By Joe Straw
Meet Mr. Rogers, an intellectually gifted scientist and a-not-so recent
transplant from the farthest reaches of Halifax, England, who chooses to live
his life in the confines of a tiny home in Nowhereville, USA, paid for by the generous
subventions of his work, The Conservation Corporation.
For now, Mr. Rogers is blessed with an exceptional wife, Mrs. Rogers,
and two neatly groomed well-behaved seven-year old kids. But upon closer
inspection, the beautiful Mrs. Rogers’ eyes reveals little. Her gaze is an
impenetrable door, sealed to keep back the horrific secrets of her past, which
are lock away in her prefrontal cortex.
Whether real or imagined, the sealed horrors reveal themselves in the illustrated
pages of a child’s book.
Mr. Rogers’ idyllic life, as he knows it, is nearing its final inescapable
conclusion and in the sanctity of his own home, a truth emerges that will destroys
their lives in Mr. Rogers’ not-so-quiet, and not-so-friendly neighborhood.
I don’t remember certain details. It is a reason I take notes. And take a
photograph of an empty set, so I can remember some of those details and then
write about it. A photograph tells a thousand tales.
Some productions don’t provide pictures of the set but there
is an audience out there that loves professional photos of the set and even some
not so professional.
I’m not a bad person, and don’t mean to infringe on any
“copyright material”. Frankly, I didn’t
know an image of a darkened set is “copyright material”. Perhaps putting the set behind a curtain
would solve the problem of pesky patrons like me, taking pictures of the set before
the performance.
So, when I was told not to take photos because the set was
“copyrighted material,” it sent me to a place where I do not want to go, deep,
dark, far below the surface of my normal pleasant exterior.
People who want to control the image and therefore the
message, irks me. I am not alone.
“You see what sendin’ out those negatives waves did Moriarty?” – Oddball
(Donald Sutherland) – Kelly’s Heroes
“I am press.”
“Yes.”
“I am press.”
“Yes.”
Everyone else at the beautiful Hudson Theatre was nice: Why
couldn’t that one extra person with the Stepford Wives eyes be nice as well?
And as I think about it, maybe this was a way of demonstrating
the message of this production, of someone else putting me in my place, controlling
the message, controlling the image. It
doesn’t mean that I like it. I don’t. I
will have my revenge, some day, not today, but one way. And, intentionally or not, I am now part of
this glorious production that is D is for Dog. Thank you!
The Rogue Artists Ensemble presents D is for Dog written by
Katie Polebaum and directed by Sean T. Cawelti is a marvelous production, with
video effects, puppetry, and tricks that project out from a myriad of closets and
doors. This production pays particular
attention to the mechanical details of the show, the light cues, video cues, sound
cues, and music cues. In its simplicity,
it is one of the most jarring, eye-opening productions I’ve seen in a while and
says a lot about what is going in Los Angeles theatres and in our nation today.
The play starts of in 1950’s commercial motif. Mrs. Rogers (Nina Silver) has her hand on the
doorframe waiting to make her entrance.
She projects herself onto the floor in a song and dance pleasantness of her
life, doing all the things she needs to do to prepare her family for the day
including pouring the perfect cup of Maxwell House coffee.
Her husband, Mr. Rogers (Guy Birtwhistle), takes the cup of
coffee, drinks it, and with a twinkle in his eyes proclaims it the best.
Tomorrow is the birthday of the Rogers twins, Dick (Michael
Scott Allen) and Jane (Jane!) (Taylor Coffman).
The year is 1955, they will be seven years old, and they are excited as
they munch on the perfect plate of Aunt Jemima pancakes, made by their perfect
mother, with their perfect father, a scientist, going off to work at the
Conservation Corporation.
Only they don’t eat.
Not really.
“Science working for a better tomorrow.”
“Conservation Corp – a better future.”
And before Mr. Rogers goes off to the Conservation Corporation,
they each take a white pill that will put “pep in their step.” But it does not really work for Jane (Jane!),
something goes wrong with her wiring, and she needs another pill to control her
moods.
The children go though the protocol of describing Lesson 143
the “Great War”. The lesson is indoctrination
about how life used to be, a miserable existence of never ending wars
culminating in the destruction of civilization from days gone bye.
But, now things are better.
The sun always shines. The
weather is always agreeable and life is oh so 1950’s nice.
But can things be that nice when they take off their clothes,
open the closet door and get zapped for their morning protocol? Catching ultra-violet rays means they are not
getting any sun or the vitamin “D” they need. Something is definitely wrong.
After their protocol, they get out their toys and play in
the dining room until it is time for bed and their bedtime story from Mrs.
Rogers. But the kids don’t like mom’s
story. There is no truth to the words,
she’s not really reading from the book, and puts their name in place of the
characters in the book. It is totally boring – for the kids. They want their father stories that are real,
with real things, and real animals. So
exciting.
Dad knows. He knows
the truth.
Coming home at night, Mr. Rogers hears the phone rings. He answers it to be told that “she” is
getting worse. Rogers advises that she be given more “blue pills” and he will
see her tomorrow.
The mystery of the “she” will be revealed later, or not.
Dick and Jane (Jane!) greet their father. They want a true bedtime story with real animals.
Mr. Rogers takes the lamp from the table, takes off the shade, and projects
real animals on the wall, and as he creates the shadow of a zebra, the zebras suddenly
are projected on the wall and come to life in a fantastic video art display.
But, the kids want more.
They want proof that animals are real.
Wanting the best for his kids, Mr. Rogers makes contact,
through the use of an old fashion phone and an ipad, with other beings and
makes a deal to secure a book on animals.
Of course, “They” want something in return, “They” always
do.
The next day starts with the same routine except it’s the
kids’ birthday and everyone promises this will be the best birthday yet.
But, then, things start to go horribly wrong. The phone rings and they are all terrified to
answer it. Because Mrs. Rogers is afraid
of the truth and this idea starts with a small crack and turns into large
fissure.
And then “They” come.
One cannot determine how “They” have found their way, how they’ve
adapted, and what their purpose will be.
We only know “They” are stronger than their weak friends who live where
they live and “They” are horribly disfigured for living in a place that is not
kind to their being.
D is for Dog has a marvelous cast and it may be a good idea
to turn away here because I’m going to write about the cast without giving away
too many details. If you are intrigued, go!
Guy Birtwhistle
plays Mr. Rogers. This little dig in the
first paragraph about being transplanted from England is a poke to Birtwhistle’s
roots and his pronunciation of a few words. But it is a marvelous performance
nevertheless. As the character Mr. Rogers, I believe wants the best for his
kids and his wife. Or does he? They are the curse of his actions whether his
actions were intentional remains to be seen. But why would the character risk
everything to give his kids a glimmer of truth?
Because they weren’t really his kids?
Because they weren’t kids?
Because he wanted to move on? Also,
for the want of truth he has discovered something, a way to contact with those
living above ground. It is something he
needs, his children need, a truth; any truth will do, something tangible and
not controlled. For some reason, he really didn’t seem so broken hearted in the
end. Everything is gone, gone. And what has he to show for it? Nothing.
One has to marvel at Birtwhistle’s performance, the subtle nuance that
captures a moment that turns the relationships into chaos. It is marvelous performance. (http://guybirtwhistle.com)
Nina Silver grabs
Mrs. Rogers by the throat and never gives an inch. As the character and in her motions, she is
so robotic that one forgets there is a confused human being underneath her
exterior. Caught in a nightmare of epic proportions,
she seems unable to wake up to the cold reality and once she finally does she
doesn’t know how to deal with it. Everything can’t be Donna Reed, there’s trash
on the table and dirt on the floor and the happy homemaker mom doesn’t realize
that it’s there nor does she have the compunction of pick it up. I believe more
has to be made of the discovery of the book, because without this moment as her
wake up call, we as an audience cannot grasp the complexities of her character
and we need that moment. It’s a small thing to add to a wonderful performance.
Michael Scott Allen
plays their seven-year-old son, Dick.
(If he was seven years old.)
Allen did a fine job of a small boy but did he really fight hard enough for the
truth? And when he finds it and presents it to his mother, did he want
something from her? And because he found the truth he got a little more than he
bargained for. His performance is
terrific. (michaelscottallen.com)
Taylor Coffman
plays Jane (Jane!). Her performance is
delightful and very professional as she hit a lot of the right notes. As the
character, she is slowly coming out of her fog.
She understands something is not right, not right with her, not right
with the family. So she fights to get
out of her predicament only to be seen as not being compliant and then she is
force to take another pill so that she is compliant. Try as she might she can’t
break free of the 1950’s and in the end she is dealt a sad blow. Poor Jane (Jane!). Coffman is marvelous! (taylorcoffman.com)
Matthew Patrick Davis
plays The Voice and gave the play the sinister sound one likes to get from
plays like this. This was a very nice
job.
Heidi Hilliker
plays the Visitor and the Dog. The
visitor is the “They” referenced above. The visitor is the puppet you read
about when you read about this play. Hilliker did a very fine job and created a
nice relationship with her counterpart. Man and wife – always at odds.
Benjamin Messmer
plays the other Visitor and the Corporation Employee. I thought it was a grand job that needed
something extra. This Visitor needed a backstory. He needed to bring his recent
past with him to the present. One of the fascinating things about the Visitor
is that he has taken upon himself to live in pain, dehydrated to skeletal
remains, to live in the elements of their own making. The tragic dirt of their
environment influences his quality of life and he can take anything thrown at
him except the pain. He wants something and must not stand by while the other
person gets it for him, or not. He must quickly get it. He’s bringing something and He wants his
reward. Messmer does a nice job that
needs something extra but still nicely done.
Daniel Cohen is
the alternate for Dick. Ryan Klamen is the alternate for Rogers
and Visitor. Jennifer Maxcy is the alternate for Mrs. Rogers. And Melanie Portney is the alternate for the Visitor. They did not perform this night.
Katie Polebaum
has written a terrific play that is perfect for the small venue at The Hudson
Theatre. Polebaum is a fantast writing about the darker side of humanity. In this version of D is for Dog one can only
see a glimmer of hope from her idealistic world. She leaves no room for an open door and compares
this life as something we all may face in the future, unless we all wake the
heck up. The play is wonderful in so
many ways that it is not easily dismissed. One will contemplate it for weeks’ trying to
figure out its complexities and that is always a good thing when venturing out
into the world of theatre.
Sean T. Cawelti
did a marvelous job as Director. There
are a lot of very fine moments when things start to unravel. They are stunning moments which are subtle and
amazing to watch. There are other moments that need fine-tuning, a deeper
significance, and an exaggeration action to an exaggerated objective.
Characters need not give up so easily to life and once they discover who they
truly are should awaken to the cold realities.
This production team is second to none. There are a lot of people who have done a
marvelous job in getting this show on the boards.
Estela Garcia - Movement Coach/Assistant Director
Eva Vieyra Osmand – Production Manager
Danielle Doucet – Stage Manager
Brenda Goldstein – Assistant Stage Manager
Adam Hunter - Technical Director
John Nobori – Sound Designer and Composer (A very fine job!)
Noelle Hoffman – Assistant Sound Designer
Katie Polebaum – Scenic Designer (Also a wonderful job.)
Ben Phelps – Composer (Amazing job!)
Haylee Freeman – Lighting Designer
Kerry Hennessy – Costume Designer (Perfect for the time, but
does the “not 1950’s” underwear give things away?)
Tyler Stamets with Miles Taher Megan Wallace, Seat T.
Cawelti, Kerry Hennessy, Kris Bicknell, Gwyneth Conaway-Bennison – Puppet
Designer
Nate Hodges – Choreographer
Leslie Gray – Prop Designer (The details are astonishing!)
Keith Mitchell – Assistant Prop Designer
Nick Kunin – Video Animator (Also, a very nice job.)
Matthew G. Hill – Video Designer/Graphic Designer
Muhammad Saleh & Sean T. Cawelti – Assistant Video
Designer
Carleigh Herbert Makeup Consultant
D is for Dog is everything theatre should be.
Run! And take a
friend who has survived the “Occupy LA” internment camp.
Reservations: 213-596-9468
Through August 4th, 2012
The beautiful Hudson Mainstage Theatre 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90038
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