20. June 2010 by admin.

CONNECTING THE DOTS

F. J. Hartland

Phase 3 Productions has carved a niche for itself by exposing Pittsburgh to plays unseen (and often unheard of) here before.

And with their current production of Lion in the Streets by Judith Thompson, Phase 3 continues that trend.

Directed by Melissa Hill Grande, the play is a perfect “black box” vehicle, told with a few cubes and a rack of costumes for the six member cast to play nearly 30 characters.  Various settings are represented by having a cast member write the location in chalk on the back blackboard-like wall.

Lion in the Streets tells the story of a young girl who has been brutally murdered.  Or does it?

Act One has a La Ronde-type format with one character from each scene moving into the next scene.  In Act Two the technique tends to fall apart.  At times the only thing that seems to be holding the vignettes together is a sheet which becomes a variety of props: a bed sheet, a towel, a shawl, a veil, a research report, etc.

The six member cast (Eric James Davidson, Kathleen Hagerty, Allison Scarlet Jaye, Adam Pribila, Sheridan Singleton and Jocelyn Snyder) all have memorable moments—but it is Pribila who shines.  Whether playing an elderly priest, a young boy or a sadistic actor, he achieves the most distinct (and complete) characterizations.

Singleton as the murdered girl Isobel often becomes shrill.  That combined with the less-than-ideal acoustic at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, she becomes unintelligible.

While some of the individual scenes are compelling, the play goes on too long.  And while I enjoy a play that prompts questions, Lion in the Streets begs the wrong kind of questions.  For example, sometimes the characters can’t see the ghost of the dead girl Isobel, other times some can—why?  How much time actually transpires during the course of the play?  What do these vignettes have to do with the girl’s murder?  Is the girl going through some kind of personal purgatory?  The list continues…sorry, but I have no answers.

With Lion in the Streets Phase 3 has created some very interesting dots.  They just haven’t connected them yet.

Lion in the Streets continues at Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre through June 27.

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9. June 2010 by admin.

VOICES SOAR IN MISS SAIGON

F. J. Hartland

The scars of war linger long after the conflict has ended. 

Nowhere is that truer than in the cast of the Viet Nam conflict, whose wounds are still felt today.

The experiences of Chris, a young American soldier, and Kim, the woman he meets and falls in love with two weeks prior to the fall of Saigon, carry more than memories in the musical Miss Saigon, the current offering from Pittsburgh CLO.

“Musical” is perhaps not the correct term.  Miss Saigon (like its predecessor Les Miserables) is completely sung (and with  tragic conclusion) and is more correctly categorized as opera.

Pittsburgh CLO has certainly found the voices fit for this challenging score.

Ma-Anne Dionisio is diminutive—but don’t let her size fool you.  The voice is powerful and she commands the stage as Kim.  As Chris, Aaron Ramey is equally strong vocally—but you would expect that as he is a powerfully built man.  Both also play the pathos of Miss Saigon quite well.Unfortunately, there is no real chemistry between the two…making their “love at first sight” meeting ring not so true.

Kevin Gray plays the ultimate hustler, the Engineer.  The sound system at the Bendum is doing him no favors.  He was especially hard to hear for the first half of Act One.  Josh Tower as Chris’s best friend John is equally saddled with the same problem late in Act Two.  Both men give noteworthy performances—but it would have been nice to hear all of their work.

Becca Ayers plays Chris’s new American wife Ellen.  Ayers sang beautifully, but her costume and make-up made her look more like Chris’s mother than his new, young wife.

Director Barry Ivan keeps the show moving (and even at this pace, it runs 2 hours and 45 minutes).  However, he often has performers leave the set and go to center to sing (where they are often poorly lit by John McLain).  Why not just bring the actor directly downstage (making it look like he/she is still in the scene) and perhaps be better lit?

Also, the American Dream number has been totally transformed from the original concept—and doesn’t fare very well for it.

Parts of Michael Anania’s set were good—but others failed miserably.  John and Ellen’s hotel room set was as terrible as I’ve seen in the lowest budget high school musical.

I attended this production with a friend who is something of a Miss Saigon aficionado; I think this was his sixth time to see the show.  He commented that while the singing was on a par with the Broadway production, this was undoubtedly the smallest production in term of scope, cast size and set. 

This was my first time to see Miss Saigon…and I walked away with the same impression. 

For example, in the pivotal (and much hyped) helicopter scene, Chris can’t find Kim.  She was hard to miss in that small crowd.  I could see her from Row G—why can’t Chris?

These amazing vocalists (Gray, Dionisio, Ramey, Ayers and Tower) deserve a better production than they are getting.

Miss Saigon continues through June 20.

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4. June 2010 by admin.

BUT IS IT ART?

F. J. Hartland

“My friend Serge has bought a painting…”

So begins Yasmina Reza’s play Art now playing at the Public Theatre.  And who knew that a work of art could cause such turmoil for Serge and his two dearest friends Marc and Yvan?

It makes for a witty, funny evening that explores relationships and the nature of art.

Rob Breckenridge is perfect as the snide Marc—who laughs at his friend’s purchase.  It is easy to see why Serge would take offense at his friend’s hyena-like bray.

Darren Eliker is sufficiently pompous as the novice art collector.  You can easily read his childish delight in his new purchase—and his disappointment when no one else sees what he sees in his white painting…or “not white” as Serge would say. 

And Harry Bouvy steals the show as the neurotic Yvan, who is the butt of Marc and Serge’s jokes.  Yvan also has the misfortune of being caught in the battle between Serge and Marc.  Bouvy earns well-deserved applause for his lengthy monologue about his disastrous upcoming nuptials.  But when the going get really tough, he curls up in a chair in the fetal position.

It is the rapport between these three men that make Art the achievement it is.  They create an ideal ensemble that manages to find every single laugh in Reza’s script.

Director Ted Pappas has given a smooth, very funny production punctuated with cool jazz music.  It is a speedy evening—approximately 90 minutes.  But the slickness of the show makes it seem even shorter.  The only thing that made me shudder was when Serge pulled a bowl of olives out of a drawer in the coffee table…I had visions of moldy, fuzzy olives.

Anne Mundell’s minimalist set with its pastel colors is perfect.  Phil Monat has created lighting that is in harmony with the set and the mood of the play.

It is a fun-filled evening, well-worth seeing…full of laughs and the absurdites of friendship. 

And yes…it is also art.

Art continues trough June 27.

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2. June 2010 by admin.

AS LONG AS HE BEATS ME: OLIVER!

F. J. Hartland

Pittsburgh CLO has launched its 64^th season with a production of the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist.

It is a colorful, high-energy production—sure to please.  Perhaps a better production that the material warrants, with its flat characters and musical numbers that do nothing to propel the show along… 

Kate Shindle shines as Nancy, imbuing her with such warmth and charm that it is impossible not to fall in love with her.  Her rendition of “As Long as He Needs Me” absolutely soars and is one of the show’s highlights.  (Of course, she sings this song right after the man who “needs her”—as a human punching bag—the sociopath Bill Sykes has slapped her to the ground.  So I always think of the number as “As Long as He Beats Me.”  Nancy—get help…get away…do something!) Local talent Joseph Serafini plays the title role.  The diminutive twelve-year-old has a powerful voice as evidenced in “Where Is Love?”  After hearing that song butchered in so many productions of Oliver! it was a treat to hear it sung so masterfully by young Serafini.  He is also quite a good actor as well.

Christian Whelan plays the menacing villain Bill Sykes.  While he has a commanding presence, his thick (and loud) accent makes much of what he has to say incomprehensible.  Ditto on Joe Jackson as Noah Claypoole.

Robin Lounsbury gives a humorous and memorable performance as the Widow Corney.  Not as successful is the television star Mark Indelicato (from Ugly Betty) who plays a very one-dimensional Artful Dodger.

In all honesty, the show should be called Fagin!  It is the role with the most characterization—and usually the one that stays in the audience’s mind.  Patrick Page gives a commanding performance, dominating the stage whenever he appears.  Personally, I found his character choices more appropriate for Shylock in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, but he does give the performance to watch.

Mark Morton’s massive set is spectacular.  It fills the Benedum’s stage but always keeps the set changes moving swiftly.  Lighting by John McLain has some dark spots and it was hard to tell if they were done on purpose to create a mood—or not.

The orchestra (under Musical Coordinator Frank Ostrowski) was spectacular.  Likewise, the ensemble sparkles, adding energy (and gymnastics) to the evening.

Director Richard Stafford keeps the pace of the show crisp and the evening runs about 2 hours and ten minutes.  However, there is some awkward staging with actors upstaging one another.  Also, the major event of Act Two (spoiler alert…stop reading now if you don’t know the ending), the murder of a character is completely obscured.

Oliver! continues through June 6. 

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29. May 2010 by admin.

BREVITY IS THE SOUL OF WIT

F. J. Hartland

The Rage of the Stage Players are probably the city’s best know theatre “alternative” company, producing work of a darker nature.  They take yet another new step by presenting an evening of solo pieces entitled Twisted Monologues, all written and directed by James Michael Shoberg.

It is an evening of humor, suspense, chills and some superb acting.The first act consists of eleven monologues—but don’t let that frighten you away.  With a running time of little more than an hour, each piece averages only five minutes.  It’s like the weather in Pittsburgh, if you don’t like it now—wait five minutes.

I don’t want to give away any of the surprises—and it is an evening of surprises…so I will do my best not to reveal any “spoilers.”

Standouts in the first half of Twisted Monologues include: Lindsay Nagel, who kicks the evening off with a performance in None the Wiser that is so complete, so detailed that you will never forget it; Rob Henry (assisted by a spectacular costume and make-up job) in Out of the Closet as someone you will recognize from your childhood; and Jody O’Donnell as a forgotten fairy-tale character in Confessions of a Magic Mirror.  To be honest, it was hard to single any performers out because they were all so good.

Following intermission, the evening never regains the momentum from Act One.  Following six more monologues, there is the lengthy A Breath from Heaven.  The piece showcases Sean Michael Gallaher as “The Broken Angel.”  Gallaher is excellent (and makes for terrific eye-candy—if this is what angels really look like, then I resolve to lead a better life so I can go to Heaven!), but the monologue goes on too, too long.  If Shoberg wanted to end with this piece, then perhaps it should be the only offering in Act Two.

Production values are minimal and some of the set changes take too long, but overall, though, it is an evening of fascinating material, brought to life by an outstanding and talented cast.

Shoberg has written quite a few gems here, ranging from the comic (such as the delightful Everett Lowe in Performance Anxiety) to the chilling (Henry J. Roth in Guilty of Love).  Local actors looking for new and interesting audition material, should contact Shoberg.  He has a wealth of pieces that would showcase a variety of talents and create a myriad of moods.

I hope the Pitt Theatre Department gave Rage of the Stage some kind of discount to rent its airless, humid Studio Theatre space.  Hopefully, this spell of August weather will cease so that theatre is more audience friendly.

Congratulations to Rage of the Stage for creating a very entertaining evening…if it could just be a little bit shorter, please?

Twisted Monologues continues though June 12. 

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10. May 2010 by admin.

WOMEN WEAR THE PANTS IN THE CLUB

F. J. Hartland

Set in an exclusive men’s club at the turn of the century, Eve Merriam’s The Club is billed as “a musical diversion.”  In fact, it is much, much more.

The Club is the current offering at Off The Wall in Washington PA…and it’s really more of a vaudeville, offering something for almost every taste…there’s barbershop quartet-style singing, ballet, tap dance, minstrel show music, one-liners, bad puns—even an aria!

But the twist in The Club is that these male robber barons of the industrial revolution are all played by women!

It was an era of chauvinism and bigotry…so it’s a real paradox when these “men” say things like, “A gentleman NEVER strikes a woman…unless he’s wearing his hat.”

Directed by Linda Haston (who also performs the role of “Henry”) The Club is a fast-paced, ninety minute entertainment featuring a highly talented cast.  These woman ar not only accomplished actresses—but they have remarkable vocal abilities as well.  In fact, several of the numbers feature vocal “smackdowns” as each “man” tries to outperform the other (as men so often do).

There is simply not a weak link in this brilliant cast that (besides Haston) includes Erika Cuenca, Robyne Parrish, Elena Alexandratos, Diana Ifft and Brittany Graham (as well as Amy Doria as the musical director/pianist, who also gets a chance to sing and act!)

Highlighting the second half of The Club is a rehearsal for the men’s club “Spring Show.”  Besides outlandish costumes and silly songs, the cast performs a hilarious over-the-top melodramatic potboiler by Clyde Fitch (which oddly parallels what is happening in the lives of these men).

The set by Paul A. Shaw is simple—but works well in creating the various locations—and also features a runway that extends out into the auditorium.  Shaw has added just enough touches to remind you that all of this is happening more than a century ago.  Lighting by Michael Moats seemed a little dark in places.  Debi Meny’s costumes are dapper when they need to be—and silly when the script calls for silly.

Deceivingly simple, The Club is actually a very complex and challenging piece of theatre.  And Off The Wall has proven itself well up to the challenge.

The Club continues through May 22.

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26. April 2010 by admin.

KEEPING SECRETS:  SPEECH & DEBATE

F. J. Hartland

Three high school misfits are drawn together by two unrelated events.  One, the mayor of their town is embroiled in an on-line sex scandal involving underage boys.  Two, their high school is forming a speech and debate team.

This is the basis for Speech & Debate, the current offering at Bricolage Theatre.Each of the students is harboring dark secrets that draw them together into an uneasy bond.

There’s Diwata (Laura Melchiorre),the star-struck girl who can’t get cast in any role larger than walk-on; Howie (Paul Victor), an out-and-proud senior who is new to the school; and Solomon (Matt Henderson), the ultimate high school geek who dreams of becoming a journalist.  The one adult in the cast is Gayle Pazerski, who is saddled with playing two characters (a teacher and a journalist) whose only function is to make the plot happen.  But Pazerski does an admirable job creating two distinct characters.

Director Jeffrey Carpenter has assembled a wonderful cast of young performers.

Melchiorre is delightfully funny as Diwata.  She is loud, brash and really endears herself to the audience.  Victor plays Howie with loads of sass and attitude.  But it will be Henderson who breaks your heart as a teen caught up in a situation that overwhelms him.  Together the three create an ensemble that is sometimes humorous…sometimes charming…sometimes painfully honest. 

(From what I can tell, the emotions and problems of high school students haven’t changed much in the thirty—er, I mean, twenty—years since I was that age.  Only the technology has changed!)

Carpenter has kept the production moving at an excellent pace and has gotten top-notch performances from his youthful actors.

The script by Stephen Karam has an interesting and timely premise as well as fascinating framework, but it is about ten minutes too long.Jesse Connor’s set captures the feel of a school room—but quickly changes into over locales.  It seems that sometimes it’s the costumes changes—and not the set—that results in some extended black-outs between scenes.

But overall, it is an excellent production in keeping with Bricolage’s high standards.  Kudos to Carpenter and his bright, young cast!

For anyone who ever felt outcast in high school (and quite frankly, who didn’t?) see Speech & Debate.

Speech & Debate runs through May 8. 

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24. April 2010 by admin.

PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: TIME OF MY LIFE

F. J. Hartland

The Public Theatre’s newest production Time of My Life plays fast and loose with that very subject—time.

And while  British playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s play is a comedy, a better word for it would be “bittersweet.”

Set in an Italian restaurant, the play begins at a party.  The Stratton family has gathered to celebrate the birthday of it’s matriarch, the shrewish Laura (Ann McDonough).  There is her long-suffering husband Gerry (Paxton Whitehead), her son Glyn (Tim McGeever), his wife Stephanie (Leah Curney), another son Adam (Jeffrey Withers) and his fiancée Maureen (Sarah Manton).

As the play progresses, we move forward in time to see the future of Glyn and Stephanie and also go back to see the past of Adam and Maureen.

It’s a fascinating device…I’m just not sure why it’s there.

McDonough is delightfully bitchy as the mother who adores one son—all while despising the other.  She has opinions about everything—and everyone.  And she’s not shy about expressing any of them.

Whitehead is wonderful as the long-suffering patriarch.  He plays his voice like a musical instrument, creating sonorous tones—all while capturing a dry sense of wit.  I would l listen to him read the Pittsburgh telephone directory!

The sons—and their respective mates—do an excellent job of creating seamless transformations, becoming the people they were—or will be.  McGeever has captured a veritable “Prince Charles” persona…and Curney offers up some real surprises in completing the arc of her character.

Stealing the show is the engaging Tom Beckett, who plays ALL the restaurant personnel.  From owner Ernesto Calvinu to the entire wait staff, Beckett’s changes are so complete that you will be constantly checking your program to make sure it is indeed the same actor!

Director John Tillinger, renowned for his work on Ayckbourn plays, does what he can to keep the plays moving…but it is a play about people who sit in a restaurant and talk.  Act Two moves at a much better pace than Act One—which has a great deal of exposition.

The set by James Noone is detailed and attractive.  The incidental music by Scott Killian sounds more apropos for a restaurant featuring cuisine from New Delhi and not Florence.

The play offers some good laughs as well as a disturbing look into the soul of a dysfunctional family.  It also makes us question of we know when we are truly having “the of our lives.”

Time of My Life continues at the O’Reilly Theatre through May 16.

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7. April 2010 by admin.

THE TIES THAT BIND…AND STRANGLE

F. J. Hartland

Meet the Westons…the warmest, fuzziest family since the Walton clan took twenty minutes to tell each other “good night.”

NOT!

In August: Osage County playwright Tracy Letts gives us a family so full of vitriol that you’ll find yourself saying, “Hey, my family doesn’t seem so bad…”

Alcoholic patriarch Beverly Weston (John DeVries) has gone missing.  His pill-popping wife Violet (Oscar-winner Estelle Parsons) along with their three daughters (and other family members) have gathered at the family home.  Before it’s all over, toxic secrets are revealed, relationships are shattered and lives crumble.

And did I mention it’s a comedy?

It’s NOT a comedy in the witty, urbane Noel Coward genre.  But it’s a dark comedy with blistering dialogue that makes you laugh out loud…and then wonder “why am I laughing at this?”  You laugh—even though you think you shouldn’t.  It’s like trying to avert your eyes from an automobile accident.

August: Osage County is not for the faint of heart.  There’s vulgarity, sexual situations, drug use and a slew of colloquialisms for female genitalia.  But be brave–it’s worth it.

The cast is nothing short of brilliant.  Each performance is nuance and memorable.

Estelle Parson is a national treasure.  She spews her lines, lashing out hatred and truth…that is, when her character isn’t so hopped up on a cornucopia of pharmaceuticals that her words are garbled and unintelligible.  She commands the stage and navigates the three-story set with ease.  It is an amazing performance that makes you laugh and cry.

In a production full of showy roles, Paul Vincent O’Connor stands out as Uncle Charlie.  His quiet, understated portrayal shows what power and strength there is in gentleness.

As daughter Barbara, Shannon Cochran captures both the wit and the physical comedy of her role as a woman tortured by her failing relationship with her mother, her failing relationship with her husband and her failing relationship with her daughter.  In a cast of powerful characterizations, Cochran is a stand-out.

The Benedum was experiencing sound problems with its amplification system on opening night.  Hopefully, that problem will soon be solved.

August; Osage County is a huge show (3 ½ hours) with a huge cast (13) on a huge set (three stories high)…and it would be a HUGE shame if you miss this very powerful, very funny show!

August: Osage County continues through April 11.

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28. March 2010 by admin.

A BEAUTIFUL LIGHT

F. J. Hartland

Italy, 1953.  A young American woman travels with her mother to Florence—and falls in love with a handsome young man.  But before the final curtain falls, relationships are shattered or repaired and secrets revealed.

It’s the musical A Light in the Piazza, the current offering from the Pittsburgh Playhouse Conservatory Theatre Company.

Director Scott Wise lends his deft hand to create a lush and breath-takingly beautiful production.  A Light in the Piazza is a delight to both the eye and the ear.

He works with an energetic and amazingly talents cast of Point Park University students.  Some are  much too young to play these roles, but still turn in polished and completely believable performances.

Katie Sexton is nothing short of spectacular in the role of the mother Margaret Johnson.  She carries herself with such poise and presence and maturity that I was shocked to see that she is only a junior.  Never for a moment did I see a girl in her twenties—but always a mature Southern matron.

Handsome Jaron Frand plays Fabrizio Naccarelli, who falls in love-at-first sight with Margaret’s daughter Clara.  Frand’s character speaks little English—but thanks to his performance, the audience always understands what he is communicating.  (Special kudos to Frand, Adam Soniak and Andrew Swankhammer who play a lengthy scene in the men’s shop entirely in Italian—and make themselves understood to someone whose knowledge of Italian doesn’t extend beyond “si” and “ciao.”)

In the role of Clara, Courtney Bassett captures the complexities and range of her character.  I don’t want to give any of the plot away—but let’s just say that Bassett creates a fully drawn portrait of Clara with all her charms and flaws.

Sexton, Frand and Bassett (along with the rest of the cast) have powerful, spectacular voices that soar with Adam Guetell’s music.The supporting cast is very strong—as has always were the case with Point Park’s Conservatory productions.  There is not a weak link in this chain.

Michael Thomas Essaud’s set (along with lighting by Andrew Ostrowski and Christopher Stabell and projections by Jessi Sedon) is sheer poetry.  Scenes glide seamlessly along and the final effect is unforgettable.  (My only complaint was the wire used to make Clara’s hat blow off her head.  It was so obviously there—and so distracting—that it was a nuisance.  But this is a minute point in the overall effect of the spectacular visuals).

Director Wise fills this gorgeous space with an unending parade of nuns, clergy, tourists, prostitutes, soccer players, street thugs.  They are all costumed beautifully by Michael Montgomery, who really brings the style of 1950’s Italy to life (although one wishes some of the men’s tailoring was better).

Everyone involved really deserved a better script.  Craig Lucas’s script is so full of contrived circumstances, unbelievable resolutions and conflicts that seem to exist only to add length to the show.  A Light in the Piazza darts between musical comedy and operetta, never really finding its niche.

Adam Guettel’s songs are lovely—but you don’t leave the theatre humming any of them.

But all that being said, this is a top-notch production, filled with memorable performances and beautiful voices.

A Light in the Piazza continues through April 3. 

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