Elephant Shavings by Ron Sossi

L - R Giovanna Quinto, Jack Geren, and Diana Cignoni - Photos by Kayte Deioma

 

By Joe Straw

 

Lizzie (Diana Cignoni) enters a makeshift greenroom, with a couch, and a kitchen area, and beyond that is a bed.  It is a room away from the partying crowd for the actors to step off stage and take a breather before walking back into those maddening patrons. Lizzie, in a black Dianne Keaton attire, looks to be exhausted because it is the end of the run and thus closing night.

 

Jill (Giovanna Quinto) the stage manager takes leave of the party outside and joins Lizzie asking if she can get her anything. Jill steps back outside and the other solipsistic luminaries - cast members - Sam (Jeff LeBeau) and Erin (Cameron Meyer) and the omnipotent director Peter (Jack Geren) step into the space and, in a celebratory manner, carry on in a discussion about God, Jerzy Grotowski, an experimental theatre teacher, authenticity, and acting.

 

Lizzie remains quiet, observing the director pontificating, and the others discussing, in a polite way, the ins and outs of acting, God, and their instruments. But Lizzie has more on her mind, personal in nature, a miscarriage 4 month ago and two months later wanting another baby.

 

Possibly inconsequential, but there is something missing in this first scene whether it is extensional, experimental, or existential whatever this may be called, something is not quite right.

 

The Odyssey Theatre Ensemble presents the world premiere of Elephant Shavings written and directed by Ron Sossi extended through October 8, 2023.

 

Ron Sossi has a slow gait these days moving among the patrons and the rooms in black, a ghost like figure hovering The Odyssey Theatre like he has done thousands of nights before. He is, dare one say it, a Los Angeles institution, a man filled with so many stories over so many years, he is a walking encyclopedia of theatre knowledge and human-interest stories. And he has decided to turn over some of those stories through the presentation of a play of his own creation.  

 

In this play, there is a story of someone asking an artist how a beautiful one-piece wood sculptured elephant was created.  And the artists answered, “I just cut away what is not elephant.” Possibly a fitting description of the play although there may be shavings still left in this two-act play.  

 

One may regard Elephant Shavings as something of an experimental experience wrapped in modern day characters. They don’t wear funny black skintight suits and dance about the room. And they don’t go beyond the natural presence on stage. They’re normal like people going through life in another theatrical experience.

 

But some characters don’t, and then the play turns into a decidedly different structure that will have some audience members on the edge of their seats and then questioning after it’s all over, what in the heck just happened? And that just may be the point.

 

  

There is some fine work in Ron Sossi’s play, a soulful satisfying search from within, especially in the second act where things just start coming together with the exploration of Lizzie’s character finding another spiritual level and running with it. That said, the opening scene needs work. Lizzie comes in exhausted when she has a lot on her mind.  She basically has nowhere to go after the production with the theatre becoming dark for the summer months. But she doesn’t reach out, she doesn’t take the information or is guided by any human force (via the dialogue) about how she is going to survive. Happenstance doesn’t have conflict, inner turmoil does, and we need to see her thinking about how she is going to survive.  

 

Denise Blasor and Diana Cignoni

 

 

Denise Blasor plays Pearl, a friend of the theatre, always around to help whenever she can. Blasor brings a lot of life to the show, she is funny, frightening, and is charming in various ways.

 

Diana Cignoni is Lizzie, an actor, who may not have a clue in the direction she wants to take.  She needs guidance and seeks guidance in the forces surrounding her but that means a deep spiritual connection, a cleansing of sorts, away from her arduous melancholy, and a movement that takes her beyond her physical self and into an enigmatical tranquility.  The ending is fascinating. To search would be an appropriate action for this character who seems to be doing this the entire play. All the steps she takes should clue her to eye opening moments that leads her to a satisfying conclusion. Cignoni is mesmerizing with her direct connection to the audience and there must be that moment where she ultimately understands where she is going.

 

Jack Geren is Peter, the director. One understands the situation in which he appears but never got a sense of character and the conflict. One gets the relationships but not the backstory prior to the cast entering the room. Was the play successful on this night? Is there someone he really needs to speak to - to get the performance he wants? Even though we’re at the end of the run, is there more work to be done for the sake of the future of this company?  Is there a special relationship between the director and the stage manager? Can there be?  Who is holding the notes? One never gets the sense of authority the director has with this cast and ultimately how that moves the lead off into her direction. (An interesting note: Geren looks twenty years younger than his photo in the program.) That said Geren is very likeable in the role. But the choices for this character seem unlimited.  

 

Jeff LeBeau and Cameron Myer

 

 

Jeff LeBeau is Sam an actor that engages in a polite argument with his counterpart and it’s mostly about the craft.  LeBeau has a strong presence and is very engaging onstage.  His voice is strong, and his actions are fluid. But here is another character that doesn’t make a mistake and the conflict within doesn’t materialize for the purpose of the whole play. But his time is limited, and we must know how his actions work within the context of the play.

 

Cameron Meyer is Erin. Erin is an interesting character, set in her ways, somewhat stodgy, believes in what she believes and that is settled. One wonder how that works for actors who are not open to other alternatives. The discussions in the opening scene move the main character to figure out her life but one couldn’t figure out when or how that happened.

 

Giovanna Quinto is exceptional as Jill, the stage manager and seems to be open to seeing beyond the beyond. Jill is very superstitious and offers her friend warnings about what she may encounter, things in the theatre world that jump out unexpectedly. That said, there is more that Quinto can do to elevate those moments, how far she can go highlights what is to be expected of living alone in a theatre so that when Jill comes back, after the summer, she understands a power she possesses and is moved to what has just happened.  

 

Jan Munroe’s set is a little awkward but manages to work in this setting.

 

Other members of the crew are as follows:

 

Denise Blasor and Juliette Blasor – Costume Designers

Jackson Funke – Lighting Designer

Christopher Moscatiello – Sound Designer

Fritz Davis – Video Designer

Katie Chabot – Stage Manager

Andrew Blahak – Rehearsal Stage Manager

Severine Laure – Assistant to the Director

 

There are a lot of fantastic moments in this production. I’m sure I didn’t get everything but I’m glad I went.

 

Tickets and Reservations: https://odysseytheatre.com/

 

And parking is free!

 

 

 

a slight ache by Harold Pinter

L - R Henry Olek and Susan Priver - Photos by Kayte Deioma

 

By Joe Straw

 

A slight ache is not to be confused with a disturbance in the force unless you want it to be.

 

Dance On Productions in association with Linda Toliver and Gary Guidinger present a slight ache by Harold Pinter and directed by Jack Heller is now playing at the Odyssey Theatre through October 1^st, 2023.

 

Somewhere, long ago, in the late 1950s or early 1960s lived a couple on the outskirts of London in a country home.  This couple co-existed somewhat happily.  They had almost everything they wanted except complete satisfaction, and one knows that is hard to come by these days.

 

Their lives have been given away to the pomp and circumstances of the wretchedness and dreariness of daily living. They need something to bring a bite into their existence and on this day, they find it.

 

We catch Flora (Susan Priver) and Edward (Henry Olek) in the middle of a cherished moment – breakfast. Edward engrossed in his morning paper and Flora wanting so desperately to make a connection that she bangs around her teacup, saucer, her tea pot, and noisily scrapes the burnt crumbs off her beloved toast before slamming it back onto the plate.

 

Edward is unfettered but ignoring her without the slightest bit of concern.

 

To break the iceberg that is between them they engage in some small talk both aware, although not mentioning it, there is someone beyond the gate.  

 

“Have you noticed the honeysuckle this morning?” – Flora

“The what?” – Edward

“The Honeysuckle. – Flora

“Honeysuckle? Where?” – Edward

“By the back gate, Edward.” - Flora

 

And there we have it, in the opening moments of their story, the back gate. It isn’t so much as what flowers are growing around or through the back gate, it is the matter of the person waiting beyond the back gate.  

 

He is the Match Seller (Shelly Kurtz), and he has been waiting there for weeks.

 

But first there is the matter of a wasp buzzing around the marmalade and the sight ache that gnaws at Edward’s being if not both of their beings.  

 

Harold Pinter, the writer, leaves the door open for any kind of interpretation, the ambiguity explodes out from the page and it’s up to the collaborative effort of all to see how far they want to take it.  Originally, this 1959 two-character play was for the radio before it moved to the Arts Theatre in London January 18, 1961as a three-character play.  

 

In Jack Heller’s version, on this night, Edward is a forceful figure using his voice and his physical ways to control his wife Flora and then using that same force against the Match Seller, a silent figure who has no means of verbal communication.  This is a comedy but may need more work to accentuate the Pinter pauses and the way it emotionally moves the characters. It’s still too early in the run to know if the actors have fully realized those moments and this becomes particularly apparent when both Edward and Flora are communicating with the Match Seller. They ask the questions of the Match Seller but don’t wait for the answer before satisfactorily answering the question on his behalf.  Both Edward and Flora have wild and imaginative ways of looking at the world and their place in the world (however distorted it may be). And they both like to plan, each thinking their plan is better than the other. One suspects that neither adheres to conjugal fidelity in their marriage.  Also, Flora is not the submissive being she makes out to be and Edward is not as intelligent, or the important writer he makes of himself. That said, this is a very good production, and when the run settles down, should evolve into a better production capturing the moments that will move the play and the audience as well.

 

Susan Priver is successful as Flora, a submissive wife who, in the end, wins all the matches. (Pun intended) Slightly nervous, in the beginning, she manages to relax and give an exceptional performance.  There is a little more to add to this character. Flora is the smarter of the two, the one with the most imagination (particularly amatory) which gives us a clue as to what she really wants from either of the two men and she isn’t particular in that regard.  She goads her husband to recognize his strengths and when that doesn’t work destroys his spirit for possibly a moment.  

 

Henry Olek is Edward, a man who has got something on his mind but refuses to acknowledge it to either himself or his wife. He knows there is a man at the back gate, and he’s been there for some time. It is his wife that moves him in that direction by way of strength, first by having him kill the wasp, secondly by going out into the garden (he doesn’t), putting up the canopy (again he doesn’t), and then finally confronting the man. Instead, he hides in the scullery, looking out a small window, and avoids his wife at every opportunity.  (What he is doing in the scullery is opened to the imagination.) He speaks of Africa as though he knows but the continent but in fact those place do not exist (the Membunza Mountains, Katambaloo) all for the sake of sounding superior. And his practice of patriarchy only works when his wife is affected by it but in this version shows little sign of working.  Edward is physical and demeans her at times, but it only hurts his wife and doesn’t move her in a satisfying direction, or maybe it does. 

 

Shelly Kurtz

 

 

Shelly Kurtz is the Match Seller.  He can hear and understand slight commands all with a disquieting peculiarity, but he may not be able to speak. He doesn’t smile either. Dressed in rags he moves about with little or no regard to the person in front of his being. He is arduous in his manner never coming out of the blank stare to react to anything before him. This is a tough role, but Kurtz manages to succeed.

 

Jeff Rack scenic design works wonders for the Odyssey space. And Christopher Moscatiello’s work for the sound design is also excellent, especially the wasp noise in the pot. Kiff Scholl’s work of the one sheet is very impressive that conveys the disturbance in the force.

 

Other members of this delightful crew are as follows:

 

Sarah Dawn Lowry – Stage Manager

Ellen Monocroussos – Lighting Design

Michael Mullen – Costume Design

Amanda Sauter – Scenic Painter

Aubrielle Hvolvoll – Prop Master

Lucy Pollack – Publicity

Tracy Paleo – Social Media

Kyle McConaghy – Photography

Stephanie Rush – Electrician

Reparata Mazzola – Program Design

 

Parking is free at the Odyssey!

 

Tickets and reservations:  https://odysseytheatre.com/tickets/?eid=102981