to people living with…shoddy direction

RENT. It became a cultural phenomenon not only because of how it redefined Broadway, but also due to its commentary on coming out of the 1980’s “Me” generation, and the AIDS epidemic. I know. You are flabbergasted. The material is so current, so topical, and so prophetic. All of the latter is true provided the current year is 1994, and you are sitting by a fire in a trash can in your Doc Martens and flannel, listening to the news of Kurt Kobain’s suicide. You are murmuring to yourself phrases of self-importance about how illuminating you are for thinking so profoundly that the universe does not deserve you. That is to whom the show speaks, and whom the show is about.

Sadly, as the show catapulted into the cult classic it has become today, and the AIDS epidemic slipped further into the background, newer generations lost sight of the visionary, self-important messages in exchange for the glory (no pun intended) of doing “art”. This is the sole problem with community theatres producing RENT. It is unproductive to proscribe the abilities of the cast in-depth. This is mostly because of the inherent tribulations with the score (read: being virtually un-singable without shredding the vocal cords of even the most accomplished). No, the issue this author has is with the direction.

Runaway Stage Producer and Director Bob Baxter appears to have even less understanding of the material than his ever-so-earnest cast of teenyboppers. As the show comes to a close, it occurs to Morley: these kids are just fine and moreover they are having the time of their lives…they haven’t the slightest notion of what this show is, and NOBODY INFORMED THEM. Quite possibly it is my misunderstanding, but this critic was under the impression that the director is responsible for the entire look, sound, feel, and artistic vision of a production.

Why then did this production look and feel like a carbon copy of the Broadway show sans the comprehension? The only guess Morley can venture is that, like all theatres in Sacramento, the director refused to perform his duties and relied on bootlegged copies of professional productions to enlighten him on how it is done. This is a new trend: for directors to utilize these resources without the slightest understanding of the “why” in order to generate the original intention which happened to work for that particular production. For example, all of Roger’s blocking was tailored to Adam Pascal finding lyric sheets all over the set as he had difficulty with memorization.  Therefore, Roger’s stage movements were born out of necessity rather than out of, shall we say, an “organic artistic expression”.

As a director of a community theatre production, it is not important to interpret the original creation; only those involved could possibly understand the “why’s” involved. Rather, it is the director’s duty to bring the words on the page to life using their knowledge of what the show reflects as their foundation.

RENT also reflects nuances of performance art throughout the piece and should be approached as such. “Santa Fe” is a marvelous example of this style. Rudy “Roods” Brown’s serviceable performance could have hit the right mark, had the director and choreographer parlayed their vision of the beatnik, spoken-word poetry lyric into the number. Alas, that was not the case and Mr. Brown was left to his own devices.

With that said, I shall list a few other particular highlights for the reader’s enjoyment:

Yes, it is true that Shanta Robinson’s Mimi, while vocally sufferable, had perhaps as much grasp on her character as Tori Spelling might on Hedda Gabbler.

Yes, it is true that as remarkable as it is for Scott Woodard to sustain that F# in “Will I?” it does not excuse its inappropriateness for the scene’s tone and the author’s intent. More importantly: the individual at the helm should not have allowed such an egregious act to take place. However that may be asking too much.

Yes, it is true that the followers of such a cult classic will not accept a production lacking in some trademark stage pictures and movements; however, it is ill advised to utilize any available recordings from the Broadway production as the foundation for blocking and choreography. It is hardly the first time on Pan A Play that Runaway has been accused of such an act, nor will it be the last. The highly educated and esteemed audiences of Sacramento should be hitting the pavement in anticipation of rectification. Morley urges the readership to rush down to a Walgreens, purchase supplies, and picket away to your hearts content. Preferably, you will all join hands and sing rousing choruses of “525,473,678,307,390 minutes” until your hearts explode with genial and maudlin self-involvement.

It is evident that this cast was born either in the midst of, or far after the generation to which RENT speaks. With that in mind, it is permissible for the aforementioned generations to merely perform these arguably dreadful numbers in complete earnestness. This is where the heroic leader steps in and saves the day; the proverbial Moses comes to part the waters of the injustice, and lead every bohemian artist to their true calling. But that could not possibly be Mr. Baxter, as he clearly has less of an understanding of many things–not least of which is how to direct without that copy of Stealing from Broadway Shows: For Dummies in hand.

We Are All Winners

Salutations Pan a Play readers!

If you have not done so already, please take a (almost painless, Morley promises) moment to visit the “2010 Elly Ceremony Facebook Blog”.  Yours truly is a guest correspondent.  But it is of this critic’s opinion that you will be pleasantly surprised and mildly entertained by their candid, up-to-the-minute reports of Sacramento’s most prestigious awards show. There is a link included in this post.  For those of you who are unclear as to how this works, you drag your cursor to that link and click on it.  This shall take you to the page I have recommended for you.  You are guaranteed to be a winner!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=118029041583386&v=wall

Four Moors Walk Into An Amphitheatre….

Othello was written during a time when England was on the cusp of a shift from Elizabethan England to Jacobean England. This shift left the nation in a state of uncertainty, apprehension, and quite importantly: transition.  This new Jacobean England discovered that perceived values were no longer absolute; they were relative and “in flux”.  Perhaps you are wondering why one would choose to bore their readership with seemingly dreary and superfluous information.  Two things are happening here and Morley shall break them down for you.

1. This is called an introduction.  Its purpose is to set the tone.
2. Once the aforementioned tone has been set, the author will state his/her purpose.  That is called a thesis.

Now that you understand I shall continue.

Director Luther Hanson opted for a theme for his current production.  This theme (though loosely achieved and dismally thought out) was to change the setting of Othello from the original historical time period of the early 1600’s (when England was exposed to societal changes, and an unfamiliar race) to 1920’s New Orleans…where there was no such shift.  One would hope this is perhaps a solitary mistake to mar the production; unfortunately for you (a fine member of the well-trained audience) that is not the case.  No, this kind of mistake is not unlike a Christmas fruitcake or a rotten sexually transmitted disease, “it’s the gift that keeps on giving.”  And give it does in a multitude of ways.

Watching this production left a feeling of longing…primarily a longing to injure the village of idiots parading around, but also a sense of longing for a director like Michelle Felten. This production of Othello could have utilized the benefit of Felten’s fine-tuned understanding of the theatre’s basic function. This is called telling a story.

Shakespeare’s Othello reflects a world once steeped in chivalry now learning the language of commerce and imperialism.  Othello’s character speaks of a language of chivalry, while Iago of commerce.  Again, we arrive back at the theme that nothing is quite as it seems in the midst of a societal shift, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  Naturally one would find it confusing to see more than one Moorish character in Othello. In a play reflecting the previously mentioned themes, one would assume the strength of the piece is that Othello is not like the others.  Oh but silly me, we are in 1920’s New Orleans and no longer concerned with those issues.  Yes, Roderigo is a Moor, as is another cast member, who doesn’t portray the titular role.  This leads audience members, who are not familiar with the play, astray.  It is not this critic’s suggestion to invalidate non-traditional casting; it is this critic’s intention to make the argument that this great work is less likely to succeed in a setting that intends to focus on Othello’s striking differences, if other characters like him exist within the reality presented.

Roderigo, portrayed by Jason Oler, was not memorable.  This was due mostly to the distracting notion that a Moor vehemently dislikes our hero, a fellow…Moor.  Perhaps it is also due to Costume Designer Nicole Sivell‘s lack of distinction between Gregory Jolivette’s Othello and most of the other men in the cast.  These strapping, young juveniles courageously gallivant around Shawn Weinsheink‘s raked triangle set, in what are clearly uniforms from the Civil War.  Equally incongruous is Desdemona’s black dress because it did not exemplify Desdemona’s light nature in contrast to Othello’s dark nature.

Most notably, Jolivette’s Othello was more than exquisite.  Jolivette has a command of Shakespeare’s language not seen in the festival since the lovely Katherine Pappa.  Additionally, Jolivette exudes charm, with a wonderful presence.  This quickly became detrimental for his leading lady, Desdemona, played by Kirsten Myers.  She is lovely on sight, and a surprisingly sweet songbird.  Had she made even one decision as to why Desdemona is onstage with Othello and beefed up her volume, she may have begun the climb to meet Jolivette.

Iago was portrayed by Rod Breton.  There can be only one word to describe his performance: wrong.  Breton has a strong voice and large enough presence; yet the notion that Iago is boisterous and friendly not only destroys a major theme within the foundation of Othello, but it is terribly uninteresting.  Again one must remind the reader of Othello’s most prominent theme: things are not always what they seem.  Moreover, this characterization can seem confusing for the audience.  Bretons‘s Iago never made a distinction between the plotting and brooding side to counter-balance his boisterous persona.  Furthermore, the audience should at the minimum sense that something is not right with Iago.  That appeared to be overlooked by both Hanson and Breton.

Special mentions to the following performers: firstly to the jazz musician (Joe Gee) who was forced to honk out indistinguishable notes to accent pivotal (read: the director was confused) scenes. Also for astutely playing “A Day In the Life of a Fool” (1964) and “Blues In the Night” (1941) neither of which belong in the already established 1920’s theme.  Lastly, there was a fine young lady as a maid, whose artistic genius may be unsurpassable.  In the final scene, following the death of Desdemona, (which at this point has been shouted repeatedly in order to bring the entire festival populous into Othello’s bedroom) Emilia cries out, once again, of Desdemona’s death. This inspiring young lady reacts with shock and leaps off one platform to be by her body-which has been in plain sight for no less than four minutes.  Congratulations to this young lady.  Her shrewd acting choices are much to be envied.

introductions

Salutations to Pan a Play readers, fans and others!

I would like to graciously thank Louella and Drew for welcoming me to the panel.  I look forward to (hopefully) a long and trying career here on this incredibly reputable (and by that I mean to say respectable/lucrative) blog.  It is very present in my mind the devotion many of you have to the late Frank Kander, and so, it is my hope to maintain the level of snark and wit you have all taken time to read…and immediately discard as ineffectual gobbledygook.  Frank’s ability to uphold Pan a Play’s credo was something to be admired, and a fanatic of wit, culture and good taste such as myself, I would only feel remorse to not avow what the real (read: internet) world is missing without Frank’s monumental contribution.

Moving on.

I wouldn’t dare insult the readership in introducing myself by name, as I have assumed you are capable of connecting these letters and words into what we call text.  So now that I’ve wasted some of our precious time on needless chatting, I will say to you all: please do not fret, a review is in the works and shall be posted very shortly.  I have it on very good authority that most of the readership is waiting on pins and needles (figuratively, of course) for a freshly squeezed blog.  Well I shall say now that is not necessary.

In the meantime, I shall thank you for continuing to support the ever-popular Pan a Play in its endeavor to pointedly observe our fine little community’s theatrical prowess.

Sheridan Morley

BEIRUT

An issue with most theatre in this town is that it doesn’t dare to try anything new, it doesn’t offend, and certainly doesn’t stretch the minds of its audience or performers. Most plays and musicals and plays are fluff, which is respectable in its own right. It is pure entertainment and doesn’t mean anything. Directors often try to solve this problem by simply choosing tougher scripts, scripts that are edgy. But more often than not they are not directed correctly. This is not one of those cases.

Beirut is an intense script masterfully handled by director Bill Voorhees. It is performing at the Three Penny Theater at the California Stage Complex, one of the smallest in town, but it suits this piece so well. This show is raw and emotional and shows people at their worst.

David Campfield carefully plays main protagonist Torch. Campfield has been in many productions in the region, most notably Fool For Love at Capitol Stage. Jessica Neufeld who was previously brilliant in Keely & Du at ARC and also done a lot in the community. The combination of the two is explosive and correct. Their chemistry is intriguing and sexual. You have never seen live sexual tension like you will in this play. And while watching two beautiful people mostly naked (and sometimes fully) in the throes of passion is reason enough to see this play, it is just the cherry on top.

The setting is set in the “future”, in a world where we quarantine those who have tested positive from sexual disease, the problem has become so bad, sex has been outlawed. Okay, so the premise is a little out there, but they play it absolutely correctly and real. And in doing that, they say more about the topics of sex, HIV, AIDS, government, relationships, and love that has been seen in years in this city. The end of the play is painful, troubling, and leaves with a bad taste in your mouth that begs you not to applaud these horrible acts.

Now this wouldn’t be Pan A Play if I didn’t have some sour notes. If you can ding the actors on anything, it is dialects. Both accents from New York fade in and out as emotions do. The comedy of the piece doesn’t ring as loud as might be expected, and even if something is funny you feel a bit odd laughing in such an intense small space.

Overall the performances are excellent, the chemistry and tension is perfect, and you will never be bored. This is the type of theatre we need to support. This is definitely an 18 and older show though. Don’t bring the kiddies.

Oh right, panaplay… mashup review!

Again. Apologies for the silence here on panaplay. Here we will recount a number of shows that have been seen in the past few months in Sacramento.

Some have more details, and some don’t need or deserve them

Metamorphoses at Sac State

Richard Bay is an amazing puppeteer and builder and he created a beautiful show. By far, the best aspects of the play were the stunning puppets. Visually, this is one of the best things in the area recently. The vision was fully realized down to the stilts, the fabrics, lights and of course the live bassist Ben McClara. But on a separate note, acting was occasionally an issue in this play. The problem players were as follows. Melissa Melancon; miscast, no energy, and looked uncomfortable on stage. Colby Salmon, “acty”, trying too hard, and there was very little to like about any of his characters.

The highlights though include John Gregory Young in the Hunger sequence. The ents on stilts, the puppets, getting sucked into the bed, and his hunger were all perfectly done. Also, Kyle Stampfli and Laura Lothian in Orpheus and Eurydice. Solid committed job done by everyone on stage. The dance portions were done brilliantly. The standout portion of the show is the boat scene. It was beautiful.

The main problem of the show is why they used Colby Salmon and Shane Edward Turner (who was previously terrible in Batboy) in nearly all lead man parts. Shane, who was much better in Meta than in Batboy, was fine, but there was a stage full of competent men, so why did they double up so much?

All in all, Sac State has been doing a great job with their theatre program as of late. A bit of awkward acting, yes. But the past few shows have been solid. With Richard Bay and Michelle Felton, and a handful of fine actors, Tygar Hicks, Brian Rife, Amanda Morish, and David Chernovsky.  Keep it up! References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot was a hot mess though. Rumor has it they are doing The Wiz next year? o_O

Magic Circle Civic Theater West?

Smokey Joe’s Cafe

Not a bad choice for Magic Circle. Pepper Von should stick to choreography. His voice is… bad. Ryan Allen (Big River at Magic Circle) was Amazing. Jammy Bulaya (Footloose at ARC) is a solid talent and he will be big in the community.The costumes are perhaps the very worst in the community. THE SILVER JACKETS. Elise Reese is always fabulous. Nick Adorno seemed awkward and out of place. They have come a long way since Cabaret and Oklahoma!

Swing

Perfect show for the audience, maybe the best thing since ragtime. Dancing and Choreo was spot on. Ensemble is better than the leads by far.

Big Idea Theatre

Almost, Maine

REAL GOOD. Big Idea has been working real hard lately. This show was adorable and makes you smile. Shannon Mahoney is an obvious standout, who was stunning in Streetcar. The set is very effective and made for the best scene transitions. Accents were on and off, they are supposed to be in Maine. Not Canada, not California, and certainly not the south. The over actor who played Randy was the low light of a pretty good show. The Nothern lights looked awful still.

I’d hate to disagree with Louella, I wouldn’t say BIT chooses “edgy material”. Almost, Maine? Streetcar? Dancing at Lughnasa? Deathtrap? Shakespeare without ridiculous concepts? not too edgy. Big Idea is coming along very nicely, now only if the seats were more comfortable…

American River College

Terrible written murder mysteries?. WHY are you choosing awful shows ARC??? Philadelphia Story is a better choice, Lead Brittaleigha Baskerville is a phenomenal actor though, not quite a comedic one, she was perfection in both Footloose and Children of Light last year. These had THE MOST beautiful set and costumes I have seen in this community. Pick better shows that are more interesting and I’ll give a damn about them. Both shows were fine if not boring. I wasn’t overtly offended by most any of the acting. Jacob Vukcinich previously of Sac City played a ridiculously old man with a voice that is liken to the sound of a vuvuzela , which was funny, but not appropriate for the style. Anna Russel-Madonia seemed to be playing a caricature of a bratty 10 year old.

Sac City

Berlin to Broadway

Stop doing musicals. That’s all. Moreover, Christine Nicholson and Luther Hanson need to stop casting themselves and each other in their shows. It is a school with students auditioning right?? Yet teachers get good roles? No other School does that.

Cant wait to take my bottle of wine over to land park and drunkenly watch the train wreck that is Sacramento Shakespeare Festival. We will surely have some good fodder from Midsummer and Othello.

Sorry to be brief, we have a long summer of a lot of theatre to see.

Shakespeare festival, Othello and Midsummer

Curtains at Runaway

Pirates of Penzance at CTW

Minnies Boys at Fair Oaks

As You Like it at California Stage

What else do we need to see???

Dropping a Line

Just a quick reminder folks, if you are interested in spewing bile for this blog send us your submissions in by this time next week! (For those of you that have already sent us samples, thank you! and you’ll be hearing from me soon.)

By the way, did anybody else see Deathtrap that closed at Big Idea Theatre last weekend? What a snoozefest!  I am surprised that BIT, who has something of a reputation for doing somewhat edgy plays, would mount such a pedestrian and overdone play like Deathtrap.  Does that mean that next season we will be treated to yet another production of The Nerd, because, God knows, THAT play hasn’t been done to death yet.

Magic Circle

Magic Circle is now Civic Theatre West… What the hell?? West of what?

The End of an Era

As those of you who follow the Comments threads of this blog undoubtedly know, our esteemed Frank Kander has decided to step down and retire (presumably in order to devote more time to his collection of antique garbage disposals) from active reviewing for Pan a Play.  He will be missed but never fear, he will return at the end of the summer, at the very least, to award the Panny  Awards that I know many of you are eagerly awaiting.

This does not in any way mean that this site, this blasted heath, will cease to be.  Although I have not posted much of late and my role in this project has become largely administrative, I will be making a greater effort to see and reviews shows so that you jackals are not starved for content.  In addition, Pan a Play is looking for NEW RECRUITS!  That’s right, if you’ve ever wanted to let the Sacramento Theatre Community know what you REALLY think of them, this is your chance.  Ideally, we would like one or two new reviewers, depending on how much interest there is. If you think you have what it takes to be a reviewer for Pan a Play (internet connection, biting wit, dried-out husk where you soul should be…) email me a writing sample of 500-1000 words preferably in the form of a review of a recent Sacramento production at louellahopper@gmail.com by June 30^th, 2010 and we will consider you for a position as a reviewer for Pan a Play.

STAR POWER

Based on repeated exposure to most companies, you pretty much know what to expect before you sit down. So it’s nice to be surprised once in awhile, and I’ve had some very pleasant surprises recently.

First, City Theatre’s FROM BERLIN TO BROADWAY. This revue of the music of Kurt Weill and his many lyricist collaborators was originally done with four singers on Broadway as a high class cabaret act. City College gave us 24 singers plus a concept (“Brecht über Alles!”). Both decisions weighed down the proceedings, but were easily surmounted by the patented star power of Martha Kight. Other stand-outs were: Carley Neill, the glamour voice of the production, Orlana Klip’s gin-soaked “Surabaya Johnny” as background to Julian Sandoval and Amsale Darden’s violent tango, and the charming, multi-talented singer/bass player Zack Sapunor, whose Vaudeville duet with former Runaway bandleader Jesse Valerio was a high point.

DMTC’s GYPSY offered an exceptional surprise to its usual core company showcase: the luxury casting of Joshua James as Tulsa. Lemonade being made with lemons, we didn’t get to see him do “All I Need Is the Girl.” (There must be an interesting story behind that decision.) But even without the song, James was the star attraction.

Speaking of star power, Woodland’s ALL SHOOK UP confirmed the growing reputation of Whitney-Claire Roeder. A transplant from Texas, she has been busy here for a couple of years. Recently she held her own opposite the formidable talents of Jessica Goldman in THREEPENNY OPERA, and she did the same with the always dependable Amber Jean Moore in ALL SHOOK UP. In fact, most of the cast of ALL SHOOK UP gave the material far more than its due, making for one of the most well-matched casts of the year. Back to Ms. Roeder, her program bio says that she sang the Queen of the Night in Sac State’s MAGIC FLUTE this spring. Wouldn’t that have been something to see! The range of vocal styles required from these three disparate scores would tax the most trained, talented professional; but we have a local who managed it. I look forward to her next challenge.