On Tidy Endings by Harvey Fierstein and TransMe by Rod Bramback

By Joe Straw 

Transfiguration

California State University Los Angeles and Theater Insomnia present Transfiguration a compilation of two one-act plays “On Tidy Endings” by Harvey Fierstein and “TransMe” by Rod Bramback at The Los Angeles Theatre Center.

There are a couple of reasons why I went to this play.  Number one, it is Harvey Fierstein and who or what could go wrong with a Harvey Fierstein play.  And if it’s Harvey Fierstein in the first act then the second act must be an equal compliment to the first act. (That’s what it says in the playbook.)  Also, it’s The Los Angeles Theatre Center known for its cutting edge theatre and always a delight to go there.

On Tidy Endings by Harvey Fierstein

“On Tidy Endings” starts with Arthur (Ricardo Salcido) getting his things together in his 1980’s motif Upper West Side New York apartment and is ready to move out.  He’s been living there three years with his AIDS infected partner until his partner’s death.  Now he is being forced to move.  

“I can still smell you.” – Arthur

Arthur leaves the apartment and Marion (Renée Kelly) comes in with her son Jimmy (Nick Ikovic-Frick).  Jimmy looks around and says this place gives him the creeps but Marion tells him to go into his bedroom to check and see if he’s got everything we wants.

Marion calls a neighbor and asks if Jimmy can come for a visit.

“Get a real life.” – Jimmy  

Marion has got some real work to do starting with the lawyer June (Heather Holli Oliver) who brings the documents for her ex-husband’s partner to sign. And as her legal representative June suggests that Arthur is entitled to nothing.  (Spoken like a true lawyer.)

But Marion wants to do right by Arthur.  Sure she’s throwing him out his home but at least she’s giving him half of the money.  And not mentioning the insurance money she’s getting. (How generous.)

Jekyns Peláez directs this fun little comedy with serious overtones.  But there were a lot of problems on stage this particular night. Arthur meanders on stage without an entrance, without focus, or an objective. Did Arthur really take a bite of a flower petal?  The opening moments provided little life and I immediately thought, we are in trouble here.  And generally, throughout the play, the actors moved from point a to point b without justification letting the words do all of the work. And that’s just not enough.

The performers all had some nice moments and I particularly liked Heather Holli Oliver as June the lawyer.  But this is Harvey Fierstein and actors need to rise to the occasions of his words and take creative actions from the words, from actions, and in character choices.  For one example, the teapot, Arthur and Marion should be tearing each other’s hair out to keep that teapot!

Renee Kelly as Marion has a nice look still a lot more work to be done.

Richard Salcido as Arthur has his moments.  Not bad but can go a lot farther.

Nick Ikovic-Frick plays Jimmy and not bad at all.

I realize this is college but there is enough experience here to give more thought to direction and choices, and taking those choices to the very extreme in rehearsal, using what works and throwing out the bad. 

TransMe by Rod Brumback

TransMe By Rod Brumback is a play about a transgender man Chris (Alain Thai) living in New York and disclosing to his friends that he is going to his family in Georgia to come out.

When he gets there, his family and friends are just as wacky as he is and, in the end, the play ends happily.

Even theatre of the absurd makes a point. What starts out fine in Rod Brumback’s play about a man coming to terms with his sexuality ends in disaster.  I don’t know if Mr. Brumback has ever been to Georgia but I can assure him that Georgians don’t throw plates of food on the ground so their adopted kids can eat from them, nor do Georgians behave at a dinner the way these people behaved. (I had to turn away at one point when an actress was taking a fork and… never mind.)  Even theatre of the absurd makes its point.

Actors should really consider the material before they decide to take a part in a production that will compromise their career.  And the fact this is a professional venue should not matter in this equation

Whitney LaBarge, the director, takes us to new uncharted territories.  I would suggest she venture to Santa Monica Boulevard, the theatre district, and look at what other directors are doing.  Thursday nights are pay-what-you-can nights in most places.  She has a lot to learn.

That said Alain Thai, as Chris, does a nice job. Christina Estrada, as Mika, and Melanie Reese (Kai) turn in respectable performances.  

Rebecca Laurel plays Clementine.

Alicia Tycer plays Blanche the matriarch with a Georgian accent (unknown to me) but did a respectable job.

Evan Tamayo plays Big Daddy and what’s not to like about this actor.

Patrick Mac as Uncle Sky seemed to have his act together and knew exactly what he was doing the entire time he was on stage. It’s unfortunate he was in this play but maybe he will learn from this experience.

Michael LeRoy plays Beaumont and it’s probably wise not to let people know that you gave up a “career as stockbroker to pursue acting full time.”  There’s too much ammunition there.  Just being mean on stage doesn’t get you anywhere.  But, being mean with an objective gets you everywhere.

Borna Shokat Moghaddam (that will never fit on the billboard) plays Mango the butler.  I loved his voice and quiet manner and he did very well this night.

Kristina Price, Janessa Floyd, and Sommer Zetter play Child 1, Child 2, and Child 3 respectively.

Other members of the production crew are as follows: 

Susie Castillo - Stage Manager

Heather Fipps - On Tidy Endings, Scenic Designer 

Bob Runningfox Gurule - TransMe Scenic Designer

Jessica Morataya - Lighting Designer 

Ted Greenberg - Sound Designer/Operator 

Kimberly Mendez - TransMe Costume Designer

James Yi - Porp/Light Board Operator

Tony Bracamonte - Assistant Costume Designer

Mike Alva - Assistant Costume Designer 

Ya Gao - Assistant Scenic Designer 

The Shawl by David Mamet

By Joe Straw

One very bright afternoon, my then-brother-in-law took me to a woman in the valley because she channeled Doctor Peoples, who was dead but still around, eager, willing and ready to give advice.  This woman was a “genius” according to him. We were invited into her living room, a room with chairs and very little furniture along with six very confused women.

My then-brother-in-law handed her some money and then he began shaking his head back and forth, like there was something wrong with his neck, absorbing all she/he had to offer, I guess.   

I found out Doctor Peoples lived in the 1800 or 1900’s.  And the strangest thing that Doctor Peoples said when answering questions was:  “God bless you indeed.” I don’t believe doctors spoke like that in the 1800 or 1900s.  I wasn’t buying it, at all. It wasn’t even good acting. For the love of God, give me some truth and minimal ambiance!

After about 147 “God bless you indeeds” and in-between questions answered, the phone began to ring, and ring, and ring, and ring, and this woman, still in a Doctor Peoples trance, looked back and forth toward the phone and suddenly said, “I wonder if I should get that? Oh no, they’re gone.”  - Narrator

The Shawl written by David Mamet presented by Rydemption Entertainment & Moth Theatre Company, directed by Ryan Surratt at The Moth is a wonderful rendition of Mamet’s 1985 play. 

And The Shawl is intriguing on a couple of different fronts.  Surratt reversed the gender roles.  This reversal is very effective and conveys the meaning of Mamet’s work without losing anything in translation. Miss A becomes Mr. A, John becomes Joan, and Charles becomes, well, Charlie.   And I also liked it that the play begins with an introduction to all of the characters in a moment of frozen time and space to give us a hint this is going to be something different.  

Mr. A (Ryan Surratt) comes to see a psychic Joan (Lili Bordan) about the death of her mother and the problems he is having with her estate. Joan, placidly staring, speaks about a rhythm of in their lives and a cleaning of the mind.

“…You’ve come to me for help.  You wish me to resolve your “problem.” First, though, you would like me to inform you what that problem is.” - Joan

In the backroom is Charlie (Liz Guest) listening in on all of the finer details of swindling money from people who believe this stuff.

Mr. A really wants to believe Joan can speak to her mother. But he is skeptical at first so there is a struggle of ideas and thoughts until little things start to click.  

“You said “a scar.” – Mr. A

“That is correct.  That is another time.  A fall. But now:  think back to … a time of physical danger.” – Joan

“A… I don’t …” – Mr. A.

“Yes? (pause) What? – Joan

“Where is this scar?” – Mr. A

“It is on your left knee.  What is it?” – Joan

“Oh… “ Mr. A

“Yes?” – Joan

“I don’t have a scar there.”  – Mr. A

“You are quite wrong.” – Joan

Mr. A is certain there’s no scar there but Joan asks him to look anyway. And, like a man, he lifts his left pant leg getting it no higher than his calf and then hurriedly unbuckles his belt and drops his pants below his knee and finds a scar.  

After Mr. A leaves, Charlie, walking around in her underwear and with a sinister smirk on her face, is eager to learn how Joan does it. And to celebrate, Joan pours scalding tea out so they can talk about her magic.  Joan downplays her work, a lot of common sense and a few choice words.  It’s really not magic, just experience and research.

But there it sits, the tea, another mystery for this couple who had nothing to eat or drink earlier in the morning. Where did the tea come from?

Joan explains that she smiled at the grocery boy and opened up an account at the store. And Charlie, a bit flustered wants the money, but doesn’t come right out and ask for it.   Charlie wants to know when there will be money.

Unfazed by this grilling, Joan is looking at the big picture, the big payoff, while small-minded Charlie is looking for immediate satisfaction and gives Joan an idea about getting the money away from Mr. A.  And Joan wants her relationship with Charlie to work out and lets her in on the secrets of her trade.  But, there is only one thing that is not explained.

The Moth, once again, supplies complete satisfaction with David Mamet’s The Shawl. Ryan Surratt’s direction is sublime and the cast shines throughout. It is a quiet night of theatre, a night of quiet passions and quiet desperations cumulating into an inflamed passionate night without the hysteria. It is a wonderful night of honest emotional work. 

Ryan Surratt is incredible as Mr. A.   There is a very deep level of concentration in his work that carries him through wonderful moments throughout the play, and with a single-minded purpose to get what he wants. As the character he is brought to this moment in time, suffering mentally, and wanting complete metaphysical satisfaction. Still he doesn’t come in with a completely open mind and so he test his counterpart to make sure she is what he hopes she is.  Still, hands clasped, he desperately clings for the sign that will make his life and jumps on it the moment he finds it.

Lili Bordan plays Joan and is magnificent as well. Last seen in The Blue Room as the French maid, I thought that performance was more suited for film.  Watching her in this production, her voice is a lot stronger, and her character had many layers. There was thoughtful immobility to her action, a stare, letting the action come to her, not forcing the moments and finding a way to overcome the raging conflicts all around her. Still she speaks, all with a silent deferential, a way of thinking, of bringing out a truth until she finds a truth for resolution. She has a humanitarian passion and will let nothing or anyone get in her deceptive ways. A strand of hair hangs in front of her face, creating the only physical obstacle of her entire being this night.  She is quick to use her wit to find a way to get what she wants.  Bordan is marvelous.

Liz Guest plays Charlie and does some very fine work. She is statuesque and menacing with her physical presence.  And to top that off, she brings with her a lower class New York accent.  (Not sure why it was New York, but there you go.) There were a lot of physical things she did which could have been played differently, especially with her male counterpart (The footsies, handsies, fingers along side of the arm, only served to aggravate Mr. A and not progress the scene.) She comes off as a hustler, ready to walk the streets in search for money for food and this costs her dearly.   These are nice physical actions, but not sure if it forces her counterpart to do what she wants. Still, Guest provides many provocative moments.   

The Shawl by David Mamet is a wonderful one act with three characters that are extremely selfish wanting what they want when they want it. Mr. A is constantly testing Joan and his methods are deceptive.  Joan is willing to help but only looking for the big payday.  Still she needs help getting it. Big paydays require support and she will take that support any way she can get it. Charlie, on the other hand, wants immediate satisfaction and she wants to learn the tricks of the trade.  Who knows, she might want to stop turning tricks and get into a real profession.  Mamet gives strong voices to all of the characters.  The other characters have names except Mr. (Miss.) A.  Maybe the psychic knows the name and should not have to ask.

Justin Huen is the Lighting Designer, which was minimal and very effective.  And Lucinda KWH Jan is the stage manager.   

Run and take a psychic who knows her craft.  It could make for a very interesting evening.

Through May 31, 2013

www.theshawl.brownpapertickets.com

The North Plan by Jason Wells

Kerry Carney

By Joe Straw

Rex 84, short for Readiness Exercise 1984, was an alleged secretive "scenario and drill" developed by the United States federal government to suspend the United States Constitution, declare martial law, place military commanders in charge of state and local governments, and detain large numbers of American citizens who are deemed to be "national security threats", in the event that the President declares a "State of National Emergency".  - Wikipedia

The North Plan written by Jason Wells and directed by David Fofi presented by Elephant Theatre Company in its Los Angeles Premiere is a fast-paced, overlapping dialogue, prodigious show with wonderful performances by an astonishing cast who will have you on the edge of your seat!  And the ending will have you begging for more.  

Run to see this production!

It’s as funny as it is terrifying. As I’m sitting there, I’m anticipating the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA to come, armor vehicle and all, breaking through the door, shutting it down, taking out the last gel, and telling us all to go home, or taking us to a detention centers without reading us our rights and calling us enemy combatants.  Guantanamo, here we come.  

Steppenwolf Theatre’s First Look Repertory of New Work (in Chicago) ran The North Plan as a workshop production in 2010 and Theater Wit gave it a full-scale production in 2012.   It was rumored that Steppenwolf thought this show too provocative.  They loved it but hesitated to produce it. Instead they recommended the play to David Fofi.  Fofi, likes cutting edge theatre, and picked a winner with this play. It is something you’d expect from The Elephant Theatres in Hollywood.

Set in a police station in a small town in southern Missouri, Tanya Shepke (Kerry Carney), being the good loudmouth Samaritan that she is, turns herself in for being drunk the night before.  Since no good deed goes unpunished, they throw her in the slammer, completely sober, for bad behavior.  

Tanya, with her brazen impetuosity, is up in arms about her incarceration, and will not give her jailer, Shonda Cox (Bernadette Speakes), the administrative officer, a verbal break.  Untrammelled, she spews forth a language so foul and loud one would think she was a chief executive officer.   (Think Meg Whitman on a good day.) 

But Tanya has a purpose; she needs to get out now because her in-laws will get custody of her children.  And she also doesn’t want her ex-husband, the man who tried to kill her in the bathtub, near her kids.  

Meanwhile Chief Swenson (Stan Roth), the low-keyed but smart sheriff, has arrested Carlton Berg (Chris Game) on a routine traffic stop, but finds out he is wanted by the Department of Homeland Security. He throws him in a cell across from Tanya.

Chris Game

Carlton is an irascible detainee and adamantly demands his phone call.  But that’s not going to happen. They want him interned until DHS gets there.

Now, Carlton feels the seriousness of his situation and suddenly believes he is not going to survive. He pleads with the Chief Swenson to call the State Department. 

Looking across the room at the other cell, Carlton spots his only hope, Tanya.  And while the Chief and the assistant are out of the room, he tells Tanya that he works for the State Department, that something is going on of extreme national emergency, and everyone is being arrested. He has an enemy’s list that needs to get to a friend.

At first, Tanya doesn’t buy his story. She flips him off and tells him that he’s certifiable. 

“I’m glad you don’t work for the government.” – Chief Swenson

“I’ve have the right to remain silent which means I can talk.” – Tanya

Shonda, the administrative assistant, leaves and Carlton knowing that Tanya will soon get out, confides to her that he has important information on his laptop computer.  He wants her to get his computer and take it to Eldar in Houston.

“Tanya, you will get out.” – Carlton

Now Tanya feels she’s in a pretty good position. Seeing the severity of the situation through Carlton’s incessant and at times incoherent babbling, she decides she wants more money, $50,000 and a pardon from the President.

“I want a pardon like Patty Hearst.” - Tanya

Shanda, hearing this, wants in on this action.

 “I am a poor white girl. Gotta get paid and don’t get all Jewish on me.” – Tanya

“You’re not a Jew are you?  (pause) An F**king Jewish fag.

All of the characters are worthy delegates for revolutionary propaganda.  And the actors are marvelous in their roles.  Do not miss this opportunity.  

Kerry Carney is magnificent in the role of Tanya Shepke.  Tanya is not a mellifluous character; she is a foul mouth creature, who finally wakes up to see the world around her.   She has a lot of problems, divorced, battered, and possibly an alcoholic.  But something happens while she is in jail, she is made aware of the circumstances around her, and she realizes she has to act fast if she can overcome the miserable life she is living now.  Carney has completed the character, the growth from moment to moment is remarkable, and she is wonderful in this role.  A perfect fit and a job well done.  

 L - R Dominic Rains, Bernadette Speakes

Bernadette Speakes is also marvelous in the role of Shonda Cox.  What appears to be a portrayal of a typical government official becomes something much more with many layers and funny moments. As the character Shonda, she has toiled wearily at this job, rising no higher than an administrator.  She deserves more but she is afraid to go after it. Speakes does a fantastic job getting what she wants.  

Stan Roth as Chief Swenson is a little low key for my tastes.  But the Chief, with all this energy around him, meticulously stays on task. Roth brings a sincere truth to the role, he is sagacious, and is not easily pushed around. He is somebody you want around when other people start taking the law into their own hands.  This was a very nice job.

Chris Game does a fantastic job as Carlton Berg. Berg is a man who is mixed up in something that is out of his control.  He knows whom he is dealing with and he tries to save himself by getting all of this information out of his head.  But it’s too much for all the others to follow and they look at him as though he were crazy.  There is a moment when Berg realizes his impotent despair.  He lifts his arms holding the bars above his head.  His thoughts are inscrutable but he finally is able to get his wits about him.  Game is perfectly suited for this role and does a marvelous job.

Salvator Xuereb is superb as Dale Pittman, a not too smart lead partner of the Department of Homeland Security. Xuereb is extremely funny.  It is a performance with marvelous details in character.  He is there not only as the leader but as an advisor as well, taking any moment to explain the job, the finer details to his younger subordinate counterpart.  He has a tenacious vitality and play-by-the-book mentality about him.  Even going so far as to wait for the official memo that is faxed to him. There is not a wasted moment in Xuereb’s portrayal.    

John Forest plays Bob Lee, the other ditsy partner from the Department of Homeland Security. As the character, Lee does not want to be left out as he keeps reminding his partner to not say “I” but “we”.  We did this.  We did that.  Not you. We. It’s pretty obvious that he has higher ambitions but does not have the wherewithal to get there. Try as he might there is a physical wretchedness to his character of wanting to be the best, but he is easily confused. Forest does a fantastic job in a role filled with humor.    

Jason Wells has written a remarkable comedy with very serious undertones. It is a calamitous near future elucidation of a small town, caught between the vice of national security, suffering miserable indignities by overreaching agents with a scornful disregard of humanity.  And, also, how a simple action can turn an unwitting person into a revolutionary. This play is a precise mechanism of intelligent design.  It takes a critical look at our national security system and satirizes it to show that our national security has proliferated like a deadly plague: one that shows little results and offers no accountability.   The language is not suitable for all but works well in the context of this play.  This is an outstanding play.

David Fofi, the director, does a remarkable job of having us look at national security and treating it with so much humor we forget why we are spending so much money on security that may or may not work.   At present, it looks like it’s in a sad state of classified disrepair.  That aside, Fofi does marvelous work guiding the actors and making the most of marvelous moments on stage. There is a lofty simplicity to Fofi’s work as moments are defined and structured, beautifully created, and then seized to carry us forward to the next unpredictable moment.  

Dominic Rains also plays Dale Pitman and Gregory Hoyt plays Bob Lee but did not perform the night I attended.

Marvelously produced by Lindsay Allbaugh.

Joel Daavid did a great job on the Set Design.  And like the characters, who are three dimensional, the set was like a living breathing part of the show. There was life going on in the front office in the first act and some king of heinous acts happening in the cell, in the back room, in the second act,  and all of it played magnificently as the actors lived and breathed the space.   And I might mention that all of this was going on in clear view of the Stars and Stripes.   

Matt Richter was responsible for the Lighting & Sound Design.

Michael Mullen, Costume Design, was pitch perfect. Everyone looked the character and Mullen was responsible for the great small town look and small time feel even to the smallest detail.  

Rebecca Schoenberg was the Stage Manager.

Ken Werther was the Press Representative.

Run!  Run!  Run!  And take a friend who works at the Department of Homeland Security if you can find him or her.

"THE NORTH PLAN"

April 27 - June 1, 2013

The Elephant Space

6322 Santa Monica Boulevard

(One Block West of Vine)

Hollywood

www.ElephantTheatre.org

Reservations:  855-663-6743

One White Crow by Dale Griffiths Stamos

Rob Estes, Jane Hajduk

By Joe Straw

The psychic took a look at her hand and ran out of the building.  We watched her dry heaving from the window until she could compose herself and come back in to finish the session.    

My wife knew she was sick.  She had discovered a lump on the inside of her right leg. Still she waited for the insurance - which was just an “okay” away.  

But, in 1994, while she waited, she continued to work as the tele-sales manager for LA Phil/Hollywood Bowl when she came upon these incredible box seats at the Bowl, generally reserved for “special clients”.  She sold them to a well-known television/movie celebrity. He was so grateful that he promised to repay the favor.

That same year, I was hired to work on “Silk Stalkings” a television series in San Diego and was commuting on the weekends.

She left LAPhil when her boss refused to provide her with medical coverage and she subsequently checked herself in at County USC Medical where she was diagnosed as having stage 4 cancer.

Then the cancer started to get worse. The treatment wasn’t working.  I quit my job at “Silk Stalkings” to take care of her until she died, January 5^th, 1995.

I can imagine her right now, smiling, holding a cigarette with one hand, and sipping on a Dewar’s and water with the other, and thinking about the irony.  Me stepping into this theatre, where one of the stars of this play was in the television show “Silk Stalkings” and the celebrity who did not repay the favor was a member of that audience.  

It’s funny how things work out.  I wonder if she was trying to tell me something.  All in all, this was a night of strange coincidences, and a night to let go.  – Narrator

Edgemar Center Of The Arts presents The World Premiere of One White Crow by Dale Giffiths Stamos, directed by Deborah LaVine, and produced by Alexandra Guarnieri.

Judith Knight (Michelle Danner) is doing rather well.  She is a psychic who speaks to the dead, no that’s the wrong term; she listens to what they are saying and passes the information along. And she gets paid for it on a highly successful television show. (Think Ghosts meets Oprah.)

But this day is different.  Those who are no longer bound by earthly delights need their information to be distributed. And Judith hears something and is able to tap into a psychic faucet.  Or so she says.   

Judith, by way of a voice she hears, invites Teresa O’Neil (Jane Hajduk), a well-respected journalist, to interview her because she wants to get things (about her life) out in the open and she has a secret to impart.  Teresa, turns off her recorder, and lets her know right off the bat that she doesn’t believe in Judith’s mumbo jumbo psychic stuff.

“Why me?” – Teresa

“I can’t tell you just yet.” – Judith

Teresa starts to walk out on the interview until Judith says that her deceased father, a world-renowned scientist, Robert O’Neil, came to her. In fact, Judith says the profile is her father’s idea. He has something to say to her but she asks for 24 hours.  

In her heart of hearts, Teresa can’t walk away from this.  She gives Judith the benefit of a doubt, opening her mind, albeit the tiniest sliver, to the possibilities that Judith listens to the dead.  

While Teresa is in town, she enlists the aid of Alex Rimbaud (Rob Estes), a childhood friend and former protégé to her father. Alex, now a television skeptic with his own show, has all the charms and the wherewithal, to move mountains. 

Despite Alex’s sententious remarks, Teresa is still smitten with her former crush.  It’s as though they have never been apart.  Odd, but as their faces and lips move close together, she still sees herself as the gaudy college kid. Never mind that she’s a beautiful and confidant, and a well-respected journalist.  (Of course, this is off the record.)

But I think they both want to know if Judith is the real deal.

Alex says there is a natural explanation for everything and he will help her anyway he can. (Wink, wink.)  One would think Alex is as much of a charlatan as Judith.

Teresa, investigating her subject, finds information and tries to discredit Judith.  But Judith is unfazed by others recognizing the flaws in her character.   Judith walks into the room eating little tiny cupcakes and tells Teresa that she suffers from depression as most artist do, but she is not the con artists people make her out to be.

Teresa, with accumulated research, wants more information on the fired whistle-blower.  He is spreading malicious gossip about microphones under the seats in Judith’s audience. And Teresa despises her trickery.  But Judith has a rational explanation, the microphones were already there before she moved in and the whistle blower had been fired for being an alcoholic and is an unreliable witness.

Later, after a night of drinking, Alex tries to light the flame again but after a discussion about Teresa’s father, Teresa asks Alex to leave.

First of all, I loved the first act and was hanging on every word of Dale Griffiths Stamos’ play, as were most of the audience members.  She weaves an intricate story of fact and fiction, truth and lies that play upon the emotions of those who believe and those who do not.   But the things that work great in the first act falls somewhat short in the second. I just didn’t get it the denouement about the book “Contact” by Carl Sagan.  (Sometimes you have to hit me over the head with the denouement.) Something was missing, or it was just an off night.  Another thing missing is the emotion imbalance.  Those moments of truth realized that tears down the walls of whatever barrier there is between two characters.  

“So your Dad was right.” – Alex Rimbaud

“Of course he was but I didn’t have to like it.” – Teresa

There was so much in that line that I immediately fell in love with Jane Hajduk and that contemptuous smile at that exact moment.  It was just the right touch in a very fine performance. One could go down a checklist of her characters traits that rang true, journalist (check), daughter (check), non-believer (check) and an implacable seeker of the truth. When questioned, she finds the truth, and the truth has a dramatic effect on her entire being.  Giving us more of that would only add to an already delightful performance.

L - R Jane Hajduk, Michelle Danner

I always enjoy watching Michelle Danner.  She brings a simple truth to the role that is reflected in her voice and movement.  And I couldn’t help but think one more layer in the trance would give the audience a little extra something to go along with a very simple and nuance performance. Still, all in all, a very exciting performance.

Rob Estes has a lot going for him playing Alex Rimbaud.  Good looks, nice jacket, able to get the girl kind of guy, all of those things except a clear objective. Okay, he wants the girl.  But why? One more notch in his belt? And why is he single? And why doesn’t he make his point clear about fake psychics?  Look, the reality is if Alex really wants something, he has to prove the other person is wrong beyond doubt.  If there is doubt, there is no proof.  His incongruous ideas and his moral nihilism had as much validity as the psychic’s ideas. There’s no question, I enjoyed Rob’s performance, but I think there is another layer or two, or three to his character. (First on the list is to take the hands out of the pockets and use them to get what you want.)

There are a lot of nice things in Deborah LaVine direction. There is a sincere focus in moments that catapult our characters in different directions.  Some things I found puzzling were the stage movements where character run off in various directions without focus.  And probably what’s left out is the mystical factor, the Ouija factor, putting your hand on the thing because you know it will move.  I think what we need to believe is the dead is really speaking to Judith. And the effect it has on Judith, the effect it has on the listener, and it must have a stronger mystical impact for the actors and the audience.  

Alexandra Guarnieri wonderfully produced this play.

The Stage Manager is Treg Van Dyke. 

Set Designer, Travis Thi, has created a heavenly set.  It is almost as though we have stepped over.  But, there are large curtains that interrupt the projections on the wall and from my vantage point almost impossible to see the projection.

The Lighting Designer is Jeremy Pivnick.

Run and take non-believer.  You’ll have wonderful discussions on your trip home.  

Reservations:  www.edgemar.org

Or Call:  310-392-7327