Eye of the Beholder
This imaginative, family production, is inspired by the
original French story of “Beauty and the Beast” by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de
Villeneuve written in 1740. This stage
production is created, designed and directed by Carol Triffle, Jerry Mouawad
(Imago Founders and Artistic Directors) and co-written by Devin Stinson. Original music and lyrics are by Triffle,
Amanda Payne, Alyssa Payne and Lydia Ooghe.
It stars Jim Vadala as Sam and Justine Davis as Rose with Lance Woolen
and Erin Nicole Chmela as puppeteers. It
is playing at their space, 17 SE 8th Ave. (off Burnside), through
January 8th. (Mostly street
parking only, so plan your time accordingly.)
For more information, go to their site at www.imagotheatre.com or call
503-231-9581.
It is said the “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Tis true.
For what is lovely to one person may not be so to another. “And thereby hangs a tale.” The story involves two humans and a bevy of
imaginative creatures aboard the ship, La Belle. It is Sam Stoker’s (Vadala) job to live up to
his namesake and “stoke” the engines, keeping the ship running smoothly with
just some coal, a monkey-wrench and his ingenuity. But it is a lonely, dirty and “stinky” job to
be trapped all the time in the bowels of the liner with only his teddy bear and
imagination to keep him sane.
That is until a freak storm occurs and one of the
passengers, Rose (Davis), is delivered unceremoniously into his realm and both
their worlds will change dramatically forever.
There is no doubt there are differences…on the outside. He is a sooty loner from the working
class. She, a high-society lady. But somehow, within, between them, there is
the spark of magic afoot. The connection
between them is of a deeper sort, a song yet to be sung, a region on the verge
of discovery. It surrounds them in the passengers’
trunks and in the very fabric of the ship itself, awaiting only their command
to come alive.
They are both storytellers, as that is their way of
communicating. One story involves a blue
fairy who falls in love with a human, which is forbidden in their kingdom. There is even a wicked fairy that has designs
to thwart their plans. Another story is
about an orphaned girl who is raised by a rich family only to be sunk into
poverty when their fortunes are lost.
But, a chance encounter by her father in a magical castle, may restore
them to their former glory, if one of his daughters is willing to spend the
rest of her days in this castle with the beast who rules it. Interestingly, both these stories have a
personal connection to Sam and Rose.
But, mums the word on the conclusion, as that is for you to discover.
Obviously, if you are familiar with Imago’s work, the secret
of their presentations are not just simple stories, well told, but in the style
of how they are told. In this case there are giant puppet heads,
shadow plays, silhouettes, puppets, masks, stylized movements, dolls, songs, secret
doors and passages, graphics and visuals, colorful backdrops and even a wee bit
of magic throw in. It all has to work
like clockwork for it to succeed, but succeed they do, creating a world that
even Disney would envy!
I can see origins of this creation in the works of Eugene
O’Neill, “The Hairy Ape” (about a beast-like human working in the boiler room
of a ship); “Pinocchio” (the blue fairy); “Cinderella” (a dysfunctional family,
with a misfit girl as their slave); “The Merchant of Venice” (the loss of his
fortune at sea); and, of course, the original story, the best movie version by
far being the 1930’s Cocteau film. There
are also influences of the silent film era, especially Chaplin and Keaton, with
the exaggerated expressions and stylized movements. And it all works together to perfection!
Another innovative invention (among a myriad of original
creations) is the interpretation of the characters. Belle is not the stereotypic, pretty, bland
maid from other incarnations but Davis comes across as an innocent, a rather
silly goose at times, caught up in a world that is a bit overwhelming. Vadala awkwardly stumbles his way through the
relationship, giving the impression his heart is in the right place but his
body is all akimbo when attempting to match the rhythm of that heart to
actions. But it is in their storytelling
that they connect. Vadala has long been
a stage favorite of mine and he is spot on in this role. Davis is a wonder, as I thoroughly enjoyed
her very unique creation of her role.
And not to slight the puppeteers, Woolen and Chmela, in their
performances of the many supporting characters, which are amazing.
Triffle and Mouawad have outdone themselves with this
production. It is indeed a masterpiece
of storytelling raised to an infinite degree.
A delicious feast for the eyes and ears and nourishing fodder for the
soul. It is a cornucopia of sights and
sounds that burrow through the hard shell of adulthood to the child-like wonder
of innocence and imagination, too long buried.
In this age of chaos, it is gratifying to know that one can still blush
with wonderment, at something as simple as a rose seemingly appearing out of
nowhere, for it soothes, for a moment, the troubled waters of a discordant era.
The creators of the music and songs, the sound designer
(Kyle Delamarter), and all the many designers/builders of the set, costumes,
lighting and, of course, the puppets, are to be highly commended. This is a work of Art, make no mistake about
it—long may it survive. Tickets are
selling fast so best contact them now.
Obviously, I highly recommend this family show. If you do choose to see it, please tell them
Dennis sent you.
The Circle
of Life
This stage
production of the classic MGM film musical is based on the book written by L.
Frank Baum and adapted by John Kane, with music and lyrics by Harold Arlen,
E.Y. Harburg and Herbert Stothart. It is
directed by Sarah Jane Hardy (NWCT’s Artistic Director), musical direction by
Darcy White and choreography by Elizabeth Gibbs. It is playing at their space, 1819 NW Everett
St. (finding parking in this area is always difficult, so add plenty of time to
your commute), through January 2nd.
For more information, go to their site at www.nwcts.org or call 503-222-4480.
When we are
children, our fondest desire may be to grow up and get away from home to find
our dreams. When we are adults, our
fondest dream may be to be home once again because, as the story espouses,
“there is no place like home!” Such is
the circle of Life, as our yellow-brick road has led us back to the beginning
(not unlike the ending for Kubrick/Clarke’s, 2001: A Space Odyssey). Ironic, isn’t it? And does it have something to teach us
besides this? The Scarecrow concludes,
“Some people without brains do an awfully lot of talking.” Politicians, beware, Baum was on to you.
For those
not familiar with the story, it is of Dorothy (Ronni Lee), a bored, mid-West
teenager, brought up on a Kansas farm by her Aunt Em (Kari Christensen) and
Uncle Henry (Bud Reece), with her only friend being her little dog, Toto
(KC). (The story never does say what
happen to her parents.) Into this
uneventful life, her world turns upside down when a tornado (a young girl’s
awaking into adulthood, perhaps?) sweeps her into the magical Land of Oz.
Lost in this
whirlwind of color and fantasies, she meets the Munchkins, the little people
who inhabit the land ruled by four Witches, two Good, two Wicked but now whittled
down to three, as Dorothy’s house has just landed on the Wicked Witch of the
East and “…she is really, truly dead.”
Glinda (Christensen, again), the Good Witch of the North (the G/W of the
South is never seen), wants to aid in her finding her way back home and advises
her to wear the Ruby slippers (originally, Silver, and not actually “slippers”
but shoes—see my trivia info at the end of this review) but the Wicked Witch of
the West (Clara-Liis Hillier) appears and threatens her unless the gives up the
“slippers” and the power they contain.
Undeterred,
she follows the Yellow-Brick Road, as directed by the Munchkins, to go to the
Emerald City to see the Great and Powerful, Wizard of Oz (Kevin-Michael Moore),
who may aid her in her quest to go home.
Along the way she meets a Scarecrow (Sam Burns), who needs brains, a Tin
Man (Brendan Long), who desires a heart, and a Lion (Andrés Alcalá), who wants
courage. Together they will trek on down
the golden road to their destinies.
Among their adventures they meet ravenous ravens, threatening trees, poisoned poppies, mutinous monkeys, wicked
Winkies, and a very nasty Witch, and it is safe to say, everyone gets their
desired wishes or just deserves. (Would
it were that simple to return to our own “Kansas” settings.)
But, for the
one or two of you who may not be familiar with the story, I cannot elaborate
more or I would be spoiling the tale.
And, be content, all of the songs from the original film are in tack
with an additional one (see trivia info).
One of my favorites songs of all time is, of course, “Over the Rainbow,”
nicely sung by Lee and also the show-stopping, “If I Were King,” terrifically
rendered by Alcalá. Hillier too,
although having no songs, is deliciously evil as the W/W, a scene-stealing
role. In my opinion, she is one of the
best actors in the area and always worth watching.
And to give
credit where credit is due, there are some nicely rendered performers in
smaller roles that shine, including a wonderful monkey impersonation by Gabe
Porath as Niko (W/W’s chief henchman) and the featured dancer in the
“Jitterbug” number and, possibly also, the Gatekeeper of Oz, but these
characters are uncredited (although they may be Olivia Grace Dunn and/or Kate
Kelly), anyway, they shine, as well, proving again, the old adage, “there are
no small roles….” All the actors and the
entire ensemble (about 45 in all) are to be commended, as they fill the entire
main stage and two side stages (plus ceiling and even the lighting booth) to expand
the Baum vision. Many kudos also go to John
Ellingson for his amazing scenic design and to Mary Eggers Rochon for the very
colorful costumes (although I did wonder why no mane for the Lion).
Hardy has
done an extraordinary job of directing the over-whelming task of this epic
adventure. It is a Feast for the eyes
and ears and nourishment for the Soul!
White has played true to the music and Gibbs has done wonders with such
a large cast and space with the dances, especially the “Jitterbug” number. I was also impressed with the effective simplicity
of creating some of the scenes, such as streamers, confetti, umbrellas,
flashlights, bubbles and, the more complicated, video projections. All add to the magic of the moments.
And now, for
you trivia buffs: Some of the original
suggestions for cast were W. C. Fields (Wizard), Shirley Temple (Dorothy) and
Gale Sondergaard (Witch)—all unavailable, and Buddy Ebsen (Tin Man) but
allergic to the silver make-up; originally the “slippers” were silver but when
it was decided to film in color those sequences, they changed to red; the
“Jitterbug” number was cut because of length and slowing down the story, and
only some home movies remain of the original; guess what other number was
almost cut for the same reasons—the iconic, “Over the Rainbow;” and, perhaps,
the most amazing story, when they were looking for a special coat for the
Marvel/Wizard character, they came across it in a thrift shop and it was used
in the film. The faded name sewn into
the collar was “L. Frank Baum!”
Obviously, I
recommend this show. If you do choose to
see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.
“Much Ado About Nothing”
This classic comedy by Noel Coward is directed by Brenda
Hubbard. It is playing at their space,
1436 SE Montgomery St. (parking is a challenge in this area, so plan your time
accordingly), through December 18th.
For more information on this production, their season and/or classes, go
to their site at www.pac.edu or call
503-274-1717.
Yes, my above title is actually from another classic comedy
writer, Mr. S., but the phrase does seem to sum up the theme of this play. It was written a few decades ago when life
seemed free and easy (for some) and, as the song goes, “…the rich got richer
and the poor got poorer, ain’t we got fun?”
For the elite, the privileged, the titled, the few, it must have been a
fun time to go punting (boating with a pole), indulging in the Arts, traveling
and spending money like it was going out of style. It was also a time of falling in and out of
“love,” gossiping, dressing up frequently, playing word games and dishing your
friends and neighbors whenever possible.
And such is the life of the Bliss family.
There is the fastidious, Papa Bliss, David (Jacob Beaver), a
writer of novels (of no consequence); his wife, the elegant Mama Bliss, Judith
(Tyharra Cozier), a stage actress; the spoiled, fickled daughter, Sorel
(Christa Helms); and the equally spoiled son, Simon (Aries Annitya), an artist
(of no consequence). They, with their
mouthy maid, Clara (Caren Graham), make up the Bliss household.
But, not content to let things…continue to idle, they have
invited some virtual strangers to their house for the weekend. David has invited the introverted, Jackie
(Melissa Buchta), someone he barely knows.
Clara has extended an invitation to an eager, “younger” man, Sandy
(Bjorn Anderson), whom she met casually in a shop. Sorel’s newest interest is the world
traveler, Richard Greatham, an “older,” experienced gentleman, who Sorel feels
she can “learn” from. And Simon has a
new “friend,” in the guise of the snobbish, Myra (Monica Fleetwood), a wit not
to be trifled with. But if all the
visitors assumed that, there would be no play, of course.
And so, when everybody is through staking out their
territory, the real game begins…musical chairs.
Of course, the only reason for the visitations is to see if you can get
your partners goat, as it were. In order
to put a person in their place, of course, you have to give them some
competition. And so the comedy of
manners (or lack of) continues. They
each pair off with different mates to get a rise out of another, with only the
visitors being taken by surprise, as it all seems to be one great game. Things are eventually resolved, at least for
the family, and the visitors may have become sadder but wiser (or not). Any resemble to reality is purely
coincidental. Or, as Queen Eleanor might
conclude, “what family doesn’t have its ups and downs.”
This is a fun, fluff piece as far as the story goes but its
strength lies in the genius of Coward’s witty words and wry repartee between
his characters. The tale also probably
does reflect Coward’s own “jet set” of friends at the time and so there is a
definite self-indulgence on his part, as he also often played one of the
characters himself and his dear friend, actress, Gertrude Lawrence, opposite
him (see the film “Star” for more background information on them). My own personal favorite of his was the
drama, “Brief Encounter,” which is rarely done (a good film of this is the
low-budget, 50’s movie, with Trevor Howard).
Any director at the helm of this piece (or any Coward piece)
has to be aware of the intricate timing of the dialogue for the comedy to
work. Have, no fear, Hubbard is in
charge and has things well in hand. She
knows exactly what she’s doing and has a cast to match her (and, I believe,
Coward’s) vision. And she has a good
artistic team behind the scenes with Max Ward as the set designer and,
especially, Jessica Bobillot, as the costume designer (for this and many of
their shows) and has outdone herself with this one!
(A side note to this:
Some years ago Hubbard was going to direct this show as part of the SRO
program for Portland Civic Theatre. She
had cast me as Richard Greatham. Shortly
after that we were informed that this theatre, which had been around for many
years, was closing its doors for good. Opportunity
missed but the beat continued, as it has come full circle for her and I veered
into writing. But, curiously, I did
direct the last show to grace their stage, through their school, “Anne of Green
Gables.”)
The cast all fit their roles perfectly and, being young
performers, have certainly matched or surpassed other casts of Coward’s
material. This type of play would not be
easy for any theatre to do but they have risen to the challenge. If you can do this well, and they do, then
you have just accomplished a giant step toward your goal of becoming a professional
actor. Bravo to all!
I recommend this play.
If you do choose to see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.
Tis the Season…
This dark holiday comedy is written by Jack Heifner and
directed by Jason England. It is playing
at their space, 7515 N. Brandon Ave. (off Lombard, parking available in the church
lot across the street), through December 17th. For more information, go to their site at www.twilighttheatercompany.org
Dickens probably wrote the definitive story about this
Season in “A Christmas Carol.” It pretty
well covers the whole gamut of Christmas emotions, memories and types of
people. Part of that story involves the
Ghost of Christmas Past taking Scrooge on a trip down memory lane, focusing on
sad remembrances of being abandoned in a boarding school, losing the love of
his life because of his greed, the death of his sister, et. al., allowing these
tragic memories to dictate his present life.
But, knowing this, can he redeem himself?
Much the same thing happens in this story. An ambitious PR man from a movie studio, Scott
(Andy Roberts), lives a comfortable lifestyle in the Hollywood Hills of
California with his new lover, Tony (Johnnie Torres). But, on this Christmas Eve, they have
acquired an uninvited guest in the guise of Tony’s brother, Victor (Josiah
Green), a drunk who has been thrown out of his house by his ever-loving wife,
Betsy, because he had a brief fling with a mouse (you’ll just have to see it
for the rest of the story).
Not only that, but Scott’s homophobic mother, Doris (Angela
Mitchom) from Texas, will be visiting and meeting Tony for the first time. Things continue to get rocky when another
uninvited guest pops in, Tony and Victor’s estranged sister, Gina (Adriana
Gantzer), from South America, with a little surprise of her own (again, won’t
give it away, as you’ll just have to see it).
And how do their pasts haunt them?
By a flighty gentleman with wings and a wand called the Christmas Fairy
(David Alan Morrison).
It seems he’s been assigned to put things right in these
people’s lives, so that present and future Christmas’s will truly be filled
with “…good will toward men.” So he must
assume certain guises of various individuals from their pasts to accomplish
this. He becomes Scott’s former lover,
Brian; Doris’s husband, Duke; the three siblings’ mother when they were
children; Betsy, Victor’s wife; et. al.
By doing this it is hoped they will see the error of their ways and
perhaps he, liked Clarence, the angel in another famous Christmas tale, will
garner a reward for his efforts. To
learn the outcome, you’ll just have to see it, won’t you?
There is also in this play a significant bit of serious
dialogue surrounding sexual orientation.
Humor and drama can be an uneasy partnership but, in this case, it works
for the most part. England has cast the
play well and balanced nicely the light and the heavy in the story. There is a clever lighting effect, too, when
the Fairy is at work. And Morrison, as
the Christmas messenger, has his hands full playing at least a dozen different
characters. The cast are all quite good
but Morrison is exceptional.
I recommend this play, but do keep in mind, it is definitely
adult material. If you do choose to see
it, please tell them Dennis sent you.
Underworld of a Star
This one-man comedy, starring James Sharinghousen, is
written by Jonathan Tolins and directed by Donald Horn (Triangle’s Artistic
Director). It is playing at their space
at 1785 NE Sandy Blvd. (parking lot to the West of the bldg.) through December
17th. For more information,
go to their site at www.trianglepro.org
or call 503-239-5919.
We all have dreams—the biggest to the smallest—and we all
have fantasies, too. Perhaps it’s the
collective tissue, our psyche DNA, that unites us all. And in that vast wonderland of “could bes…”
or “what ifs…” we find a Truth of sorts, that will get us through the
night. In the case of a mega-star like
Barbra Streisand, it is a mini-mall under her Malibu home (true). In the case of Alex Moore (Sharinghousen), a
struggling actor, it is working there as a salesperson (fanciful truth). It may be that “the truth will set us free”
but it is the dreams, the fantasies, that sustain that “Truth.”
In Alex’s case, he is simply looking on how to finance his
next meal. But, like all of us, I believe,
he is also looking for sustenance to feed his soul, as well. His dutiful lover, Barry, an out-of-work
screenwriter, tends to his corporeal needs but for an artist, something more,
something intangible, is needed, too. He
craves a space to let his imagination flourish.
His agent, Vincent, comes to the rescue and supplies him with a
mysterious sales job at a Malibu estate.
His creative juices are about to be tested.
He meets the martinet housekeeper of the mansion, Sharon,
and he’s brusquely shown to his new working quarters, an entire mini-mall
equipped with a clothing department, antiques, dolls and toys, a gift store, a
sweet shop, costumes and props, et. al.
He is to keep an inventory of the places, dust, wear a “costume”
(straight out of Americana) and, most importantly, deal with the sole customer
who will occasionally visit. The
customer is Sadie, sometimes known as Barbra, and then the juices flow.
Alex was a character at Disneyland, so knows how to
role-play, and also was heavy into Improv, which is part of many actors
background/training. And so his
imagination is set free and together they explore the boundaries and content of
this fantasy world. It begins with a
ruse about the history of a French, bubble-blowing doll, through airing childhood
memories, to becoming a coach for a proposed revival of a musical for the
icon. But when the fantasy world and the
real world collide, choices must be made…but more I cannot tell you without
being a spoiler.
It is not a coincident, I surmise, that Alex claims to be a
distant relative of Sir Thomas Moore (author of Utopia), for this story, in
part, is about creating that Eden-like world for ourselves. For an entrepreneur it may be farmland on an
idyllic, Greek isle, where life is lived simpler and at a slower pace. For a writer it may be seeing his work
published and/or presented on stage and screen.
For a religious icon it may be a world where bridges between cultures
are built and not walls, et. al. (any resemblance to actual people is
purely…intentional). What is your Dream?
Horn, as always, has successfully transported a world of
wonder and magic into the everyday lives of a viewer, which is not only
entertaining but enlightening as well.
Tolins and Horn and Sharinghousen have planted a seed within us that the
world of the mind is limitless and the only one stifling that is…us. “The fault….is not in our stars but in
ourselves.” Too true. And Sharinghousen, always…always…is magic
incarnate when he appears onstage. I
couldn’t imagine anyone better to share this journey of discovery. He is a treasure. And he wisely (via the author’s suggestions)
doesn’t try to imitate characters but, like a good storyteller, simply gives
the flavor, the essence, of the characters he embodies. You never lose track of who’s who or the
settings (also thanks to some very simple but creative lighting by Jeff Woods).
I recommend this show.
If you do choose to see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.
