4. May 2009 by admin.

STRONG CAST IN LENGTHY SEVEN GUITARS
F. J. Hartland

            Seven Guitars, the current production at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, is part of the late August Wilson’s ten-play cycle about Pittsburgh.  Each play looks at a different decade in the life of our city; in this case, the Hill District in the 1940’s.

            Director Mark Clayton Southers has assembled a powerful and very talented cast to bring this VERY long play to life.

            Seven Guitars begins at the funeral of Floyd Barton, a ne’er-do-well musician.  It becomes the framework of the play as we then see—in flashback—the events leading to Floyd’s death.  I question the use of this frame because we know from the opening that Floyd is dead, thus eliminating the only real surprise the script has in store.  With a running time in excess of three hours, this production of Seven Guitars could use more surprises.

            The lengthy scene changes (between the many, many scene) do nothing to shorten the show’s length either.

            Montae Russell plays the highly unlikeable Floyd.  Floyd is so unscrupulous that it’s hard to feel for his plight, but Russell does have some powerful moments.  The strikingly beautiful Erika Ratcliffe is Floyd’s long-suffering love interest Vera.  Ratcliffe has a most powerful scene early in the play and sets the bar quite high for the rest of the cast.  During the scene when she berates Floyd for taking up with Pearl, I recall thinking, “This is going to be one helluva show!”  Sadly, the script rarely affords her the chance to shine like that again.  Also, one has to wonder why a woman as intelligent as Vera can not see that Floyd is a lying, cheating, stealing, no-good two-timer.

            Hedley, an often-unbalanced knife-wielding man, is played by Wali Jamal.  Jamal’s accent is rather authentic; however, when the emotions rise and his rate increases, he becomes incomprehensible.  He is always interesting to watch, but falls into the trap of an “over-the-top” performance.

            Teri Bridgett is delightful as neighbor Louise.  Her wise-cracks and painfully honest observations pump a great deal of humor into the script.  As Canewell Alan Bomar Jones also gives a strong characterization and often adds humor to the production.  Johnathan Berry makes the most out of the underwritten role of Red.  Genna Styles brings some real sass to Ruby, a visitor from Birmingham.

            The set (also by Southers) is heightened realism at its best.  Not only is there a real dirt on the ground, but also a worn brick sidewalk, working doors to a root cellar, a spigot that runs water, live plants in the garden, and an honest-to-heavens live chicken.  No detail has been over-looked.  The feel of the 1940’s is further established by the arrival of a deliveryman carrying a block of in the grip of massive tongs and later, a milk man who delivers glass bottles of milk to each doorstep.  With arena style seating and action happening all around the playing space, the audience is quickly drawn into the physical world of Seven Guitars.

            Lighting, which is often a weakness at PPTCO, continues to be problematic.  Places are often too dark or one is blinded by lights shining directly into the eyes.

            If Director Southers could get this show down to a run time of 2 ½ hours, it would be an electric evening of theatre.

            Seven Guitars continues at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company through May 24.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

SOUTH PARK’S ELEPHANT MAN A BUMPY RIDE
F.J. Hartland

            Bernard Pomerance’s play The Elephant Man relates the story of John Merrick, a man hideously deformed a by illness, who transforms from circus sideshow freak to the darling of Victorian London’s society.  The brilliance of the script is that it poetically and seamlessly moves from vignette to vignette to tell an emotional, heart-wrenching journey.

            Unfortunately, the current production at South Park directed by Vance Weatherly does not flow very smoothly and much of the beauty of the language is lost.

            There are long black-outs between scenes so the production is unable to build up any momentum.  Often, the musical underscoring overpowers the actors’ lines.  The slides which bridge the scenes are either shown too quickly to be read or are obscured by the actors moving to get into place or (as in several scenes that open Act Two) are completely blocked by scenery.  On opening night the power-point failed completely, and the slides abruptly ended halfway through Act Two).

            Adding to the lengthy black-out times between the scenes is Sean Sears’ awkward (an unattractive) set.  A platform with stairs blocks the major stage left entrance, forcing actors to climb up then down every time they arrive or exit (and some of those are done in darkness).  The other series of platforms means lengthy crosses and exits.  At the top of this configuration is Merrick’s room at the hospital.  It is so small that it virtually impossible to have any movement.  This is particularly limiting in the scene where Merrick is visited by his former manager.  This powerfully emotional scene goes dead with both characters unable to do more than shift uncomfortably from side-to-side in their chairs. 

Many scenes are played in shadows behind a curtain.  Sadly, the silhouettes are not sharp and clear, rather muddy and obscure.  This is particularly problematic in Merrick’s final scene.

There are two highlights in the production.  Both are scenes between Merrick (played by Sean Sears) and English actress Mrs. Kendall (Ursula Asmus).  As in the Victorian custom, much of the emotion is hidden underneath the conversation.  In both scenes Sears and Asmus capture the growing affection (and sexual attraction?) between the characters.  As one patron put it during intermission, “I could watch those two on stage all night.”  I agree.

Sears also does a fine job all evening capturing Merrick’s deformities and affected speech.

Clyde Adams is delightful as the bumbling hospital bureaucrat Carr Gomm.

As Dr. Frederick Treves, the man who saves Merrick and brings him to the hospital to live, Andrew Huntley is somewhat flat.  We need to see the torment in Treves that he buries under his English reserve.  All we get from Huntley is the British reserve, and The Elephant Man is really as much about Treves’ transformation as it is Merrick’s.  Treves also has the lion’s share of the lines, and Huntley’s diction should be sharper.  Much gets garbled.

Rounding out the cast are Tom Dougherty, Kathleen Caliendo and Ryan Kearney.

If they could streamline this production and bring all the scenes to the level of the ones with Sears and Asmus, South Park could open its season with a bang.

The Elephant Man continues through May 16.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

Wild, wacky Disinfecting Edwin at Open Stage
F. J. Hartland

            Disinfecting Edwin, the current offering at the Open Stage Theatre, opens with a disturbing image.  Auggie, a middle-aged Texas housewife, is alone in the dark bomb shelter of her  home—and she is tied to a chair with Christmas tree lights.  She is the victim of a burglary gone bad, and the perpetrator is Cecil.

            Both have issues.  Auggie and her husband Edwin have marital problems; she has filled the loneliness with self-help books, television, religion and embezzlement.  Cecil, the intruder, is saddled with the kooky Auggie, who chatters away a mile-a-minute.  The are eventually joined by the link that connects them—Edwin.

            I don’t want to give away too any of the twists and turns of the plot, suffice it to say it is full of surprises.

            Sharon Brady is hysterically funny as Auggie.  She switches the charm off-and-on, peppered with stories from her past.  One second she is vibrant; dead-panned,  the next.  She takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride, making it easy to see how Cecil finds a connection to Auggie.  Brady even manages to send the audience into gales of laughter with such simple lines as, “I’m calling Dominos for a pizza.”

            Chris Cattell as Cecil is a perpetual motion machine.  He covers the set over and over, roots through boxes, threatens Auggie—all with lightening speed.  It is a difficult role, but Cattell manages to make Cecil sympathetic—warts and all.

            In the underwritten role of Edwin, Ken Bolden struggles.  Edwin is caricature, not character.  It’s not the Bolden gives a bad performance—but he’s not given much to work with and his character lacks the winning charm of  the roles of Auggie and Cecil.  Edwin is completely unlikeable—plus he is a whiner…and as Cecil so correctly points out, “Nobody likes a whiner.”  I think Hartman would be wise to consider re-writing—or perhaps eliminating him entirely.

            The first act of Amy Hartman’s play is wild and frenetic, full of zany madness and paced beautifully by director Lisa Ann Goldsmith.   Both Auggie and Cecil play fast and loose with the truth.  Soon, we all entangled in side-splitting web of  lies.  But in Act Two, things grind to a slow pace and become repetitious and overly melodramatic.  Characters stubbornly “settle in” and keep re-hashing what they want.  In excess of two hours, Disinfecting Edwin might be funnier if it were a quickly-paced, ninety minutes with no intermission.

            And then there are some logical concerns.  We are told repeatedly how hot it is in this bomb shelter…so why would these characters consume hot Coke and hot champagne?  Yuck!  Why does Cecil hunt down an extension cord to light up the Christmas tree lights that bind Auggie?  Is Cecil’s “secret” really a secret to anyone—but Auggie—and why is it still a secret even after she forces him to reveal his name?  And why is there a window in this bomb shelter?  Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of a bomb shelter?  (Curiously for quite some time a single stream of water could be seen running past the window during Act One.  I finally drew the conclusion that it was one of the Russian gardeners relieving himself on the lawn).

            The set by David Maslow is correctly claustrophobic and charmingly cluttered.  However, the door that is the only entrance and exit isn’t properly installed and keeps drifting open.  The actors frequently had to fuss with it, too, which became distracting.  Lighting by Jeremy Rolls adds to the overall “bomb shelter” effect.

            Hartman has given us a highly entertainingly first act (complete with cliff hanger ending).  Now if only the entire play was that good…

            Disinfecting Edwin continued through May 9 at Open Stage Theatre in the Strip District.  For tickets, call 412-394-3353.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

            While Moon features James Tyrone, Jr., its central character is Josie Hogan, an earthy, tough-as-nails woman whose exterior is as stubborn and rocky as the New England soil she farms.  But underneath that calloused exterior is a lonely woman, filled with love and passion—particularly for Tyrone.

            Beth Wittig gives a multi-layered, powerful performance as Josie.  Wittig has Josie’s tough side down cold—but when the vulnerability forces its way through that hardened exterior—she breaks your heart.  Wittig rarely leaves the stage in this production that clocks in at 2 hours and 45 minutes and fills each one of those minutes with emotion.  My only hesitation is that Josie is described as being “an ugly old cow” and the best that can be done is to make the beautiful Wettig look merely plain.

            As Tyrone, Victor Slezak nails the whiskey-soaked, wet-brained part of the alcoholic.  Complete with tremors and bio-polar mood swings, it’s difficult to see how Josie loves him—so I wish we saw more of the character’s charm, the things that draw Josie to him.  However, Slezak’s best moments come in his speech prior to falling asleep with his head on Josie’s breast.

            Tom Atkins brings humor to the show as Josie’s drunken father Phil Hogan.  While he is said to be a tyrant, Atkins gives a twinkle-in-the-eye charm to the role.  Dan Krell also adds homur to the production in the role of Stedman Harder, a neighboring farmer (and dandy) who wants the land Josie and her father farm.  Poor Jason McCune has the misfortune to play the thankless role of Josie’s brother Mike, who appears only in the opening moments of the show—not to be seen again until the curtain call hours later.

            While the actors give inspiriting performances and director Pamela Berlin keep the play moving, it is a very talky play and many of the major actions happen offstage.  That means we end up hearing about events instead of actually seeing them.  At the heart of the play is the moving evening Josie spends with Tyrone.  Even though we see it on stage, the next morning we have to listen to Josie recount the evening for Tyrone who was so drunk, he can’t remember what happened.

            The set by Allen Moyer is realistically detailed.  At its center is the crumbling farmhouse with flaking paint and weathered shingles.  Although the play takes place outside the house, the inside of the home has been outfitted with an old stove and rotting draperies.  Wild flowers sprout from crannies around corners and rocks.  Carrots are dug up from the garden and washed with water from a working pump.  Hidden under the porch are rocks and broken boards.  One could easily spend hours just taking in the set!

            This marvelous set is complimented by lighting by Frances Aronson.  Aronson does a beautiful job of re-creating various times of the day and night.  Particularly effective is the rising of the sun after Josie’s long night with Tyrone.

            But the heart of A Moon for the Misbegotten is Josie and the emotional journey she makes.  Despite the fact I wish the show were shorter, this show does have a powerful, moving and poignant heart in the performance of Beth Wittig.

            A Moon for the Misbegotten runs through May 17 at the Public Theatre.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

SWAMP BABY—It’s Not Easy Being Green
F.J. Hartland 

            Kudos to Phase 3 Productions.  They always make courageous and unusual choices of scripts, bringing us either classic plays that aren’t often seen or brand new plays as Pittsburgh premieres.

            Their newest show is no exception.  Swamp Baby by Chicago playwright Aaron Carter is having its first Pittsburgh production at the Brew House on the Southside through May 2.

            It is a provocative piece exploring the twists and turns of two circus “freaks” and their “owner” in 1904.  One of the “performers” is Sylphe, an armless woman (Jaime Slavinsky); the other is a green creature known professionally as “Swamp Baby” (Lily Junker).  Along the way, family secrets, sex, perversion, incest, the bayou and the 1904 World’s Fair all come into play.

            Now I think Phase 3 needs to apply the same daring they use in choosing scripts to the actual stage productions.   This production plays it far too safe.  Sexual scenes are sometimes played so obtusely that only the dialogue tells us sex occurred.  Swamp Baby deals with topics that are uncomfortable.  With a play this wild, why censor yourself?  The themes are down and dirty—so lets get dirty!

            Jamie Slavinsky gives a powerful interpretation of the armless woman.  She brings a grace to a woman who must use her feet and mouth in place of her hands.  Additionally, she brings a dignity to the role and finally breaks our hearts.  Ricardo Vila-Roger is quite good as the sexually-repressed doctor who eventually brings a sinister twist to the end of the play.

            Junker is saddled with the task of playing the Swamp Baby.  The character seems to be unevenly written.  At times she appears as the savage she is billed to be—but never savage enough.  Other times she spouts vocabulary that would make one believe she was highly educated and not a creature who grew up in the swamps.  And why isn’t the actress green?  I’m sure director Melissa Hill Grande made her  choice based on good intellectual thought—but I don’t understand the reasoning at all.  Grande does make good use of the entire space, moving the play from the stage to the pit to the aisles.

            Debra Humphrey is effective as a bitter Southern matron.  Rounding out the cast are David Santiago (as Armand) and Maggie Mayer (as Desiree).

            Scenic designer Dek Ingraham simply, but beautifully, depicts the elegant droop of a swampy cypress tree that dominates the unit set.  Lighting by J. R. Shaw helps make the play’s darting changes from location to location (as well as past and present) easier to follow.

            So—be brave Phase 3.  Have the full courage of your convictions!  Give us productions as edgy as your scripts!

            Swamp Baby runs through May 2.  Contact www.phase3productions.com.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

GODSPELL: A FUTURISTIC INTERPRETATION
F. J. Hartland

       Pittsburgh Musical Theatre and director Ken Gargaro give us a futuristic interpretation of the now-classic musical Godspell.  It is a world where (according to the program notes) “unexpected incidents of domestic terrorism directed at our financial institutions have occurred.”

            Accordingly, Gargaro has set this updated version in New York City, and the Gospel of St. Matthew is played out in front of the Stock Exchange. He has also peppered it with numerous jabs and references to current celebrities and advertising slogans.

            This production has a scope and sweep more befitting Jesus Christ Superstar than Godspell.

            Jesus needed but twelve disciples.  This production requires triple that number.  Performers come and go so quickly, it is hard to build any kind of feeling or empathy for any single one.  Also, there were numerous microphone gaffes on opening night rendering some of the performers inaudible.

            Scenic designer Alfred Kirschman has created a faithful and multi-leveled New York Stock Exchange.  The detail is breath-taking.  There is also a huge video screen projecting stunning images—making this, perhaps, the power-point version of Godspell.  While that is in keeping with Gargaro’s vision, it’s distracting.  I found myself watching the screen instead of the hard-working cast who were singing and dancing their hearts out far below on the stage floor.  It is also a shame that more action wasn’t set on the upper level of Kirschman’s spectacular set.

            Lighting by Todd Nonn was very effective with the possible exception of the Crucifixtion scene.  Banks (and I mean BANKS) of bright, white lights are focused directly into the audience.  And there’s a reason that kind of light is called blinding…I was completely unable to see anything—not Jesus, not the disciples, not even the video screen.

            Jesus is played by Peter Matthew Smith.  He has a beautiful singing voice and a charismatic presence.  Unfortunately, he had some big stumbles early in Act Two.  It was a shame in such a charming performance.

            Other than Jesus, only two other characters are identified by name—Judas and John the Baptist.  The rest of the cast is listed only as “Ensemble,” and no one is identified in the list of musical numbers.  So…the best I can do is say  that the young woman who sang “Day By Day” has an incredible voice that made that simple song shake the rafters of the Byham Theatre.  The two young men singing “On The Willows” did a beautiful and emotionally moving job.  And the woman who performed “Learn Your Lessons Well” had not only a powerful voice—but loads of stage presence.  I wish I knew who you all are, so I could use your names and give you the credit you so richly deserve!

            The telling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (done as Sesame Street) was quite charming.  The Parable of the Prodigal Son was also clever—but went on too long.

            Under the baton of conductor Brent Alexander, the on-stage musicians gave the show a wonderful techno sound.

            There is no denying that there is a treasure trove of talent in the Pittsburgh Musical Theatre’s production of Godspell.  But the show Godspell derives its charm from telling a powerful story with simplicity and intimacy.

            Sometimes, less really is more.

            Godspell continues at the Byham Theatre through April 26.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

RENT—FROM BROADWAY TO PITTSBURGH
F.J. Hartland 

           The production of Rent playing through April 19 at the Benedum Center is billed as “The Broadway Tour” quite possibly because two of the original cast members Anthony Rapp and Adam Pascal headline.  But if you read the Who’s Who in the Cast section of your program, many of the other performers appeared in the show at one time or another during Rent’s ten-plus year run on Broadway.

            And maybe that’s what makes this production so electric.

            Written by the late Jonathan Larson, Rent transposes the opera LaBoheme to New York City’s gritty Lower East Side of the Reagan Administration.  Larson took on such issues as AIDS, homelessness and the greed of the 1980’s in a show that took Broadway storm in 1996.

            Rapp and Pascal play Mark and Roger, respectively.  One is an aspiring film maker; the other an HIV-positive rock musician.  While both actors turn in amazing performances, they are at their best in their Act Two confrontation scene followed by the powerful duet “What You Own.”

            They get high-energy support from the rest of the cast.

            Justin Johnson as Angel, Lexi Larson as Mimi and Nicolette Hart as Maureen are all powerful singers and incredible dancers—all while usually wearing the most skin-tight of costumes.  Hart is particularly funny during the sequence of “Over the Moon,” a piece of “performance art.”

            In the role of the lawyer Joanne, Haneefah Wood is tiny—but mighty!  She and Hart truly shine in the number “Take Me or Leave Me.”

            Michael McElroy as Tom Collins has a slow start in Act One, but Act Two delivers an emotional version of “I’ll Cover You.”

            The entire cast is so high-energy, multi-talented and does such rapid fire character changes that it’s more than a little surprising that when they take their final bows, you see there are only a handful of them.

            Adding to the show was the excitement of the crowd—many of whom were obviously Rent devotees.

            The only real criticism was that sometimes the musicians and the vocalists create such a cacophony of noise that lyrics (and therefore plot points) get lost.

            The set by Paul Clay with lighting by Blake Burbs captures the harsh, gritty look of New York City’s Alphabet City.  Costumes by Angela Wendt perfectly add to the overall grime.

            What was probably most refreshing at this performance was to see the number of young people in the audience.  Rent forever changed the landscape of the Broadway musical, but if it did nothing else than bring a new generation of youthful audiences in to the theatre, it would still be a landmark.

            Rent continued through April 19.  For tickets call 412-456-6666.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

TO ERR IS HUMAN, TO FORGIVE…?
F.J. Hartland 

A plane crashes…then a team of investigators must solve the riddle: why?  How do these people cope with analytical thinking while surrounded by so much death and destruction?  How does it affect their personal lives?

            That would make an interesting play.  Unfortunately, City Theatre’s HUMAN ERROR is NOT that play.

            We are told that MOST plane crashes are the result of mechanical—not human—error.  But I know one thing….ALL play crashes are the result of human error.

            For playwright Keith Reddin, the plane crash is nothing more than a contrivance to bring three strangers together. 

            The play begins with investigators Miranda (Tasha Lawrence) and  Erik (Matt Walton) at the crash cite.  She is recovering from a failed romance.  He is a raffish cad equipped with enough sophomoric and disgusting sexual remarks to fill a high school locker room.  Does Miranda report Erik for sexual harassment?  Request to have him removed from the case?  Demand that he be fired?  No!  She goes to bed with him. And then is surprised, shocked, and even angered that their relationship doesn’t work out.  Miranda, duh?

            Along the way of this crash investigation (and doomed-for-failure relationship), the pair meet Ron (Ray Anthony Thomas), the sole survivor of the accident which killed 117 people (including Ron’s wife).  From this meeting on, the final scene of HUMAN ERROR is even more predictable than the failure of Miranda’s romance with Erik.

            Lawrence and Walton have excellent rapport as Miranda and Erik.  Their witty repartee crackles at a quick pace.  Unfortunately, both are saddled with playing characters that are too unlikeable for us to give a damn.  (And as if Erik wasn’t unlikeable enough, the playwright has given him “a secret”  So if you didn’t find him repellant enough after scene one, now he’ll REALLY make your skin crawl!)

Thomas is excellent as the sole survivor.  In each of his three scenes, Thomas portrays a man moving through the stages of the grieving process.  He is particularly heart-breaking in his first scene.  We feel the depth of his pain.  And at no time does Thomas go overboard; he plays it with beautiful restraint.

            While director Tracy Brigden has gotten interesting performances from her cast and keeps the evening moving, the play is not blocked well for the three-quarter thrust seating of the Lester Hamburg Theatre.  I sat on a side section and spent entire scenes looking at actors’ backs.  (Now I know in this type of venue, we do even up looking at backs. But in one scene, I never even saw the face of either character!)  Likewise, I am sure Luke Hegel-Cantarella’s set of sliding, lighted panels is beautiful—from the center section.

            So what is the “human error” of Reddin’s play?  Miranda’s choice to have a relationship with Erik?   Erik’s choice from his hidden past?  Don’s choice to go for a walk with his wife the day a jet falls from the sky?  Or could it be our choice to see HUMAN ERROR?

            HUMAN ERROR continues at City Theatre through May 10.  For information, visit www.citytheatrecompany.org.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

A CHORUS LINE - UNTARNISHED BY TIME
F.J. Hartland 

When I was still a teen-ager, I made my first trip to New York City. And the first Broadway musical I saw was A Chorus Line.

Consequently, I was a little wary to see it again after twenty…okay, thirty…all right already, thirty-plus years. Would it still be the show that so thrilled me all those years ago?

While I have slowly fallen apart, I am pleased to report that—other than some stilted dialogue—A CHORUS LINE remains untarnished.

A group of dancers is “on the line” auditioning for the chorus of a Broadway show. To get to know them better, the director Zack (played by Sebastian La Cause) asks each dancer to talk about his or her life. One of those dancers is Zack’s former lover Cassie (Robyn Hurder), who left the chorus to become a star—without much success.

Beginning with a dynamic series of dance combinations, the director’s assistant Larry (Brandon Tyler) puts the dancers through their paces. It’s an exhilarating opening that will leave you breathless. As the gentleman behind me remarked, “I’m going to be sore tomorrow just from watching this!”

Then the individual stories begin…some funny, some poignant. And each and every performer in this production creates a small “gem.”
A few stand-outs include:

Diminutive Hollie Howard. Don’t let her size fool you. A powerful voice comes out of this tiny body. She nails the sustained note at the end of “At the Ballet”—which did NOT happen when I saw the Broadway show back in 1977. Shannon Lewis brings humor to the show as the bitter and caustic Sheila. Athletic Clyde Alves does an amazing series of back flips across the entire length of the Heinz Hall stage in “I Can Do That.” As the dim-witted Judy, Bethany Moore scores big laughs.

Two of the most powerful scenes occur with just a single performer on stage.
Zack confronts Cassie about their relationship and her desire to return to the chorus during “The Music and the Mirror.” Robyn Hurder has the challenging task of arguing with Zack, then singing, then dancing, then singing some more, then dancing again and finally finishing the argument. And she is wonderful!

Kevin Santos has one of the most touching moments in the entire show as he tells the story of a boy desperately searching for a place to belong. Near the end of his monologue, his voice catches, and you will definitely have a lump in your throat, too. Bravo!

But in the end A Chorus Line is all about the dancing—and this production does not disappoint in that department. It is flawless.

My only real complaint is that two hours and five minutes is a long time to go without an intermission. Fortunately, the Heinz Hall ushers warn you as you enter, but still patrons are popping up and down to make restroom trips throughout the performance.

And I really don’t want to hear the song “One” again for a long, long time. It is performed over and over and over and was still ringing in my head when I got back to the parking garage.

The advertising tag line for A Chorus Line is “the best musical ever.” While I may not agree, it certainly is one of the best.

A Chorus Line continues through April 12 at Heinz Hall. Call 412-456-6666 for ticket information.

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4. May 2009 by admin.

Written by Spanish playwright Federico Garcia Lorca, the Quantum translation is uneven at best. Some of the dialogue flows naturally, some borders on poetic (which makes sense as Lorca was also a poet), and some just painfully go clunk or thud on the ear. (Also, Yerma seems an unusual choice as Lorca’s Blood Wedding and The House of Bernarda Alba are much better texts).

Lorca tackles the same subject that Ibsen also exposed—how society unjustly treats women. But unlike Ibsen’s heroines who commit suicide or choose to face the dishonor of leaving their husbands, Yerma takes an entirely different path.
While overall the cast is quite good, but what saves this production is something Lorca did not include: flamenco dancing. Cihtli Ocampo performs several times during the performance, often reflecting the passions swirling inside Yerma. Ocampo is accompanied by her husband, singer and guitarist Ethan Margolis. Visually stunning to the eye and hauntingly beautiful to the ear, the pair make for the most memorable moments in Yerma.

The play is staged simply—but highly effectively—by Melanie Dryer. Two bales of hay become a bed or a bench; a long swath of blue fabric is a stream. Aided by a variety of projections or back-lit figures, the set by Tony Ferrari and lighting by Deborra Bergmark-Peclor envelope the audience in the world of the play.

Melinda Helfrich delivers a strong portrayal of Yerma, transforming from blushing young bride to maniacal matron. Fermin Suarez is effective as her workaholic husband. Bridget Connors, Laura Mixon and Shammen McCune serve as the chorus playing a variety of roles. McCune is the stand-out of the three. Their best scene is one in which they play gossiping women doing their laundry at the stream.
Jarid Faubel as Yerma’s love interest Juan is tall and handsome as any good love interest should be—but seems stiff and uncomfortable on stage.

Dryer and her cast do an admirable job with this script (and its translation), but one wonders if it would ultimately be worth seeing without the talents of musician Margolis and dancer Ocampo. I have my doubts.

Yerma runs through April 26. For information, visit www.quantumtheatre.com.

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