Cobb by Lee Blessing



L - R Kent Butler, Daniel Sykes, Bert Emmett - Photo Credit Sherry Netherland

By Joe Straw

You know, that first moment when an actor steps on the stage, you know.  You know, when the actor speaks his first line, you know.  You know, when he takes his first step, you just know you can relax and let the actors do their stuff, let it happen, and hope in the end it feels right. Cobb was that kind of play.  

The Group Rep presents Cobb by Lee Blessing and directed by Gregg T. Daniel at the Lonny Chapman Theatre in North Hollywood. This is a delightful play that will cause you think about time, space, and baseball.  And although there are only two characters in this play, there are several names mentioned to read up on, Ty Cobb, Oscar Charleston, Babe Ruth, Josh Gibson, and Jack Chesbro (the only pitcher to win 41 games in a MLB season) to name a few. 

The Lonny Chapman Theatre is an appealing theatre and the parking is free if you get there early.  Everyone is affable and considerate. I had the pleasure of speaking with 87-years-young Elliot Goldwag, an actor, and Larry Eisenberg, the co-artistic director.  Long story short, The Lonny Chapman Theatre is a beautiful space with comfortable seats and a wonderful venue for this type of production.  

One interesting thing about going to theatre is that no two people will ever agree on the meaning of the play. It’s all this self-interpretation that keeps the mind working to its effective peak. One may agree or disagree with the actors’ and directors’ choices and get into a lively discussion later.  I know I do.  In the end, it’s all about getting a handle on the craft.

The acting in Cobb is marvelous with only minor notes about accents and a few other things—but more on this later. This play is something that is not completely baseball but rather deals with the depth of human emotions, with baseball as its smothering atmosphere. 

There is a deeper meaning to Cobb because of one little note in the program,  “Time 1886 – 1961 and later”.  Later? Cobb died in 1961.  Oh? So we’ve got that kind of play, a Rod Serling, Field of Dreams type of play. Something to take the mind to another dimension of sight and sound, “Whose boundaries are that of imagination.”

Nevertheless, Lee Blessing's Cobb is a thought-provoking play that can be taken literally or seen through the eyes of a character’s afterlife, or through someone whose mind is slightly off kilter. One believes that Gregg T. Daniel, the director, took this show a little more literally. More on this later.

But one prefers the afterlife scenario. A walk down the historical perspective past life seems the logical choice when interacting with other Cobb personifications on stage.  

That aside, and while all of this is going on, we are being treated to the play about the life of the iniquitous Ty Cobb and his life in and out of baseball and good old-fashioned baseball stuff.

When the play starts, and from the vomitory, the older Cobb, Mr. Cobb (Kent Butler) marches down the stadium steps and gives us a little history of his life and of his game. Cobb still has the bitter edge that made him one the meanest players in the game but wants his past recriminations forgotten because his objective is to build a bridge for a grand legacy for himself.   His mind not as sharp as his younger days and he has a different view of the past whether it is a forgotten past or self-inflicted forgetfulness remains to be seen. 

The younger Cobb, The Peach (Daniel Sykes) is an angry young man.  He is angry that his father told him not to come back a failure.  And he is angry that his mother took both barrels of the shotgun to kill the man he called, Dad.   Cobb was 18 when this happened and, while his mother was fighting the charge of murder, he took a no-look-back approach to his life and the game of baseball.  

There is also another side to this Georgia Peach, he is a racist and will not play with men of color, meaning “Negros”.   

So what have we got here, rounding the bases, is another element thrown in to round out the nasty going-ons of Cobb life, Oscar Charleston (Jason Delane).  Charleston is a mysterious player who keeps appearing throughout the play taking a mental bat and hammering all three Cobbs about their unwillingness to play with black people.  In Charleston’s mind, Cobb cannot have that legacy until he recognizes Charleston’s name and accomplishments. Still the ghost of Charleston is just one more nasty overachieving athlete who wants recognition.  There is a reason he was called the black Cobb because he was, one, as mean as Cobb and, two, his lifetime batting average was similar to Cobb’s.  

Cobb’s life was a “Goddamn Greek Tragedy”.  Well, maybe so, and maybe not.

But the middle aged Cobb, Ty (Bert Emmett), is a man who enjoys the fruits of his labor and his wise investments.  He takes the approach of not apologizing for doing what he needed to do to get ahead for himself and his kids. His investment in Coca Cola and GM proved to be a bountiful harvest.  He is not quite sure that he needs a legacy at the moment but in the back of his mind, maybe he does.  

None of the Cobbs have lost their sense of grand designment and their historical importance to the game of baseball.  Still in this play, they all want something they feel they don’t have.  And that is a legacy.

There were three actors playing Cobb at various stages in his life.  The three were on stage together, mentally battling it out, and at one point threatening to shoot each other.   

Kent Butler as Mr. Cobb was more moderate in the later stage of life, willing to forgive and forget and sees life the way he thought it was supposed to be, baseball and all. The player is still in him, the awards, and the glory.  But he wants a legacy.  He wants to be remembered.  What stands in his way are the players from the Negro leagues who he would not play against.  Butler is marvelous as he opens the show, stepping down the tiered aisle as though it were a stadium and telling us about his glorified life.  This is a wonderful performance by a splendid actor.

Daniel Sykes as the Peach is the young upstart from Georgia.  He enters the big leagues tarnished by the baggage his parents gave him.  Involuntary manslaughter. It is a cross he carries throughout his career and he can never be famous with this dark cloud hovering overhead.  So to make up for it, he plays to please his murdered father. Sykes has a very good look and plays the character with a purpose, being the best he can be.  Still, he needs to find the edge, the character trait that will put him over the top.  I expect he will get better with each performance providing he stays healthy from all of his physical activity on stage.

Bert Emmett plays Ty, a spry middle-aged man in his post baseball career.  He is a man whose head is held high after an extremely successful baseball career.  He is still fighting for his legacy and through the pain of having one parent killing another. But he has his eyes wide open, always looking for the next opening in his life, shooting the gap, and sliding home, sharpened cleats in all.

L - R Kent Butler, Jason Delane, Photo:  Sherry Netherland

Jason Delane played Oscar Charleston, The Black Cobb, an infamous player from the Negro Leagues.  As the character Charleston, he wants more than anything to be known.  He is a dream in the unnatural world of death, a reminder to Cobb that he is not the only one left with a legacy. He wants justice and recognition from the one man who can give him legitimacy and he’s not going away until he gets it. This was a marvelous performance by an actor with a clear and strong voice.

Gregg T. Daniel’s direction was marvelous in many ways.  Certainly his focus is strong and he guides the actors in marvelous detail. There are strong elements to Cobb being a racist and those moments are solid and hit home.  Daniel doesn’t let us forget that there were two Americas back then, one for whites and one for coloreds. It is a point that needs to be made and he does so extremely well.  

But I think this play needs one more level and that is the supernatural level. It can be a small and effective change should the director choose to include it.  Also, I’m not sure the gun scene worked effectively to a truth that propels the story.   

At the talk back after the show, it was suggested the Georgian accents were different for various reasons.   I have many relatives in Georgia and I get a kick out of listening to them speak. My question is:  Why would one want to remove a marvelous character trait like dialect and make it less?  But these are only small quibbles.  This is a marvelous show and if you love baseball, you should go.

Chris Winfield was wonderful as Set Designer and the Lighting Design was done by Sabrina Beattie. Liz Nankin did a wonderful job as the Costume Designer.  Sound Design was by Steve Shaw.  Fight Choreographer was by Edgar Landa although I don’t remember too much fighting going on. The Baseball Coach was Greg Johnson.  The Assistant Director was Colette Rosario and the Public Relations job was by Nora Feldman. 

Richard Alan Woody is the Producer for the Group Rep, Donna Michel was the Stage Manager.  Christian Ackerman did a very fine job as the Cobb Videographer.  Sherry Netherland provided the actors stills.  

In fact, run!

This show runs in repertory with If We Are Women by Joanna McClelland Glass through April 21st 2012.

www.thegrouprep.com

Ghostlands of an Urban NDN by Robert Owens-Greygrass

By Joe Straw

Ghostlands of an Urban NDN (slang for Indian) written and performed by Robert Owens-Greygrass is an interesting mix of philosophies and musings of an urban mixed-raced American Indian. It is directed by Kevin Sifuentes and is playing in repertory with Walking on Turtle Island at the Autry in Griffith Park.

One-person shows are generally a collection that highlights the person’s walk through the journey of life. My personal preference is to see actors relate to other actors rather than one actor playing a multitude of characters in various incarnations and venues.

Still one-person shows can work. Whoopie Goldberg and Lili Tomlin have done one-person shows very successfully. On a lesser scale, Mina Olivera in “LOL Latina on the Loose” and Debra Ehrhardt in “Jamaica Farwell” have presented some amazing work.

Robert Owens-Greygrass does his own brand of storytelling and is very successful in his own right. He is a wonderful raconteur, a man on an intelligent progressive mission, and a man who wants to open your eyes to what is going on around you.  He does this on a number of levels and is very successful in many ways.  But are the thoughts of this man relevant to the destruction of Native Americans as a people?

“Listen to your dreams, they pass through the old days, these days and the days yet to come.”  Written on the walls of the set. 

“I am from a choice to live in happiness.  I am from earth living season to season. I am from a beauty way of living.”  Also, written by the wall of the set. 

Presumably these are the word of Greygrass and they are wonderful words to live by and we should see him strive to do so.  But there is a reason that he does not live by the words that he writes.

“Nephew, what caused this ghostlands? Drugs? Vietnam?”  - The Vietnam Vet. 

Missing is the through line that ties Ghostland together. The reasons why this person walks the ghostlands of today and how, in the end he has overcome the adversity.

Still, there are charming moments.  In the multi-ethnic Greygrass, the white part wants to take care of the NDN and visa versa. Everyone needs help to get by and Greygrass' inner ethnic dual personality makes no exception.

There are times when Greygrass has had problems staying clean and sober so he meets with his counselor Ernest to get help. Ernest is a marvelous character.

But other moments seem to be interrupted by improvisational thoughts that lead us on an unknown paths.   Some characters, like Angel, a teenage Puerto Rican girl who provides his first sexual encounter, do not move the story along and does not fit with the narrative.  The story must have a conflict and the conflict must be resolved.  It makes for a better relationship and helps us understand where this 15 year-old character is going.  


Another is a Vietnam vet who is not the main character of Owens-Greygrass nor is he, the nephew. Yet both of these characters play an important part in this play.  The conflict is minimal and the objective is lost without it.

There are a number of interesting characters in this play but under Kevin Sifuentes’ direction, we are not really sure which way we are going, how these characters move the play along, and even the relevance to the characters to the piece as a whole.  These are minor quibbles and can be resolved with some minor additions and a sharper focus.

And you never know about these things.  Maybe it was just an off night.  You can see some of Greygrass’ work on YouTube.  He is funny, charming, and a delightful performer in many ways.

The executive producers were Randy Reinholtz and Jean Bruce Scott.

March 1-18, 2012 at the Autry in Griffith Park

Orange Flower Water by Craig Wright

By Joe Straw

“My dreams come to me in vivid colors, sounds, and impossible situations. They are sometimes gentle and at times emotional. I dream about disasters two weeks before the disasters come to pass. In the dreams or flashes, I hear people screaming, running, and large bodies of water moving rapidly over land.

“A woman calls me a “disaster dreamer” and some one else tells me I’m part of some kind of collective unconsciousness?  What does that mean?  

“Some dreams I remember for twenty or thirty years. Those dreams are a bleb encapsulated in a moment that, in the future, becomes a reality.  I saw it in a dream, it came to pass, and I lived it, that moment. Holding a small child’s hand. I must be where I’m supposed to be, time to move on, to keep going. The strange thing is I don’t believe I’m making it happen, it just happens.  

“I thought everyone had these dreams.” – a man in therapy

Rydemption Entertainment & Moth Theatre presents Orange Flower Water, written by Craig Wright and directed by John Markland, at the Moth Theatre on Melrose in Los Angeles.  It is a remarkable presentation of adult fare with marvelous actors. This is just one more noteworthy step in the many that make up the goings-on at The Moth Theatre.

There is nothing as lonely as one person in a bedroom.  And that is where Cathy (Rochelle Greenwood) stands, alone.  She speaks a letter to her husband, the missing person among the ruffled sheets of an unmade bed. In the letter, she provides instructions on what do with the kids while she is away on a trip. But she is aware that something is wrong with their relationship.  As she finishes getting dressed, she tells him:  “presume that I love you.”

Meanwhile her husband David (Jonathan Tucker), a pharmacist and father to their three children, is about to commit to an affair with Beth (Amanda Brooks).   They have known each other for three years.  Despite this, they know very little of each other's intimate thoughts even though they’ve been conversing for years. Beth believes in God and David is a lapsed Christian.

“It’s not your job to save me from Hell!” - David   

But Beth believes being a Christian is important.  She also believes these Christian values are responsible for her dreams.  She feels it.  Sees it.  Smells it. It is orange flower water spilled by a child in the back seat of a car.  So strong is the dream that it takes over her life.  It is something she needs.  She has to have it.  And so she goes after it with little regard to her husband, her children, and her home.

David can’t believe what he is hearing and believes her thoughts are “one step short of The Shinning.”

Later, on the soccer field, David who is encouraging his children, is approached by Brad (Ryan Surratt), Beth’s husband. At first, Brad seems interested in the game but when he sees his prey, the man who may be sleeping with his wife, he has an ulterior motive.   

Brad says foolish things.  It’s part of his character and it’s the only way he knows how to get what he wants. Seeing the end of his marriage in sight, Brad is angry in his approach to life, his video store, and the way he treats others.  He taunts David.  It is a verbal onslaught of emotions and digs, jagged verbal swordplay that cuts the surface of a man already bleeding with emotional wounds.

But Brad cannot be sure that David is sleeping with his wife.  He is not smart enough or subtle in the ways he finds answers.  His approach is to give David a choice of two women and ask, which one?  And he sure as hell would like to know which woman David would like to sleep with, given a preference.  Because ultimately, he believes David is sleeping with his wife.

And on another day, a pleasant sunny barbeque kind of day, Brad finds his wife, Beth, packing her belongings in a suitcase and preparing to move out of the house.  This is the scene that cuts the deepest, in the middle of a party, with friends and family nearby. This is the burn that never goes away, and it happens with the two on the bed, unable to come to grips with their quandary. They are antipodes trying to find a solution to their unsuccessful relationship. 

“I’m the queen of romantic mistakes.  Do you really want to have this conversation?” – Beth

As much as Brad tries to stop her, Beth is walking out the door.  He tries to dissuade her by saying that David is not going to leave his kids. But no amount of pleading, begging, or violence will stop this woman or any woman from making a change she is determined to make. 

And so Brad is alone speaking his letter, that he will change, that he’s not perfect, and that he wants her to come back. It is a little, and too late.

And when it’s time for the other half to break up, Cathy wants David in the most imaginable way, so much so that he will never leave her. But while they are engaged in the throes of ecstasy, she wants to know “What’s it like with Beth?”  There passion becomes a series of accusations and sexual appeasements. When it’s over and they are face to face…

“I’ll tell the kids in the morning.” - David

The actors in this production are experienced and know the craft. It is a tremendous body of work from four fine professionals and a pleasure to witness.

Amamda Brooks as Beth impresses me with each performance.  She has the dream of orange, flower and water and she pursues the passion of her dream. Her conflict is the lives she is destroying for the sake of having the family she wants. She trusts in the higher source to get her to that dream that is eventually fulfilled.  Brooks’ work is wonderful; she has an astonishing commitment to the role and pursues her objective magnificently.

Jonathan Tucker as David is about as human as they come. As the character, he is so filled with anxiety it is almost impossible for him to stand. Every thought is a process of leaving his wife, his kids, and he is not really sure if he wants to go with another woman, buy another house, live another life. The questions keep coming but the answers are not so easy.  Tucker gives a deep emotional commitment to the role. His eyes convey a lot that he is not willing to verbally express. The ending, with his back to the audience, is incredible. Stanislavski would have been proud.

Ryan Surratt as Brad is the owner of a video store, yet it is possible that this store might not last as long as his marriage. There is an edge to this character, a seemingly non-violent one that could easily turn violent. He is an angry man with just cause to say nasty things because he cannot control his verbal expulsions. His mouth is open like a male cat catching a strong whiff of a sexual scent.  He stalks his prey to try to find answers. It’s the only way he knows how.  But beneath the nasty veneer lays a man who tries hard to provide for his family and tries to keep his family together.  Surratt’s performance is absolutely terrific.

Rochelle Greenwood as Cathy plays a choir director and her performance is brilliant! Her eyes convey a deep sympathetic charm and her physical life is commanding.  This is an actress that is not afraid to go all out when the role demands it.  Yet she is also very self-contained.  She could be tearing the hair out of the head of the other woman but she stands quietly in the rain offering her some Skittles.  And as the rain breaks across the edge of the umbrella so does the heart of this character.  Greenwood was just charming and outstanding in this marvelous performance.

Craig Wright, the writer, really does a nice job with this one-act play.  Anyone who has gone through a divorce has experienced the realities presented in this play.  The hurt is continuous and the pain is great.  The tragedy of telling your kids is better left off stage although the pain on stage is surely felt by the character.  Wright does an excellent job capturing the pain.  His writing is real, heartfelt and to the point and this is a play you will remember for some time to come.

John Markland does an amazing job as the director. There is so much going on with the characters that it is difficult to appreciate it fully in one viewing.  The movements are specific and the lives are genuine. It’s just one more visual feast from a director that gets the most from his actors and gets better with each production.  This is an outstanding job.

Ryan Surratt and Amanda Brooks are the marvelous producers on this production. 

Justin Huen does a fantastic job as Scene Designer and Lighting Designer.

The Moth is a theatre that one should be obligated to see to get a sense of style and the depth of the emotions.  It is a very interesting group of patrons that hang onto every word, every emotions, and they are flocking in droves to witness this.

Run, and take a friend whose life has been de-spoused. Through March 17, 2012

www.moththeatre.com

California Dreamin’ by Jill Charlotte Thomas

By Joe Straw

“This play, California Dreamin’, is a work of fiction.  Although it is inspired by real people and actual events, it is not, and is not intended to be, an accurate portrayal of real people, real incidents or historical events as they actually occurred” – A flyer in the program – author unknown

Growing up in the south, I was part of an international marching band.  Robert Morse, our band instructor, had a peculiar liking to “California Dreamin”.  To this day, I still think of it as a haunting melody—not really a song to lift the spirits.  It was more of a dirge for the opposing team – leave the stadium, you’re whipped – go home. 

Still it was haunting in a way that made one want to leave Tennessee and experience California.  Today, after a long and sometimes painful journey, I exist here.  

“California dreamin’ on such a winters day…”

One might, or might not believe, the actual events presented in this play but the end result remains the same.  Suspend all that you know about the Tate/La Bianca murders in 1969, free your mind, and let the fictional account of this play lead you to the events of this tragic night.  But, that is entirely up to you.   

The Met Theatre presents the world premiere of California Dreamin,’ by Jill Charlotte Thomas, directed by L. Flint Esquerra, and magnificently produced by Paul Koslo and Gabrieal Griego.  This is a monster of a show.  Skillfully written by Thomas and wonderfully directed by Esquerra, this show ends with the hair standing on the back of your neck.  

The play has a rough start but then begins to move along.  Slowly the pieces of the puzzle fit, and as the events start to unfold, the play soars magnificently. It’s been a while since I’ve been this excited about an original piece of work by a playwright who deserves recognition. This is, without a doubt, a terrifying play with tremendous potential.   

Peter Folger (John F. Goff) opens the play with a eulogy to his daughter, Abigail Folger (Ivy Kahn).  He is heartbroken. But burying his daughter does not mean this is the end.  Not wanting his daughter hauled through the mud, he enlists a private detective, Investigator MacDonald (Philip Sokoloff), to cover up any connection between Abigail, the drugs, and the murderer. MacDonald knows Abigail Folger had drugs in her system but he will do his best to keep her name out of the headlines.

It worked because the murders, to this day, are called the Tate/La Bianca murders.

“All the leaves are brown…”

A flashback to an earlier time takes us to the Haight Ashbury clinic in San Francisco where Ines Folger (Kathleen Coyne) is volunteering in a methadone clinic.  Ines meets Sunshine (Samantha Posey) and speaks to her about her drug problem.  She then hands Sunshine an invitation to a cocktail party at her home a days later.  This seems very odd, inviting drug addicts to your home and serving them alcohol, another drug. No good can come from this action.

Sunshine asks if she can bring her “friends”.

“And the sky is grey…”

Later, Ines and Peter, long divorced, wait for the guests and for Abigail (Ivy Khan) to arrive.   Peter believes inviting the Haight Ashbury drug hippies is a bad idea and wants these people to leave. Not wanting any more from these roustabouts, Peter walks away from the cocktail party.  Sunshine and her “friends” step up to the bar and get wasted.

Abigail is a no show.

“I’ve been for a walk on a winters day…”

Distraught by the sudden change of events, Ines holds her head, feels a migraine coming on, and staggers to the garden.  But, in the distance, she sees a shadowy figure, alone in the corner.  The figure prostrate on the ground is Charles Manson.  Charles uses his friendly demeanor to get acquainted. He asks for her hand and pinches a spot to relieve the headache pain.  

“The kids, they listen to me.” – Charles Manson

“I’d be safe and warm, if I was in LA…”

Comforted now, Ines suggests to her new friend, Charles, that he go to Los Angeles and speak to her daughter, Abigail. And it’s not too long before Charles finds Abigail as she and Petra (Rachel Kerbs) are trying to get a cat out of a tree. Petra insults Charles in various ways but Abigail sees a redeeming quality in this man.

“California Dreamin’ on such a winter’s day…”

Later, at the California Club in Los Angeles, Ines and Peter meet with Abigail and Petra for lunch.  Abigail is on various drugs and can hardly keep her head up. Peter scolds his daughter and suggests she cleans up her act.  Petra is embarrassed and takes Abigail away.

Manson, holding a guitar, meets Abigail at a party in a home on Waverly Drive (La Bianca’s house).   Abigail’s boyfriend, Wojciech Frykowski (Mark Deliman), is in the bathroom getting drugged out of his mind.  With Frykowski out of the way Manson moves on to Abigail.  They go through a little role-play and when Manson asks her name, she tells him her name is “McGoo.”

“You’re a pretty little smart ass.” – Manson

Not entirely comfortable, Abigail waits for Frykowski to come out of the bathroom.  Manson lets on that he knows her true identity.

“Your people sell coffee.” – Manson

Later, Dr. Flicker (Philip Sokoloff) meets with Abigail to help her through her journey of life. She has questions about her relationship with her parents, drugs, and her boyfriend.

When she gets home, Frykowski is having a pool party with bikini clad young ladies Abigail doesn’t know.  She controls her anger and runs away right into the arms of another man.  And, as bad luck would have it that space is occupied by Manson. He is playing a guitar and singing about a woman, Gibby McGoo. (Gibby is a nickname used by Abigail’s friends.)

Abigail establishes a relationship with Manson and the two of them get high together.  

Later Manson at Spahn ranch and with bible in hand, speaks to his followers about killing people saying that it’s okay since “the soul can’t be destroyed”.  When Tex Watson (Sean Andrews) questions his logic, Manson strangles him to near death.

The acting in this production is superb and sublime. The leads are engrossing and the supporting cast helps this play move along exquisitely.

Tyson Robert Turrou is fantastic as Charles Manson.  His mesmerizing portrayal of a man on the edge, complete with dark secrets, and motives only known to him. It is, in fact, an incredible performance, with many layers, taking us down the many dark secluded alleyways of his mind.  Even when he is shackled, he is terrifying.  And complete in character Turrou tops it off with a fine singing voice. Remarkable.   

Ivy Khan as Abigail Folger does some wonderful work.  She portrays a woman with money who, because of her addiction, is at the bottom rung of her social ladder.  Inebriated, or high, she doesn’t see life around her and when she finally comes down she is able to glimpse the reality around her. Try as she might, she is surrounded by people who can help her if only she would ask. But by the time she makes a decision to turn her life around, she takes the wrong hand and it is too late. Khan’s work is astonishing because she reveals the range and the capability of this woman’s life.

John F. Goff as Mr. Folger had some nice moments.  Opening night presented some problems but he eventually found his way. There is more to this role than chastising his daughter.  If his objective is to protect her daughter at all cost, he should find a way to reach that objective in ways that are more imaginative and clearer.  Still, not bad.

Kathleen Coyne as Mrs. Folger started slowly but eventually caught on.  As the character, she is clueless as to the harm she brought upon herself and her family. If her objective is to help her daughter at all cost, she should find the way in the ways the character knows how.  

Mark Deliman is delightful as Wojciech Frykowski.  As the character, he is a bugger of a man complete with Polish accent. As the character, Frykowski has dreams of becoming a famous writer but the Hollywood life keeps getting in the way. He loves Abigail and he wants to be with her but, because English is his third language, he cannot express his true love.   His idioms confuses himself, which is a wonderful characterization during the course of the play and provides us with some very witty dialogue.

Rachel Kerbs as Petra is stunning. She has a deep emotional commitment to her character and her moments on stage are charming and devilish. Her relationships to the multitude of characters are extremely solid. Her eyes give away much of her objective.  She makes the most of her time on stage. This is a fine work of art.

Philip Sokoloff has a number of roles in this production.  While Investigator MacDonald didn’t do much investigating, the conflict sets the tone for the entire production.  He was exceptional as the Guru at the Esalen Institute and as the butler who lets us know that we, as citizens, should really do more that ask into the night “Is anyone theyrrreeeeeee?” especially when there are sound of chaos around us.

Sean Andrews plays Tex Watson and Philip and does some nice work. But there is a reason why Tex is called “Tex” and his Texas drawl needs some serious work.

Rachel Longoria plays Candy and Danielle Motley plays Gypsy who are a small part of the Manson followers along with Samantha Posey as Sunshine who brings them all together.

L. Flint Esquerra does a fantastic job directing this play.  While the opening moments need work, the end will have you shaking in your boots. It is a fantastic job by a director who can add one more great body of work to his successful resume.  While not all of the objectives are solid by the time things settle down, this is one hell of a show.

Jill Charlotte Thomas has written a play that is stunning. Even the smallest life moments are wonderfully capture with witty dialogue. There are defining moments so enlightening, we become anxious to move on to the next. We know the history, seen the film, read the book but to put this out as a work of fiction is pure imagination at its finest. The scintillating characters are both well defined and confused as they move through life.

The Sound Design/Score was provided by Joseph ‘Sloe’ Slawinski.  Set and Lighting Design by Thomas Meleck was fantastic.  Costume Design by Rhona Meyers.  The Stage Manager was Laura Forst.  The Sound Operator was Joe Montiel, The Set Builder was Patricio Amores. The Technical Director was Jason Henderson and the Photography was provided by Irene Hovey.

The lyrics of “Gibby McGoo” was written by Thomas and the delightful music was written by Gabrieal Griego. 

Go and while you're at it take a misguided friend. 

www.themettheatre.com

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow in Enuf by Ntozake Shange

By Joe Straw

“The lady in blue exits stage left volm.”   “Soft deep music is heard, voices calling Sechita come from the wings and volms.” “The lady in green enters from the right volm.”

It’s probably best to ignore the stage directions and make the play completely organic from the ground up.  Stage directions in plays can be a bit of a nuisance but these are stage directions with a term I am not familiar with, “volm”. This is driving me absolutely mad and I will not continue until I find the results.  Let’s see, looking up “volm” on Google, Urban Dictionary, Dictionary.com and I get nothing.  

And then “Vomitory: An auditorium entrance or exit up through banked seating from below.  Often abbreviated to Vom.  The word dates back to Roman times, and was an architectural feature of coliseums, etc.” Thank you www.theatrecrafts.com!

Volm is probably a different spelling of the same word or a spelling from another language.  Natheless, now it is possible to go on with life, having the benefit of some extra curricular learning activity.

Dorrie Braun & The Lyric Theatre Foundation present For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow in Enuf by Ntozake Shange and directed by JC Gafford through March 17, 2012 is an extremely enjoyable production, with a wonderful cast, telling us heartbreaking stories.

When you see someone who has fallen, the simplest thing to do is to reach out and offer that person a gentle hand. And if, amid the chaos of daily life, you are the fallen, take that hand of kindness and make a connection.

“For Colored Girls…” is a play of 21 poems put together to form a cohesive anthology of women in various stages of happiness and/or major distress. It is a reaching out and laying of the hands. This beautiful ménage of poetry is definitely for colored girls who have thoughts of ending it all. And it can be said today just as it was said back in Shange’s play of 1970’s that you should not despair, “it just gets better.”   

But this production of about twenty beautiful poems is not without fault, minor adjustments of which I will mention later.

“dark phrases of womanhood of never havin been a girl” – lady in brown

The lady in brown, (Nia Witts), laments being born a woman and not having a voice or truly knowing the “infinite beauty” of her own voice.  She wants to be nurtured and handled warmly. She is a woman from Chicago.

“it was graduation nite & i waz the only virgin in the crowd” – lady in yellow

Oh, oh!  You know where this is going. The lady in yellow (Mystie Galloway) takes us on her journey of sexual awakening outside Detroit, Michigan. Her carriage, “deep dark Buick”, awaits her.  She is the sleeping beauty in a factory town in the back seat with her cousins “bobby mills martin jerome & sammy yates eddie jones & randi”.  It is the night and she has to dance. It was innocent fun that she had, speaks about, but not without some turmoil within the group that makes up the night of her carnal awakening.

“when I was sixteen i ran off to the south Bronx

cuz i was gonna meet up with willie colon & dance all the time” – lady in blue

The lady in blue (Yvette Saunders) has a slight identity issue.  It seems that her father wasn’t too sure he was Puerto Rican but there were these hints of Spanish coming from him and a reason to for her to dance “mambo, bomba, merengue”.  Willie Colon was a no-show that night and the black portion of her mixed race self came out in full glory.  But no matter, she loves to dance, and it is that night when she discovers the beat of another to move her hips to.

“i have loved you assiduously for 8 months 2 wks & a day” – lady in red

The lady in red (Darlene Bel Grayson) is adamant about ending the affair she is having. But without the flair of a two-word finality “It’s over” often proclaimed by a male counterpart, she tells this Baltimore native of the sacrifices she has made for him before she lets the hammer drop.

“a friend is hard to press charges against” – lady in blue

The poetry on the dance floor becomes a vignette about rape.

“women relinquish all personal rights in the presence of a man who apparently cd be considered a rapist” – lady in red

Culminating in a story about an abortion. 

Sechita, the Egyptian goddess of creativity and filth, is a homemade goddess and the figment of the imagination of the lady in purple (Michelle Campbell). Sechita is an aging mulatto woman with a lot of fight in her.  She is an older woman who remembers the glorious times of a quadroon ball only to find something other than what she remembered.  She puts herself together in front of a broken mirror, touching up the “gin stained red garters” but it seems she’s in the wrong place, at the wrong time, trying to buy a place not worth her time in an arena of self doubt.

“TOUSSAINT was a blk man a negro like my mama say

 who refused to be a slave

& he spoke french

& didnt low no white man to tell him nothin” – lady in brown

The lady in brown (Nia Witts) discovered Toussaint L’Ouverture in the adult reading section of her St Louis library in 1955.  At the age of eight, she carries on an affair of sorts with her imaginary friend Toussaint and runs away to Haiti. 

And again the lady in red got what she was after and at 4:30 am she tells the man who won’t get out of her bed in no uncertain terms that he has got to go.

“I usedta live in the world

now i live in harlem & my universe is six

blocks” – lady in blue

The lady in blue (Yvette Saunders) has become a victim of poverty.  Forced to live in the only place she can afford, Harlem in the 1960’s. She lives in a place of fifth, poverty, and despair.  For the six blocks she travels, she fears the destitute, throwing up a wall for self- preservation, hoping one day it will get better.  

I believe twenty poems can be a play.  It has worked in the past.  It can work today.  This production has some very fine actors doing their “stuff”.  The actors are all sizes and shapes and there is some fascinating work going on with some wonderful dances choreographed by Fernando Christopher.

Darlene Bel Grayson as the lady in red was amazing. She has a smile that lights up a room and was not intimidated to give the characters that extra oomph needed to get her to the end of the rainbow. She tells the story of Beau Willie with heartfelt compassion and this performance is a performance to watch.

Ciji Michelle Campbell as the lady in purple has some very nice moments but most remembered as the woman that had an abortion.  It is a decision that weighs on her heavily and certainly something one would think about when considering suicide.

Mystie Galloway as the lady in yellow did a nice job as the Detroit girl who loses her virginity. It is a coming of age story about a girl slightly confused about the ways of life, but nevertheless finding life in the back of a Buick.  Suggesting a slight adjustment, Galloway needs to find the objective of her character in the context of the play.  This is somewhat tricky when performing lines of poetry.  Still this is a marvelous performance.

Monica P. Quinn as the lady of orange is a bit of an optimist.  She wants to sing and dance but all the optimism is thrown out the window by the violence of a male counterpart. She is the character that moves to Harlem and views the 6 blocks of cruelty she lives and breaths as a permanent situation.  This was a very nice job.

Yvette Saunders as the lady of blue was fantastic.  She has the sultry charm of a Puerto Rican and the controlling might of a woman in a hard spot.  It was just a terrific performance and certainly one to plop your money down to go see.

Samiyah Swann as the lady in green was enchanting in the poem “somebody walked off wid alla my stuff”.  She was very clever and very funny and has an easy manner on stage. It was a terrific performance that just needed her objective to compliment the through line of the play.   

Nia Witts as the lady in brown has a very nice look to her.  She is tall and angular and has a very nice presence on stage, unique and engrossing at the same time. One particularly liked the Toussaint story. I’m not sure I got the nurse characterization because it didn’t go anywhere.  Still, she was wonderful to watch.

There are a lot of nice things in JC Gafford’s direction, the actors seemed confortable in their roles but missing is the overriding-through line of the play.  It is the intangible object the gives meaning to the play: For colored Girls who have considered suicide when the Rainbow is Enuf. One has to believe, in its simplest form, this play is for women of color who have considered suicide.  The narrative is slightly confusing when not executed with a director’s strong imaginative choice for the narrative. A clear purpose will help the actors bring life to the characters. And hopefully the finding of the narrative choice will help move this play toward that objective.  

One believes that the characters on stage have gotten to the point of considering suicide whether real, imagined, or contemplated.  Certainly there is enough drama and their conflict is real, humorous, and dangerous but I think we need to see them come to that point on stage so that the ending makes sense.

Also each actor is unique but the dialogue, written poetically, must be given the regional dialect necessary to show the characters as different and to let the audience know we are back to a character in a different place. 

It took me a long time to see Ntozake Shange’s play.  The words are colorful, beautiful, and hurt in ways that tears at the human psyche. It is 1960’s life broken down in its simplest constructive form.  This was the time when “colored girls” was the polite and politically correct term. The term still seems derogatory.  Referring to women of color seems a better fit for all races.

Josh Shaw, the Set Designer, did a fantastic job giving us a city street scene. Krystle Smith was the lighting designer but would have loved to have seen a little more of Derf Reklaw the musician giving us some great music.  Hunter Wells’ costumes were fantastic. Fernando Christopher choreography was very nice and worked well with the presentation.

One cannot view this play without being uplifted in some form or another. These women are battered and then they look up for someone, anyone, to give them that helping hand.  

Help is out there and finding help can be as easy as you want to make it to be or as hard as you are determined it will be.  Certainly, if you are looking for answers, “Colored Girls” might be the first step, the helping hand.  

Run to see this production.

323-960-1055

www.lyrictheatrela.com

www.plays411.net

www.lastagealliance.com

www.goldstar.com

New Jerusalem – The Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656 by David Ives

By Joe Straw

“I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and actions of human beings.” – Albert Einstein

What is it that attracts me to theatre? What attracted me to this production? The press release pointed to a subject matter that caught my attention.  Also mentioned were actors that I have seen in the last year or two and whose work I admire. Wonderful actors, ergo wonderful show. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out, but this time…

New Jerusalem, by David Ives and directed by Elina de Santos at the Pico Playhouse, is a magnificent show overflowing with love, betrayal, hatred, and devotion to the spiritual self. It is riveting from the moment actors step on the stage to the moment of its very tragic ending.  

Presented by the West Coast Jewish Theatre and produced by Howard Teichman at the Pico Playhouse.  It’s not that far fetched to believe this remarkable production will have some questioning their beliefs in the higher order of things. 

Natheless, the play is David Ives’s fictionalized account of one historical fact: Baruch de Spinoza was summoned to Talmud Torah on Tuesday, July 27, 1656, at the age of 23.  And there is no record of what transpired that day in the meetinghouse in Amsterdam’s Portuguese Nation.  Though we do know the result.

“Baruch de Spinoza was raised in the Dutch-Jewish community of Amsterdam in the mid-17^th century.  He came from a family of Sephardic Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity during the Inquisition, only to return to Judaism shortly before Baruch’s birth.” – Stephen Fife, WCJT Board

Our play begins behind close door where Abraham van Valkenburgh (Mark Bramhall) is speaking to Rabbi Saul Levi Mortera (Richard Fancy), an honorable chachamin, (one well versed in Jewish law) and Gaspar Rodrigues Ben Israel (Shelly Kurtz), a “parnas” of the temple congregation and merchant. They discuss the rabble-rouser, Baruch de Spinoza (Marco Naggar).  Abraham believes Baruch’s expressions and ideas are blasphemous and dangerous to the people of Amsterdam. He implores Rabbi Mortera to summon Baruch so that he can make inquiries.

The Rabbi and Gaspar say that Baruch’s credentials are impeccable.  They say he is extremely intelligent and can recite endless scripture. He is not a menace to society and is as harmless as anyone can be.  The Rabbi agrees to listen before passing judgment.

“He is a threat to the piety and morals of this entire city, and he and his ideas must be stopped. The city’s regents send you this message: Abide by our laws, adhere to the regulations governing your community or face the consequences.” - Abraham

Abraham, adamantine in manner, has some information that places seeds of doubt in their minds.  Baruch has not been coming to the synagogue, is giving little money to the congregation, and is romantically linked to a Christian. Also, he has been seen wearing buckles on his shoes. The buckles alone would have considered him to be a heretic.

But most importantly, Abraham tells Saul and Gaspar that it is strictly forbidden by the laws of Amsterdam to practice a religion against the Dutch people.  He wants to bring Baruch in for questioning and he believes that a cherem, a form of excommunication, is warranted.  The Rabbi agrees to write “Bento” the letter and Baruch will come but he will not participate in the questioning.

Later, Baruch and his friend and roommate Simon de Vries (Todd Cattell) enter a field to take note of the colors of the horizon, the shading, and the light, unaware of what is unfolding around him.

Baruch is the art student and Simon is the teacher.  Simon steps closely behind him and instructs him on the finer points of holding a brush.  And as they watch the horizon, they have a discussion of life and mathematics, the subject of which Simon does not understand. And slowly Baruch becomes the teacher.

“A man tried to stab me.” – Baruch

There is a slash in his jacket and we have learned that a Dutch cell may have been responsible. This is foreshadowing of events that will come. 

Moments later Clara van den Enden (Kate Huffman) enters his periphery.  She is the daughter of his landlord and by first glance she is clearly infatuated with him. With love on her mind first, she delivers the letter second. Although very much in love, she wants more from the relationship than Baruch can accommodate.

I’m not perfect.  I’m not good.  You’re in love with the idea of me.” – Baruch

He tells her he loves her as another person can love someone but beneath the veneer this relationship will not go beyond the point.

There are a number of individuals working behind the scenes to make sure the Dutch will not have their religion defamed, destroyed or misappropriated.  In this land, “A Jew is a resident alien.” and Jews are not allowed to defame the Dutch religion.

Baruch attends the meeting with his friend Simon.  Gaspar is there as well.  Abraham can scarcely believe his eyes the moment he meets Baruch. This is the young man that is the cause of the loud noise within the country is laughable until Baruch explains his position and then all hell breaks loose.

Mark Bramhall as Abraham van Valkenburgh gives a marvelous performance.  As the character, he is unwavering in his determination.  He does this with humor, anger, and strong conviction. We are made aware of the populace behind him urging him to stop the young man causing all the problems. Bramhall brings the historical context as a weight on his soul.   This is an exceptional performance and one not to miss.

Marco Naggar as Baruch de Spinoza is wonderful in this production. As the character, he carefully weighs his options as he listens to the members of another type of inquisition.  He listens, speaks clearly, and thinks off the cuff—always imagining the possibilities and striving toward a new way of thinking.  His downfall is in trying to explain, in three minutes no less, what has taken him years to understand.  His “Clarafication” does nothing to convince the others that there may be a truth to what he believes.

Richard Fancy is fantastic as Saul Levi Mortera.  It isn’t difficult to see that he truly loves his student so much that he believes cherem is the last resort. But after a lifetime of study, he is unable to understand the principals of Spinoza’s philosophy and instead only sees that which has been ingrained into his being.  Still, he has the weight on the country down upon him and he must take care of the small problem to help the larger populace as a whole.

Shelly Kurtz plays a marvelous character as Gaspar Rodrigues Ben Israel.  He too is skeptical of cherem. He knows this man, Spinoza, and he knows, lives, and breaths the Torah.  He also knows that he would never turn on a friend, colleague, and one of his congregational members.

Todd Cattell as Simon de Vries plays the incorruptible compassionate friend that turns on Spinoza. As the spying roommate, he copies Spinoza’s journal word for word and then implicates him by turning over the documents to his uncle Abraham. So sure is he in his Christian beliefs that Spinoza cannot be right and therefore is dangerous to the community.  Cattell is wonderful and sinister in one fell swoop.

Kate Huffman was very delicate as Clara van den Enden.  As the character, she cannot convince Spinoza that he is the right man for her.  While she doesn’t wish this nightmare on anyone, she doesn’t help his case at all by letting the truth out. She tells Abraham that they weren’t speaking of philosophy but rather religion. And she believes in her religion—the religion of goodness, and forthrightness will win them both the day.  Well, it just didn’t work out that way but Huffman was marvelous nevertheless.

Brenda Davidson as Rebekah de Spinoza plays the half sister.  As the character, she too implicates her brother as not being a good Jew but then says he should not be excommunicated. She has a very strong voice as she sat across the aisle from me and we all participate as part of the congregation.

Elina de Santos does a marvelous job as the director. She paints bold strokes of Baruch’s life in living color for one to witness. The participants may be friends or enemies, they may love or hate him all in the same breath, but in the end Baruch found what he was searching for.

David Ives as the writer has written a marvelous play that takes one back in time to witness the young life of Baruch de Spinoza. He takes us into the tormented lives of the characters and lets us experience the pain.  We feel what they have felt, the pain and suffering of the cherem.  So much love turned into destructive forces that we must accept the end result as the best result.

All of this would not been possible with the due diligence of the production staff. Diane Alayne Baker is the Associate Producer.  Tara Windley is the Assistant Director.   Priscilla Miranda is the Stage Manager.  Stephanie Kerley Schwartz was the Set Designer and the Costume Designer.  Leigh Allen is the Lighting Designer and Bill Froggatt provided the Sound Design. Kurtis Bedford was the Set Builder.

 www.wcjt.org

The Cost of The Erection by Jon Marans

By Joe Straw

My imagination runs amok with this title.  The conjured possibilities are infinite.  The play is about architects.  Knowing a lot of architects - not that enticing.  Erections - enticing.  But, wait a minute; maybe the title denotes a sexual innuendo of sorts.  The architects are men, they are sexual beings, and perhaps there will be an element of uplifting surprises.   

Everyone knows the cost of erections. They are very costly in personal relationships. Cities are built and lives are destroyed all in one enigmatic fell swoop.  

While people forge relationships and erect thoughts, ideas, and buildings, human beings try not to repeat a disgraceful episode.  For those who replay those memories there is the lingering space in the brain that says, this is what happened and I will not let that happen again. In the end nobody wants to build edifices or relationships they will come to regret later.

The Blank Theatre presents the premiere of The Cost of The Erection written by Jon Marans and directed by Daniel Henning.  Overall this is a superb show with very quirky characters and there are a lot of nice things in this comedy drama showcase.

The Blank Theatre is one of my favorite theaters in town.  I get the concept.  A black box with less than fifty seats and a very intimate setting.  Very little in the way of set, walls, a table brought in now and then and plenty of curtains in this production. It’s all up to the actors to do their “stuff”.

Susu (Robin Riker) is a rich socialite and press agent who represent architects, with one exception, her husband Mark (Michael Knight).  Today, they are celebrating the procurement of an apartment in New York City, which overlooks the Statue of Liberty. It is a beautiful empty space that needs a bathroom, decorating, and design.  (Why we need architects to design and decorate is open for discussion.)

They are celebrating their new acquisition and they’ve invited another couple to join them in their celebration.  Susu vilipends Mark and asks him not to speak at first.  She wants to control the conversation. It is a foretaste of something inherently wrong in their relationship and a brief glimpse into her controlling nature.  

She’s even got him to sign a prenuptial. True love? Ouch.

Rod (James Louis Wagner), another architect, and his wife, Brenda (Kal Bennett), join the casual party. Rod is younger, virile, and a tempting target.  He is wearing jazzy graphic tennis shoes with a brown suit.

From first introductions, one gets the feeling that Brenda and Susu don’t know each other.  This is far from the truth.  They were close friends once but have not seen each other in four years because of problems from their past relationship.   

Brenda and Rod expect to go out to dinner but wanting no distractions Susu has ordered in. Susu has set her sights on representing Rod.  After a few moments of small talk, Susu takes Rod to one side of the apartment while Mark and Brenda move to the other side. 

When the conversation turns from architects a more personal matter Rod says something inappropriate and is immediately scolded by Susu. This takes place while Susu and Rod are downstage left.

Meanwhile Brenda and Michael are upstage right, carrying on a conversation. Suddenly there is a problem and Brenda is overcome with emotion. She starts to cry.

At first, we do not know what has happened.  But as things would have it, the positions of the characters get reversed, we go back in time, and we get to see the conversation we’ve missed.

Mark takes Brenda to a secluded part of the apartment and tells her that he can flirt with her but she cannot flirt back.  His rule, not hers.  But the conversation takes a dramatic turn when he speaks about his life with Susu, their pregnancy, and the loss of their son Ian who died two weeks after his birth.

Brenda is overcome with grief and later we learn she is not able to have a child with Rod.

Susu is furious that Mark is letting out the intimate details of their lives.  But, Mark wants to try again to make a baby, something Susu does not want.  It is too painful. Try as he might, condoms or not, Susu does not want to have sex with him no matter how he begs and pleads. There are some very funny moments of Mark trying everything in the book to get some with little results.  

Later, Susu, not wanting Rod to get away, devises a plan to have him compete with Mark for the opportunity to design and decorate the apartment. As confident as she is with her husband’s ability, she feels he has lost his drive and she wants him to work harder, be clever, and excel in getting the right feel to the place.

Later, when Rod is presenting his designs of an open shower to the world to Susu, she finds the doctors report of his low sperm count.  This is a slight distraction that Rod did not anticipate.

While Rod and Mark are working hard to win this contest, Brenda becomes infatuated with Mark and starts a relationship with him that doesn’t turn out according to her plan.

There are a lot of good things to be said about this production.

Robin Riker as Susu has a lot of very nice moments.  Her slightly offbeat gold high heels with one stocking mid-calf are something I have not seen before and I found it alluring.  Her wit is charming and turns on a moment’s notice. As the character she uses her wealth as a crutch of sorts but does not let the small things get to her. She plays each architect against one another, knowing full well which one she will choose.  To her, life is a manipulative plot to get the person to work that much harder.  Her execution is marvelous.

Michael E. Knight as Mark brings a lot of humor into the show.  Knight is very likeable and offbeat.  He is the normal everyman who pleads for sex just like the rest of us. His character has moments of brilliance but there are self doubts that he is, in some respects, inadequate. He can’t have things his way.  Other people will not respond to his choosing’s. What he wants is not always what he will get but in the end he has a triumph of sorts.

James Louis Wagner as Rod has a very distinctive personality.  As the character he is strong and egotistical, and no match for the woman with all of the money. He makes up for his low sperm count with exuberance for his job.  But he seems to have doubts on his ability to create another human being and certainly more layers could have been added to this character.  As the actor his objective is not strong enough to get him what he wants.  For example, if he wants to become famous, his objective should be leading him in that direction and he should kiss whatever needs kissing in order to get it.  

Kal Bennett as Brenda has a mysterious charm about her.  Her character has an ulterior motive and it is one of sabotage simply because of her relationship with Susu. She is slightly sinister in that she wants to get back at Susu for creating havoc in her life, in the past and now in the present.   Having a clearer idea of what she wants will add to an already fine performance.

Kristin Carey plays Susu, Stephanie Czajkowski plays Brenda, Steve Green plays Mark and David Tom play Rod all in understudy roles and did not perform this night.

Daniel Henning as the director does some very fine work in this production. His artful production is clever and has a few twists.  There is a moment when we see the two men living in the space, and trying to create the idoneous grand design that will make or break their careers or, their marriage. This is a job well done by one of the finest directors working in Hollywood today.

Jon Marans the writer gives us a lot of insight into human nature, what they will do to earn the respect and admiration of those who control the purse strings.  But missing are the fine detail of the characters lives, especially the lives of the architect.  We only get a small glimpse of that life.  Also, the relationships are problematic.  While it is okay to point to an offstage life, there is a character (Brenda’s first husband) with a major role in this play and he has long since left the scene.  It is slightly confusing.  If the relationships were about the four of them, if Susu and Rod had had relationship years earlier, the conflict would have been that much greater. It also sets in motion Brenda’s objective to control that, which is uncontrollable. This gives us a meaner Brenda, a not-so-sympathetic Brenda, but a Brenda that is much more exciting to watch as the four of them play against each other.  

There is a shower scene on stage with at least one actor wearing some kind of nude underwear.  It is slightly visible due to the lighting and layers of curtains. Personally when I’m in the shower with someone, I don’t wear anything.  Call me funny.  I think modesty should be left at the stage door.

The fine producers are Matthew Graber, Daniel Henning and Noah Wyle.  The Associate Producers are Terena Cardwell, Nathan Frizzell, Rachel Landis and Stephen Moffatt.

The Set/Lighting Design is by Cameron Zetty.  The Costume Design is by Rachel Engstrom.  Ken Werther did the Publicity.  The Sound Design is by Warren Davis and the casting was by Scott David, Erica Silverman and Bob Lambert.

www.theblank.com