Chess—Lakewood Theatre Company—Lake Oswego

              Rules of the Game

    This musical with music by the performers/writers for ABBA, Bjorn Ulvaeus & Benny Andersson, lyrics by Tim Rice and book by Richard Nelson, is being directed by John Oules, with music direction by Darcy White and choreography by Laura Hiszczynskyj, is playing at their space, 368 S. State St. in Lake Oswego, through August 12^th.  For more information, go to their site at www.lakewood-center.org or call 503-635-3901.

    It’s amazing, after all these centuries, countries have still not learned that to co-exist peacefully for everybody’s benefit, is the best of all possible worlds.  Instead, we have, even today, leaders that feel that one-upmanship, saber-rattling and bragging about who’s got the “biggest button,” are admiral traits in our leaders.  I thought that kind of childish behavior was something we grow out of but, I guess, I was wrong…oops, sorry, that is an insult…to children!

    The Cold War of the 50’s, chiefly between the U.S. and Russia, has been expanded now to include North Korea, as well as the Middle East, and has heated up considerably.  But in 1980, a “gentleman’s match” was to take place in which the two chess champions of both the USSR and the United States were to take place.  In this incarnation of that period, these adversaries across a game board, could not be more different.

    Freddie (Norman Wilson), from the U.S., is a bit of a playboy and has little respect for his opponent.  He has let fame go to this head. His agent or, better yet, “handler”, is Walter (Joey Cóté), who works behind the scenes to make sure all goes smoothly.  Anatoly (Kurt Raimer), a gentleman, is a family man with his wife, Svetlana (Megan Misslin).  His “handler” is Molokov (Bobby Jackson), who has the interests of his county to contend with, as well as his client. 

    The wild card in all of this is Florence (Courtney Freed), who was born in Hungary (behind the “Iron Curtain,” at the time), but is now Freddie’s coach (and ex-lover).  Her father, Gregor (Doug Zimmerman), who taught her chess, has disappeared.  So, one might say she has a type of allegiance to both countries.  And one should not forget the Arbiter/referee (Matt Brown), who has a god-like complex and takes his job very seriously.

    If you haven’t yet surmised, the actual focus of the game is not on the board these two compete on, but the much larger stakes between two opposing powers, as to who will have the upper hand in that after the match has been completed.  Can’t tell you more without spoiling the story.

The direction and cast are super, but the story is dated, as the “chess match” has reached more dangerous levels at this point, and added other “gamesters” to the mix.  There are some powerful moments in songs, especially “Anthem” (Raimer), “Pity the Child” (Wilson), all of Freed’s songs, with her amazing voice, and the famous, “One Night in Bangkok,” for its dances.

    I recommend this play, mainly for the terrific job the cast does.  If you do choose to see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

--DJS

Adroit Maneuvers—Lighthouse Arts—SE Portland

           The Revolutionists

    The World Premiere of this searing drama is written, directed and produced by Michael Bertish.  It is playing at the Imago space, 17 SE 8^th Ave. (off Burnside) through July 22^nd.  For more information, go to their site at www.adroitpdx.com

    We all have, I believe, moments in our lives when things just don’t click for us.  We may feel out of step with the rest of the world, or it with us.  Some are small issues and we just adapted to whatever.  Others are pretty monumental and their paths could affect the course of the world in a negative way.  And so, it is up to those few, those precious few, to step up to the plate and say, “No More!” and a revolution is born.  Such was the case in a certain time period in the 1700’s in America.  Also, currently, the MeToo Movement.  And between that earlier era and now, there was something called WWII, the Nazis and a band of brave souls who stood up to them. 

Tilde (Diane Kondrat) is an elderly Jewish lady, now living in a flat in NYC in the mid-90’s.  She is a survivor of this Evil Empire and their ugly plan to wipe them out.  But, possibly more important, she was a member of the Resistance in Austria, where her home was.  But age is catching up with her, and her grandson, Micky (Morgan Lee) is curious about her past and, so now, may be the time to tell her story….  (It gets tricky at this point, since so few actors were playing many roles, that I may have gotten character names mixed up, so I apologized if I did).

Tilde claims she knew and became friends with Freud (Chris Porter) and his wife, Martha (Jody McCoy) and Einstein (Gary R. Powell), and even knew Hitler (Leif Norby), before he came to power, as a street painter in a café where she and her mother, Amalia (Amy Joy Allahdadi) would frequent. 

    But things were changing very quickly in Austria in the thirties, with the takeover of many countries by the Nazis, and so café life, the hub of social and political activity, was disintegrating.  People had to leave, including the Pianist (Jeffrey Michael Kauffman) of the café and his finance, Edith (Sumi Wu), a violinist.  Even the café owner, Max (no program credit for this role but assume it’s Gerry Birnbach) is degraded but he, with Tilde, join the Resistance.

    Her arduous journey from there to 1996 is compelling, with many more characters adding to the story, played by Ethan Sloan, Joey Kelly, Matthew Ostrowski, and Emily Nash.  Can’t tell you more without being a spoiler, but it is a fascinating story.  Know that struggles are not yet over in this world and, as pointed out in this tale, Monsters are not born but are created by a mob, and they give the Beast a credibility and importance.  If this situation echoes with certain leaders of our current international conflicts, we can only hope that change is in the wind, in which a world will work together for a more compassionate and prosperous future for all.

    The cast is first-rate, with Lee and Norby standing out, of the supporting players.  And Kondrat is amazing as Tilde, as she is rarely offstage in this almost three-hour production and her quick switches from one age to another are astounding.  She is in a class by herself and the best performance I’ve seen this year!  Bertish has quite an impressive story to tell and it holds you for the entire narrative.

Some suggestions I would make on the script, though, are that when the story veers from Tilde’s person tale, those scenes could be trimmed or cut.  Also, an easier way to list the cast/characters might be to do it as they appear in the play.  The character names of the actors playing Hitler, Max and the Violinist (Sumi Wu, who is terrific on her instrument) are not listed and it should be a clearer defining of these roles (similar problem happened with PCS’s “Astoria”).  Also, the title could be changed, as it doesn’t give any clear concept of the story.

I highly recommend this play.  

    If you do see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

--DJS

Mamma Mia!—Broadway Rose Theatre Company—Tigard, OR

Life at Full Throttle
This very popular musical is from music and lyrics by ABBA (Benny Andersson & Bjorn Ulvaeus) and some songs with Stig Anderson.  The original concept for the story was conceived by Judy Craymer, with the book by Catherine Johnson, and additional material and arrangements by Martin Koch.  It is directed & choreographed by Lyn Cramer and musical direction by Alan D. Lytle.  It is playing at their space next to Tigard High School, Deb Fennell Auditorium, 9000 SW Durham Rd., through July 22^nd. For more information, go to their site at www.broadwayrose.org or call 503-620-5262.
When you hit your sunset years, it finally occurs to you that Life is like a fleeting wisp of smoke, that settles for too brief a time on a distant land, then is blown away to its next journey, somewhere into the Netherlands, to provide a soul, once again, another “awfully, big adventure.”  But, while here, in this too short space of time, we should make use of every moment to play, love, inspire and, by enriching this world with our unique talents, we have hopefully left it a better place for the next generation to settle in and build on.
Donna (Peggy Taphorn) has had her space in the sun, on her Greek Island, running an Inn for about 20 years, and raising, as a single mom, her daughter, Sophie (Sophie Moshofsky).  But changes are in the wind and her daughter has found the man of her dreams, Sky (Aaron Stewart), and so a wedding is planned.  Which means, of course, a huge party, with Donna’s two best friends attending, the luscious, Tonya (Lisamarie Harrison) and the spunky, Rosie (Laura McCulloch).
And, of course, that means Sophie’s best friends must also attend, the sassy & exotic, Lisa (Jalena Montrond) and the fun-loving, Ali (Shanise Jordan).  There are also some very available young studs arounds for any unattached females, helpers at the Inn, the sleek, Pepper (Charles Grant) and the energetic, Eddie (Colin Stephen Kane).   
Only one teeny-weeny little fly in the ointment, she wants her dad to walk her down the aisle, as per tradition.  Only one small problem, she doesn’t know who her dad is, so she invites all three of the potential suitors, Sam (Andrew Maldarelli), the designer, Bill (Joey Klei), the writer, and Harry (Matthew H. Curl), the banker, of that fateful time period when she was conceived, to the ceremony, in the hopes of finding out who her real dad is (doesn’t occur to them, I guess, to get a blood test, but then again, there wouldn’t be any story if that happened…).  Can’t tell you the rest without spoiling the tale but, trust me, it’s a lively one.
All the popular songs are there, including the showstoppers, “Dancing Queen” and, of course, “Mamma Mia.”  The songs and dances are a-plenty, all very well executed by an extremely talented troupe of performers, with nary a weak link in the bunch.  Harrison knocks ‘em dead with, “Does Your Mother Know,” and McCulloch explodes with, “Take a Chance on Me,” both show-stoppers.  The dancers excelled, especially in “Voulez-Vous.”  And Taphorn brought the house down with, “The Winner Takes It All”—exceptional!
This production is a winner all around.  Not only the lead characters, but the singing ensemble and dancers, as well as flashy costumes, Allison Dawe, and a terrific set that revolved, Bryan Boyd.  Cramer has done a splendid production of this very popular show, and Lytle is at his best here as the music director.
I highly recommend this show.  If you do choose to see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

Manahatta—Oregon Shakespeare Festival—Ashland, OR

Heritage of Tears

    This eye-opening play is a World Premiere, written by Mary Kathryn Nagle and directed by Laurie Woolery.  It is playing at the Thomas Theatre in repertory through October 27^th.  For more information, go to their site at www.osfashland.org

    Most things worth caring about often can come with pain and controversy.  This applies to birthing, obviously, even with a country.  Case in point, the European invasion of the Native American communities in the Americas, and their forced assimilation into our culture, even sans their Native language and customs.  History seems to prove that Man is cruel and greedy when it comes to having Power over others.  And so, in Manhattan, the Native American descendants must deal with the unfair, unwarranted and embarrassing mockery of justice and justification.  “Times, they are a-changin’.”

    It is a sad mark in our history and probably well-known that, according to the early years of our country, Manhattan was sold to the Dutch for a few trinkets, supplies and some wampum.  What was very mis-understood in this trade was that the Native Americans were not familiar with the concept of owning land, and so a war occurred and an ugly part of our history was forged.

    The story very smoothly travels back and forth in time in Manahatta/Manhattan, from the 17^th century to the 21^st century, with a cast of seven playing all the roles.  We explore the lives of these Lenape people of both ages.  There is present-day Jane (Tanis Parenteau), who is a whiz with numbers, lands a job on Wall Street (in a small way, reclaiming her heritage).  Her older sister, Debra (Rainbow Dickerson), has stayed at home in Oklahoma to care for their ailing Mother, Bobbie (Sheila Tousey), who has mortgage their home to the hilt and may be in danger of losing it.  They also are part of the Lenape tribe when the Dutch invaded their territory.

    The fourth Native American that travels in time, is Luke (Steven Flores), who has been adopted by the local choir director, Michael (David Kelly), and now works in his bank, as well, as a loan officer, friend of Jane’s but also a servant of the bank.  Michael also floats in time and is a pastor of the church, Jonas, in the Dutch community.  There are also two executives in the Wall Street firm, Joe (Danforth Comins), somewhat sympathetic to Jane, and Dick (Jeffrey King), a tiger when crossed in business.  They both are leaders in the Dutch colony.

    Their story swings back and forth, also, between parallel worlds and how they often intersect with each.  It is a complicated process, so won’t go into any more details, as it might just confuse you, but it is smoothly rendered on the stage.  One world is fortified in unyielding concrete and the other, a type of Garden of Eden, in which the Devil(s) raises its ugly head and they are forced to leave.

The actors are all excellent, with special kudos going to Tousey, as the wise mother of the clan.  Her calm demeanor and wise counsel are the heart of the story.  Woolery has a solid hold on this play, as she has kept the settings simple to let the tale speak for itself.

    I highly recommend this play.  If you do see it, please tell them Dennis sent you.

 

Dennis (reviewer), Laura (bar-keep), Greg (bar mgr.)
Dave (patron)

The Black Sheep

    As you might know, this is my favorite eating/imbibing place in town.  It features Brit food, in honor of the Bard’s time, and is even open late to indulge OSF patrons.  The food is exceptionally good and the company even better.  Greg, the bar manager, treats you like old friends and Laura is a delight as the elfin sprite of the pack.  Taylor is always jolly in her bearing and Dedra is the expert to ask on desserts.  You must try their homemade ice cream, something I believe they could package and sell on their own if they chose.  Many good dishes, drinks, staff and atmosphere.  I give it an A+, as I highly recommend it, and tell them if you go that Dennis sent you.  

See part of their joyous bunch in the enclosed pic. and go to their site at www.theblacksheep.com and look for the Red Door on the Plaza for a visit. 

“The place where you belong!”