeh delineates the three clones well: The one who wears specs and a vest and speaks like a Brit is profoundly anxious and troubled to learn that his “uniqueness” has been “damaged.” The next one, who wears a black leather jacket and speaks like a Cockney bloke, is full of menace and murderous rage. The mild-mannered third one wearing a professorial sports jacket and sounding middle-American is quite content to be a copy, though he seems to have zero individuality.
At times the script can seem tendentious and the story a little static, but that’s no fault of the two fine actors, who consistently keep the electricity on stage alive and the moral ideas in the play aloft.
COVID Safety: The audience is to remain masked for the show. The mask needs to cover your mouth and nose the whole time. Proof of vaccination and ID are checked before entry.
Genre: Drama
Age appropriateness: Recommended for Children 13 + older
Director: Stephen Jarrett Playwright: Caryl Churchill Performers: Jacob Yeh, David Bryan Jackson Composer: Steve Antosca
Salter: David Bryan Jackson
Three of his innumerable sons: Jacob Yeh
Stage management by JJ Hersh
Set design by Simone Schneeberg
Costume design by Lauren K. Lambie
Music by Steve Antosca
Casting by Naomi Robin
When a dark farce titled Entertaining Mr. Sloane opened in London in 1964, it was viewed as rude, scandalous, and repugnant because of its homosexual content and its three main characters’ blatant amorality. Its author, Joe Orton, was a young working-class gay bloke who had recently served a half year in prison, for defacing library books of all things. Those were repressive times. Homosexual acts were still illegal in England. The Lord Chamberlain was still vetting and censoring scripts before they could be staged. Entertaining Mr. Sloane instantly established Orton as enfant terrible du jour.
Jim Jorgensen (Ed) and Matthew Aldwin McGee (Sloane), Photo by Brian Allard. Courtesy of MetroWeekly.
The Edge of the Universe Players 2—a young company that intends “to produce plays with big meanings that transcend ages and cultures”—now offers DC Metro theatergoers a chance to see for themselves what all the fuss was about. And it’s a show worth checking out. While Entertaining Mr. Sloane as a playscript is not what I’d call timeless, this deft, respectful, and well-crafted production presents a fascinating opportunity to see it now—through eyes that have been opened to much franker and far more explicit treatments of gay themes—and watch a genuinely nervy writing talent at work.
The story takes place in London in the living room of a house built beside a dump. Set Designer Giorgos Tsappas has captured the chintzy mismatched ambiance of cliche British bad taste and Properties Designer Kevin Laughon has filled it with déclassé nick-nacks that fit right in. Into this garishly prim setting comes a twenty-year-old working-class gay bloke, himself a sort of social refuse, with the intention of renting a room.
Kath, the landlord, is played by Claire Schoonover with the nervous overanimation of a woman in her forties who is not past her sexual prime. Like a mama cougar in heat, she pounces on the young man, whom she calls alternately “Mr. Sloane” and “Baby.” Sloane, played by Matthew Aldwin McGee with a seedy, sullen sensuality that Sloane would know has allure, doth not protest.
Enter Kath’s conniving brother, Ed, who also has sexual designs on Sloane. As smoothly played by Jim Jorgensen with unctious seductiveness, Ed persuades Sloane to be his chauffeur and picks up the tab for Sloane’s rent. “Any arrangement you fancy,” says Sloane, never one to turn down a good trick.
Sloane and Ed’s scene together early in Act One is a masterpiece of double entendres and coded sexual subtext, and it’s when my ears began to really prick up to Orton’s crafty and clandestine use of language. After Entertaining Mr. Sloane became a hit, Orton recalled with relish that the Lord Chamberlain had made him take out all the hetersexual naughty bits but left the homosexual ones behind—presumably not noticing they were there.
Nothing is stated, but there can be no mistaking that Ed and Sloane start getting it on off stage. When Ed finds out that Sloane is also having sex with Kath—a lusty connection we need not surmise—he gets testy and the stakes rise. Both Ed and Kath want to keep entertaining their laddie lay. What to do? Therein lies the tension that builds to twists and shocks.
There’s a fourth character, Kemp, who is Kath and Ed’s doddering da. As he comes comes and goes, David Bryan Jackson expresses with each entrance Kemp’s body declining and mental bulb dimming. He and his son have been estranged for twenty years; Kemp was outraged when he caught the boy doing something homosexual in his bedroom and has never stopped being ashamed. Beyond that Kemp’s character functions in the plot in an important way that I won’t give away. Best to be surprised.
Doubtless Entertaining Mr. Sloane got more laughs and gasps back in the day. The experience of viewing it now can elicit a sense that the play’s punches have been pulled. The high-voltage tensions among the characters that once sparked this transgressive comedy seem to have lost some wattage. But that says more about our liberalized times than it does about this production, which Director Stephen Jarrett has staged at a crisp and efficient clip.
Once upon a time this breakthrough script became a hit. They don’t write ’em like this anymore; they don’t have to. Theater like life keeps changing. And today’s real scandals are more likely to happen out on the streets.
If this production of Entertaining Mr. Sloane seems a flashback to a more innocent time, it is also packed with payoff—because the talented team at Edge of the Universe Players 2 has given us a welcome showcase for appreciating Joe Orton’s insidious wit.
Running Time: Two hours 15 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
Entertaining Mr. Sloane plays through December 13, 2015, at The Edge of the Universe Players 2 performing at the The Writer’s Center – 4508 Walsh Street, in Bethesda, MD. For tickets, purchase them at the door, or online.
It’s the Swinging Sixties in London’s West End, but Kath and her elderly father, Kemp, live in a house on the outskirts of a rubbish dump. Their drab existence is interrupted by the arrival of a new lodger, the handsome and enigmatic Mr Sloane. Provocative and sexually ambiguous, Sloane soon has both Kath and her brother Ed competing for his sexual favors. Entertaining Mr Sloane is a dark comedy of people desperately searching for love, weaving a tangle of lust, deceit and violence in its place. The first major production by the taboo-breaking British playwright Joe Orton, Sloane premiered in London in 1964. It won the 1982 Drama Desk Award for Best Revival and the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Revival in 1996. Orton died in 1967.
Directed by Stephen Jarrett. Featuring Matthew McGee (Sloane), Jim Jorgensen (Ed), Jjana Valentiner (Kath), and David Bryan Jackson (Kemp).
Entertaining Mr Sloane plays from November 21 through December 13, 2015 at The The Edge of the Universe Players 2 performing at The Writer’s Center – 4508 Walsh Street, in Bethesda, MD. For tickets, purchase them online. For more information, visit their website.
The Edge of the Universe Players 2 Mission:
Our mission is to produce plays with big meanings that transcend particular ages and cultures. We believe that theatre can change some part of the human family—or even one person—toward a more bearable, insightful, hopeful, or self-determining state.
Billed as Crime and Punishment in America at The American Century Theater, this pairing of one-act plays (Cops and Hello Out There) are must-sees for several reasons.
First, they are well-written, gritty crime dramas that are well directed and well-acted.
Ajueyitsi (The Young Gambler) and Rachel Caywood (The Girl). Photo by Johannes Markus.
Second, the subject matter is extremely topical with the events of Ferguson, Missouri, and other controversial police actions in the news locally, nationally and internationally.
Third, The American Century Theater (TACT) is shuttering operations this year after 20 years of producing significant 20th-century American plays and musicals.
Another reason to go to this performance is that Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger will give a post-show discussions following the matinee on January 18.
In a candid “talk-back” with Marshall and the audience after Saturday’s show, Manger said “Theater is supposed to make you think and feel. It pains me as a police officer, but as an audience member it was a great show.” He discussed body and car cameras, hiring the right people for the job, firing police who lie, (he has had to do it almost 50 times, he said), the racial mix of a police department, police accountability, scenario-based training and the use of deadly force.
“There are different thresholds for the use of deadly force,” said Manger. We shouldn’t be shooting that quickly, but there are times like we just saw here [in Cops], where it can happen in an instant.”
Manger is best known for his key role in apprehending the DC snipers. He was Fairfax County Chief of Police for six years and is now Chief of Police in Montgomery County, a post he has held for 11 years. He has done some acting himself with TACT and used to sing baritone in the popular barbershop quartet The Plaids.
The best reason to see these two plays is the acting, the writing, and the thought-provoking artistic decisions that Marshall and Directors Stephen Jarrett (Cops) and Ellen Dempsey (Hello Out There) made. Neither script calls for the perpetrators to be African-American, but the team decided to cast African Americans in the roles. Having staged it before in 2007, Marshall decided to reprise Cops by Terry Curtis Fox right after the events in Ferguson. Hello Out There by Armenian-American playwright William Saroyan is also an encore performance for TACT.
The lights come up on a stark prison cell with a single occupant who calls “Hello out there,” several times. He is answered by the jailhouse cook and chore-maid (Rachel Caywood) and they exchange stories and develop a bond in beautifully written and performed dialog.
The prisoner is played by a remarkable Bru Ajueyitsi, continually rubs the bowl of a spoon with his thumb. Ajueyitsi appears dreamy and idealistic despite being jailed in Matador, Texas, for alleged rape. It is a powerful, nuanced performance. Caywood is good at portraying a tentative and impressionable small-town girl. The cast is rounded out by Ric Andersen, who plays a simmering hothead as The Husband, Madelyn Farris as The Wife and Bruce Alan Rauscher as Another Man.
Chaz D. Pando’s performance in Cops is riveting. Originally conceived by famous Chicago playwright David Mamet, he walks into a diner and goes straight to the bathroom, only to come out and get caught in the middle of a misunderstanding that results in a hostage situation. He is behind the bar in the diner and much of his dialogue is shouted. The anguish in Pando’s voice is palpable. He shouts and sputters and screams and cries as he argues, makes demands and negotiates with the cops. It is a really impressive performance.
The hostage is Nello DeBlasio (no relation to the New York mayor who recently had thousands of police turn their backs on him at a police funeral for perceived lack of support), who plays diner owner George. He is really well cast and his facial expressions effectively reflect the horror of the situation as it unfolds.
Another actor who has that rare skill of not appearing to be an actor at all – but is unquestionably in character the whole time – is Dan Alexander as Gene Czerwicki, the third policeman, who tells stories as he chain smokes Marlboros, the smell of which filters out over the audience.
The first two policemen carry the show. Played by Rauscher as Jack Rolf and Anthony van Eyck as Bob Barbersoin, they pull practical jokes and talk shop, denigrating women and minorities and engaging in racial profiling as Mickey the waitress (Ann De Michele) and George go about their diner duties without appearing to take offense. Rob Heckart and Eileen Farrell round out the cast as the Cabdriver/voice of Lieutenant Buchevski and an Omelette Eater.
Kudos to Set Designer Trena M. Weiss and Props Master Kevin Laughon. There was not an anachronism in sight in the detailed diner, which even included grease going up the aluminum splash-plate above the grill. And to Sound Designer Ed Moser for the lush rainy and siren-pierced soundscape.
(l to r) Anthony van Eyck (Bob Barberson), Dan Alexander (Gene Czerwicki), and Bruce Alan Rauscher (Jack Rolf). Photo by Johannes Markus.
This pair of thought-provoking one-acts is a must-see, but even more than that, it is a must-feel. Humanity is facing some seriously deep issues and theater as presented by TACT is a good prism to help us to understand what is going on.
Running time: Two hours with a 15 minute intermission.
Crime and Punishment in America plays through January 31, 2015 at Gunston Arts Center Theater Two – 2700 South Lang Street – in Arlington, VA. For tickets, call the box office at (703) 998-4555, or purchase them online.
Infinite Jest co-founder Bill Gordon loves, loves, loves nostalgia. Nostalgia for a 1970s romantic comedy anthology series inspired Infinite Jest’s entry into the 2014 Capital Fringe Festival.
Bill Gordon and Sharisse Taylor. Photo by Bill Gordon.
Gordon grew up watching reruns of Love, American Style. Actors such as a young Harrison Ford and a young Burt Reynolds appeared in short comedic sketches about love and romance: “Love and the Pill,” “Love and a Couple of Couples,” and in Ford’s case, “Love and the Former Marriage.”
“The plots were very simple, very bubblegum,” Gordon said.
When Gordon decided to pay homage to the television series, he opted for modern scripts and an edgier version of the original theme song, recorded for Infinite Jest by D.C.-area rock band MUNDY. Gordon also decided to carry over the TV show convention of using “Luv and…” as part of the title of each play. Out of respect for the playwrights, Gordon has placed the additional text in brackets (e.g., [Luv and] Crazy Eights) to make the actual title of each play clear to the audience.
The TV show featured 30-40 second vignettes between the main stories, and Infinite Jest has recreated five vignettes from the first season (1969-1970) that will be projected during scene changes between the four comedies that comprise Luv, American Style.
“I want people who remember the show to have the feeling of nostalgia,” Gordon said. “But I also want them to experience it through 21st century eyes, free of the heavy taboos of 1970’s broadcast television. For instance, I was determined that we would include one same-sex play.”
Directed by Stephen Jarrett and George Grant, this production will feature four one-act views of Luv, American Style set in the Washington, D.C. area.
Theater goers should expect “to laugh like hell,” Jarrett said, adding, “They are very emotional plays. The emotion is very real because I think that’s what makes things funny. It always comes down to the truth, otherwise you’ve got nothing but gags. Gags are funny, but jokes work because of truth.”
Paula (Kathryn Winkler) and Clark (Klenn Harrigan) slide from flirtation to finale in a side-splitting 10-minute conversation about their relationship in Cherie Vogelstein’s [Luv and a]Date With a Stranger.
[Luv and the] Sure Thing, by David Ives, will remind audiences of Groundhog Day. Two strangers stumble through a conversational minefield of false starts and gaffes. Jennifer Robinson, who plays Betty in Sure Thing, was attracted to Ives’ script.
“I laughed so hard I woke my daughter up,” Robison said. “It is very sharp, very smart and very realistic despite its witty comic style.”
Jennifer Robison and Nello DeBlasio rehearsing “[Luv and the] Sure Thing,” by David Ives. Photo by Bill Gordon.Robinson related to Betty’s experience of being on a great date, only to have Mr. Right blurt out something off putting or offensive.
As with most of her cast mates, Robison does double duty in Luv, American Style. She also plays Connie in David Lindsay-Abaire’s [Luv and] Crazy Eights. Conniecomes home late to find an unexpected visitor in her kitchen with a fresh-baked torte and a list of questions. The interrogation is interrupted by the arrival of Connie’s regularly scheduled late-night guest.
“I like to think of Connie as being from New York, but she has been transplanted to D.C. to get over her habits. She’s seen a lot of horrible things from being an addict. She’s been to jail,” Robison said. “This is her chance to start new.”
Unfortunately, her visitors may interfere with Connie’s agenda. Playing an earthy, gritty, no-nonsense gal has proven challenging for Robison given the funny lines of her cast mates Nello DeBlasio and Jorge Silva.
“Both of the guys do such a fantastic job. They’re cracking me up in rehearsals. I’m praying I can get rid of the giggles because I have to be straight laced,” Robison said.
In Christopher Demos-Brown’s [Luv and] Mallory Square, friendship is put to the test on a double date.
“What drew me to Mallory Square is it is a very modern story,” Klenn Harrigan said. “I’m 23, and I have friends who are starting to settle down and thinking about kids. As someone on the outside looking in, it is interesting to see them process it. Mallory Square is a story about people who are making life-altering decisions.”
Fort Fringe – Redrum-612 L Street NW, in Washington, DC.
Whether or not you believe in God you can support the ideas presented in The Summoning of Everyman, produced by The Edge of the Universe Players 2 at the Melton Rehearsal Hall at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company.
The cast of ‘The Summoning of Everyman.’ Photo courtesy of The Edge of the Universe Players 2.
The show is a quick and ‘to-the-point’ lesson on humility and the questions people face on a daily basis in supporting those around us in life and in death. The Summoning of Everyman is a dramatic play referred to as a morality play in the breath of medieval drama. This genre of plays is known for the lessons it is supposed to teach the audience with a strong religious undertone. Although there is no known playwright of the show – a commonly accepted idea is that a priest anonymously wrote it with the intention of writing the play to use as a liturgical example of humility.
Productions of Everyman are often modernized in an attempt to make a statement about consumerism or another corrupt part of modern society. However, in this production, Stephen Jarrett chose to stage the show “true” to the form with period costumes, music, and overall staging. The choice was a smart and effective one.
Director Stephen Jarrett has assembled a talented ensemble. Almost every actor played more than one role, except for David Elias (Everyman), as the drive of the play rests on his shoulders. Everyman early on is told he is going to die, and the rest of the show follows him in his preparation for his death. Elias’ performance is very grounded – anyone could connect with this man who could symbolize anyone in life coming to terms that his/her time here on earth is ending. Jase Parker (Death) was also a sharp presence in the cast, Not only was he the bearer of the news to Everyman about his death, he also returned in the end to complete the deed.
Goods (Jennifer Robison) and Death (Jase Parker). Photo courtesy of The Edge of the Universe Players 2.
The rest of the ensemble also played several roles that represented other people who lend their support in different ways – that Everyman must say goodbye to. A majority of the other roles represented different lenses we perceive life and death through: Strength, Knowledge, Discretion, Good Deeds, Beauty, Five Wits (Wit) all represent. The diverse and excellent ensemble were Lynette Rathnam, Logan Sutherland, Keith Irby, Josh Sticklin, Caroline Wolfson, and Jennifer Robison.
In a show like this every character is very race, age, and gender neutral, and it was refreshing to see such a diversely cast ensemble to support the metaphor of the show – that all of these characters are in our lives as well in all different shapes and forms. There is no “type” required for any of the characters, so any ensemble that works together, as incredibly as this one, can share this story; it is part of the beauty of the play itself.
Costume Designer Cheryl Patton Wu provided the colorful costumes and John Bowhers and Peter Caress designed the simple, yet effective set and lighting. There was also a musical element in the show, including three musicians: Rachel Isaacson (Recorder), Scott Morrison (Percussion), and Gus Voorhees (Hurdy-gurdy). They served as live sound effects for a few particular dramatic moments in the show where they provided playful interludes to some of the transitions of the show, when the ensemble would dance an olden group dance to a tradition tune.
The Summoning of Everyman is a rare opportunity to artistically reflect on life and how we perceive death. It’s a journey worth taking.
Running Time: One hour, with no intermission.
The Summoning of Everyman plays through November 24, 2013 at The Edge of the Universe Players 2 performing at the Melton Rehearsal Hall at the Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company – 641 D Street, NW, in Washington, Purchase tickets online.
The American Century Theater’s (TACT) vital and esteemed tradition of producing classic American plays of the 20th Century continues with playwright George Kelly’s venerable chestnut The Show-Off. Under the leadership and Artistic Direction of Jack Marshall, TACT has a very commendable reputation for meticulous recreation of American period pieces.
The somewhat convoluted plot mainly revolves around the characters’ various reactions to the “Show-Off” of the title. As the press release to the show so aptly sums it up: “Egotistical braggart Aubrey Piper blows into the lives of the Fishers, regaling them with fantastic tales of his past success and bright future while winning the heart of daughter Amy The family’s attempts to cope with this master exaggerator,and his endeavors to set the record straight when caught in his own fabrications, made this 1926 parlor comedy a hit Broadway show and twice-produced film.”
From the technical standpoint, there is hardly any theatre group that does a better job of recreating period ambiance. Indeed, the set is one of the stars of this piece and is replete with warm brown tones, molding and paneling exquisitely set in place against green walls. Kudos to Scenic Designer Leigh-Ann Friedel and Master Carpenter Jonathan Hudspeth.
Erin E. McGuff (Amy), David Gram (Aubrey Piper), Evan Crump (Joe), Jenna Berk (Clara), and Lee Mikeska Gardner (Mrs. Fisher). Photo by Johannes Markus.
The pivotal character of the “show off” Aubrey played by David Gram hits all the right notes of obnoxiousness and slickness bordering on imbecility but his performance is eclipsed by the brilliant multi-layered playing of Lee Mikeska Gardner as Mrs. Fisher. Gardner’s acting is a master class in reaction, interaction and physical authority. Gardner changes moods so fluidly and naturally and is by turns alternately charming, harsh, sardonic and querulous. Especially powerful are her scenes in disagreement with Gram. Evan Crump as Joe and Joe Cronin as Mr. Rogers are the other standouts in the cast.
Lee Mikeska Garner (Mrs. Fisher). Photo by Johannes Markus.
I heartily commend the fact that Director Stephen Jarrett directs this piece with such respect for each line of text but he overplays his hand with such a slowly- paced production which runs well over two hours and the pauses between lines are much too drawn out. There is nothing wrong with respect for the text but not at the expense of such a long, plodding pace. This piece demands crisp and energetic direction to offset the very workmanlike and solid craftsmanship of the writing.
The American Century Theater’s Show-Off must be seen for its superb performance by Lee Mikeska Gardner and Leigh-Ann Friedel’s beautiful set.
The Show-Offplays through February 2, 2013 at The American Century Theater at Theatre II in the Gunston Arts Center – 2700 South Lang Street, in Arlington,VA. For tickets, call (703) 998-4555, or purchase them online.
![Jennifer Robison and Nello DeBlasio rehearsing "[Luv and the] Sure Thing," by David Ives. Photo by Bill Gordon.](https://dctheaterarts.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/10481935_544279862344676_7170795963703319071_n-2.jpg)
