November Theatre 2008 – The Writer’s Cut
In my November Theater column (available at finer newsstands now), I offered this unique opportunity: an “expanded look” at some of the projects I explored in my column here at SPREEBLOG. One unfortunate fact of “paper publication” is its finite nature. Only so much space can be given to any subject before the humble reader is beseiged by walls of increasingly smaller text. Conversely, the beauty of the Internet is the limitless nature of its discourse; tempered only by the mercy of the writer (and perhaps the patience of the reader).
So I wanted to give the SPREE faithful a chance to read a little about the respective productions described in my November column, before knife was taken to paragraph. This isn’t a slight to my good editors at BUFFALO SPREE. The cuts were made by yours truly before submission. Maybe the features are best after pruning (with additional cultivation from EL and company). Maybe there as are buds of insight that can harvest further interest. Maybe I’m just enamored with the sound of my keyboard tapping. Decide for yourself. (Another beauty of the Internet.)
Heroes
I’ve been looking forward to the Kavinoky’s production of Heroes since it was announced, then unfortunately removed, from last season’s schedule. Originally, the Tom Stoppard translation of Gerald Sibleyras’ Le Vent de Peupliers was to star David Lamb, Vincent O’Neill, and Saul Elkin. Elkin’s schedule couldn’t be worked out, so Norm Sham is joining the two local theatrical heavyweights. Saul will be missed, but Norm is a solid substitute, as evidenced by his Merry Wives of Windsor performance for Shakespeare in Delaware Park this summer.
Heroes features “the story/adventures of three World War One vets in a home for the elderly. Bored, lonely and fearful of their inevitable end, they embark on a series of ‘missions’ that are simultaneously hysterical, poignant, absurd and ‘heroic,’” explains director Paul Todaro.
A prolific director (and actor) for the Kavinoky and Irish Classical, Todaro has worked the three principals before on separate occasions, but this is the first time they’ve all been together. “I look forward to having all four of us in the same room,” he says.
Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge isn’t dealing with these tremendous talents (who are all good natured gents offstage), it’s presenting this often philosophical playwright in not-so-cerebrally-friendly Buffalo. Even though it is a translation, “stylistically, Heroes is a Stoppard play,” Todaro says. “Stoppard means verbal comedy, wit, some physical gags, and fierce intellectualism siphoned through entertaining characters and unlikely situations.”
However, the play has been successful around the world, and usually stars the leading actors in the region. This production certainly has that to its advantage.
“Le Vent des Peupliers was a huge hit in France as was Heroes in London. It bombed in the States. I think I know why,” Todaro says. “You be the judge this November.” Heroes opens November 7.
The Seafarer
One of the reasons I’m sorry to miss Saul Elkin in Heroes is because when he worked onstage with Vincent O’Neill in the Irish Classical’s production of The Weir in 2001, it was, for me, one of those magical nights at the theater. Now, we may not be able to relive that experience, but we get a new “moment” as New Phoenix Theatre on the Park presents The Seafarer by Weir author Conor McPherson (no relation).
According to NP Artistic Director Bob Waterhouse, The Seafarer focuses on “four die-hard drinkers, all men, in a coastal village in North Dublin, who gather on Christmas Eve. We meet Richard, who lost his eyesight while on a bender (he fell into a dumpster) and who now is almost infirm; his younger brother, Sharky, who’s adrift but who is looking after Richard; their friend Ivan, who lost his glasses while drinking the night before; and Nicky, to whom Sharky has lost his wife and car. Each of the four has lost his way.
“They are joined by a fifth man, Lockhart, who gradually reveals himself to be the devil; he’s come for the soul of Sharky, who has a murky, violent past. The men sit down for a game of cards, with Lockhart playing Sharky for his soul,” Waterhouse continues. “The depth of characterization, the friendships between the men, gives the play its heart, as does the play’s black humor.”
Waterhouse says there seems to be an Irish/Anglo/European tradition of ghost stories for Christmas Eve, “a desire to encounter the supernatural before the light of Christmas morning. I’m excited about the chance to work in that tradition.”
Despite the supernatural overtones, Waterhouse is taking “a highly realistic approach to this play,” he says. “The play’s like life–in the sense that fate often plays highly ironic jokes on us, or in the sense that, like the characters, we’re often too blind or shortsighted to see the symbolism of the twists in the path beneath our feet.”
Joe Natale is joining Waterhouse as co-director to bring those characters to life. “I expect to be bowing to his expertise and wisdom often,” Waterhouse reports. Natale is “famously a stickler for authentic accents,” which is a vital aspect of a McPherson production. NP Executive
Director Richard Lambert stars as Sharky.
The New Phoenix production of four-time Tony Award nominated The Seafarer (including Best Play) opens November 13 and runs through December 13.
Triangles
Perhaps one of the boldest and most intriguing experiments this season is coming with Triangles from Road Less Traveled Productions. Featuring works by August Strindberg, Emanuel Fried, and Jon Elston, the three plays explore romantic triangles.
“Strindberg’s The Stronger is the gold standard, and Manny Fried wrote Triangle as a direct “response” to Strindberg’s play,” says Elston, RLTP’s Resident Playwright and General Manager. “My play, The Elliptical, is not so much “part three” as it is a portrait of the evolution of social mores (or at least those regarding monogamy and commitment) in the past 100 plus years since The Stronger.
“All three plays take place in a different time and place, and the characters in each are laboring under different social structures and dictums. But they are all similarly bound to the same kind of vicious triangle. (Pun intended.)”
RLTP Artistic/Executive Director Scott Behrend conceived the idea of presenting the two older plays with a new work by Elston. “As it so happens, The Elliptical was a play I’d been working on for five years, and it just sort of fit the dimensions of this evening,” Elston says. “I did a little extra work to create a ‘framing sequence’ to link all three together.”
In another interesting twist, Kristen Kelly and Lisa Vitrano star in The Stronger and Triangle as the two women at odds over the same man. Director Behrend is having them switch roles in both plays each night, “so there will be some incentive for patrons who like the show to see it twice!” Elston says.
“Kristen and Lisa have not worked together on stage before, and they have always wanted to,” Behrend says. “I felt that this was a perfect fit for two of our community’s most talented actresses. Watching them switch roles each night will be a particular treat; rarely is something like this done.”
The Elliptical stars Todd Benzin, Kelly Meg Brennan, and Bonnie Jean Taylor, each of whom “take us on a funny ride every night,” Behrend promises.
The Stronger and Triangle are each about fifteen minutes, and The Elliptical is a little over an hour, so this distinctive theatrical event won’t be heavy on your schedule. Triangles opens November 14 and runs through December 7 at the Road Less Traveled Theater inside the Market Arcade Film and Arts Center on Main Street in Buffalo.
Tromping on Sacred Ground
Going back to the Victorian era, the Alleyway’s Mazumdar New Play Competition winner Tromping on Sacred Ground by Suzanne C. Dickie offers a biographical portrait of Henry Huxley, one of the first scientists to lend support to Charles Darwin after publication of Origin of the Species.
“This play is a romance of ideas, a tribute to the joy of thought turned to action turned to social impact. In 1860, the Church Of England refuted Darwin’s theories of evolution, and influenced public opinion against them. The play shows that Huxley and his circle responded by suggesting the human mind was the greatest creation of God and the greatest human sin was not to exercise the mind,” explains director Thomas Dooney.
“Huxley was a remarkable scientist and thinker in his own right. The play traces the relationship between Huxley, his wife Netty, a poet, and their friend, and Huxley’s longtime professional colleague John Tyndall. These are three especially vivid historical figures who dispel the stereotype of Victorian narrow-mindedness.”
Dooney notes that “this is not a bombastic debate on the subject of creationism vs. evolution.” He says it “is a gentle, thoughtful play about carrying through despite life’s challenges. That in a life graced with genius and important work, one must also sustain friendships, maintain a family; one must love and be loyal and be true to oneself…and to be ready for change.”
With a new play like this, Dooney says “the director’s function as liaison between the operative forces–the script, the artists and the audience–is heightened. …it is a particular challenge to direct a premiere script…a challenge and a privilege and a responsibility.”
Casey Denton, Kelly Beuth, and Christopher Parada star as the principals. Tromping on Sacred Ground runs November 6-22.
Jamestown Gals
MusicalFare is presenting Jamestown Gals: The Music of Lucille Ball and Peggy Lee, an original production conceived by Michael J. Walline of Zooma Zooma and Familiar Strangers fame. Walline credits his father, who is currently battling Parkinson’s disease, with the initial idea.
“Around a year and a half ago, my Dad sat me down and said, ‘You need to do a show about Peggy Lee and call it Jamestown.’ He was born in Fargo, North Dakota and he knew Peggy’s beginnings very well because she was from Jamestown, North Dakota.” Ball’s Jamestown, New York connection came later. The junior Walline added “Gals” to the title “to make it more about the two women instead of just about Jamestown.”
Their research revealed that the most interesting way to approach the show would be by celebrating their music. Before her stellar television career, Lucille Ball made many movie musicals. Later on, she appeared on Broadway in Wildcat and starred in the movie Mame. “Funny thing is that she always said she could never sing,” Walline says. “Her voice may not have been the best, but it definitely was part of her charm as a performer.”
For her part, Peggy Lee was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Pete Kelly’s Blues and she wrote all the music for Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. Ultimately, Walline found that, “weaved together, the material made a very entertaining show.”
Walline is approaching this show very similarly to Zooma Zooma in that he doesn’t want to do direct impressions. “My objective is to capture the essence of Peggy Lee and Lucille Ball through their unique music and performance styles,” he says.
“The essence of Peggy Lee is being portrayed by Terrie George and Arin Lee Dandes. Peggy had a dynamic voice that soared in her younger days, which suits Arin perfectly. Her voice became jazzier and smokier as she got older, which Terrie embodies beautifully.
“Lucille Ball has to be portrayed by two actresses who have perfect comedic timing, yet also can sing. Kathy Weese and Kelly Jakiel have both of these qualities and are perfectly cast as well. John Fredo will be capturing the essence of Desi Arnaz (complete with conga drums and bongos), while Marc Sacco will be portraying many of the other men that performed with these ladies.”
Walline admits Jamestown Gals is “a love letter to my parents. Without my Mom and Dad, this show would never have happened. This is all for them–a show about two strong, talented women and the men that helped them shine throughout their careers. That’s my parents to a ‘T.’”
Jamestown Gals: The Music of Lucille Ball and Peggy Lee opens November 5.
