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On December 4, 1956, a legendary jam session was held at rock and roll pioneer Sam Phillipsâ Sun Records studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley were labeled the âMillion Dollar Quartetâ by a local journalist and the moniker stuck to the recordings of the session released decades later.
In 2006, Colin Escott and Floyd Matrux unleashed a highly fictionalized and time-compressed theatrical version of the event also titled Million Dollar Quartet. After several successful bay area productions, Santa Rosaâs 6th Street Playhouse gives the North Bay a chance to check out this popular jukebox musical now running through March 24.
Jukebox musicals are usually comprised of a couple of dozen well-known songs connected by expositionary material and Million Dollar Quartet is no different. Sam Phillips (Benjamin Stowe) narrates the tale of the event, filling in the backstory and presenting the dramatic conflict (Will Johnny Cash sign a contract extension or fly the coop?) around which the music swirls.
At a recording session for Carl Perkins (Jake Turner) with Jerry Lee Lewis (Nick Kenrick, also music director) on piano, who should happen to drop by but Elvis Presley and his girlfriend (played by Daniel Durston and Samantha Arden) and Johnny Cash (played by Steve Lasiter)! In no time, thereâll be a whole lot of shakin goinâ on as weâre treated to âBlue Suede Shoesâ, âFolsom Prison Bluesâ, âThatâs All Rightâ, âGreat Balls of Fireâ and 20 other classics.
Director Michael Ray Wisely â who has played Phillips and directed this piece before - had the benefit of 6th Street expending significant coin on this production beginning with an impressive set (Conor Woods adapting Kelly James Tigheâs original scenic design) and imported talent. Itâs not an easy show to cast as each performer must be a âtriple threatâ - an actor, a singer, and a musician.
Kenrick reprises his TBA Award-winning performance as Jerry Lee Lewis and steals the show with his kinetic piano playing and entertaining characterization. Local performer Jake Turner manages to hold his own against Kenrick as Carl Perkins, and Durston and Lasiter do fine in capturing the essence of their characters while avoiding simple caricatures. They receive good musical support by locals Nick Ambrosino on drums and bassist Shovanny Delgado Carillo.
Ignore the shaky musical history and often-pedestrian exposition thatâs presented and youâll find yourself enjoying a well-performed staged concert of some of rock and rollâs greatest hits.
'Million Dollar Quartet' runs Thursdays through Sundays through March 24 at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa. Thursday through Saturday evening performances are at 7:30pm; there are Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2pm.
For more information, go to 6thstreetplayhouse.com -
Anyone going to a performance of Hello, Dolly! - running now at the SHN Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco through March 17 - with an appetite for an enlightened look at male/female relationships is likely to leave quite hungry. The current national tour of the 2017 revival of the 1964 Broadway smash based on Thorton Wilderâs 1955 revision of his 1938 play extrapolated from an Austrian playwrightâs 1842 extension of an English dramatists 1835 one-act reflects the then-common attitudes towards a womenâs place in society and the home.
Anyone going to a performance of Hello, Dolly! with an appetite to see a Broadway legend at work, or hear magnificent musical classics delivered with gusto, or see a bevy of athletic dancers spring across the stage in spirited numbers based on Gower Championâs original choreography, or be dazzled by the color and craftsmanship at work in Santo Loquastoâs scenic and costume design, is likely to leave the theatre with their appetite satiated.
Tony-winner Betty Buckley (Cats, Sunset Boulevard) plays Dolly Gallagher Levi, a matchmaker and jill-of-all-trades in 19th century New York engaged by the well-known Yonkers half-a-millionaire Horace Vandergelder (Lewis J. Stadlen) to find him a bride, an assignment which Dolly intends to fill herself. Sub-plots involve Vandergelderâs niece Ermengarde and her paramour Ambrose Kemper (played by Morgan Kirner and Garret Hawe) and Feed Store clerks Cornelius and Barnaby (played by Nic Rouleau Jess LeProtto).
At age 71, Buckley does her damnedest to make the part made famous by Carol Channing (at age 42) her own, and succeeds to an extent. Itâs obvious and understandable that her choreography has been limited and that she lacks the vocal power to deliver some of the musicalâs biggest moments (âBefore the Parade Passes Byâ was disappointingly flat) but she really delivers in the showâs quieter moments when she engages with the memories of her late husband.
The supporting cast is outstanding with Rouleau and LeProtto really scoring as the clerks unleashed in New York City and Analisa Leaming and Kristen Hahn as the objects of their affections.
MVP of this production goes to Stadlen, a reliable Broadway performer for the past 50 years who often toils in the anonymity common to great character actors. His eyebrows are as expressive as anything else on stage.
Go ahead, roll your eyes during âIt Takes a Womanâ but donât be surprised to find yourself cheering after âPut on Your Sunday Clothesâ and âThe Waitersâ Gallopâ and, at the very least, smiling through almost everything else.
âHello, Dolly! âruns through March 17 at the Golden Gate Theatre in San Francisco. Dates and times vary.
For more information, go to shnsf.com -
Fehlende Folgen?
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Sometimes the most interesting dramas are the simplest - a single set, a few characters, a conflict. âNaturalisticâ plays, as they are sometimes referred, were the result of a late 19th century movement in European theatre to enhance the realism of plays with an understanding of how heredity and environment can influence an individual.
The most famous play to come out of this period is Swedish playwright August Strindbergâs Miss Julie. Set in the downstairs kitchen of an estate, itâs a three-character piece examining issues of sex and class. The title characterâs the daughter of a count with an eye for the manorâs chauffeur, complicated by the presence of the manor cook who also happens to be the chauffeurâs wife-to-be.
Playwright Patrick Marber (Closer, filmâs Notes on a Scandal) adapted the play for British television in 1995 under the title After Miss Julie and a stage version premiered in 2003. Itâs the version running now through March 3 at Sebastopolâs Main Stage West.
Marber moved the time and setting of the play to post-WWII England, specifically to the night of the Labour Partyâs landslide victory over Winston Churchill and the Conservative Party. The significant upheaval to Great Britainâs political and social system is reflected in the characters.
Miss Julie (Illana Niernberger) is literally âto the manor bornâ, but that doesnât stop her from slumming with the servants. John (Sam Coughlin) is the Lord of the Manorâs chauffeur who, while harboring a long love for Miss Julie, is to be married to Christine (Jennifer CotĂ©), the manor cook. Miss Julie is used to getting what she wants, and that includes John. John wants something, too, and that is to âimproveâ his lot in life and Miss Julie can facilitate that. Christine wants a simple life with a husband with a pension and a family.
Co-Directors/Scenic Designers Elizabeth Craven and David Lear elicit strong performances from the cast. Niernbergerâs Julie is lost in a changing society, turning on a dime from entitled superior to groveling submissive. Coughlinâs John is the villain of the piece, desperate to be something other than he is at any cost, but destined to be no more than a (literally) bootlicking lackey. CotĂ©âs Christine is the most aggrieved of the party, but she is willing to overlook - or forgive â Johnâs boorishness to ensure she gets what she wants.
After Miss Julie is a classic love triangle told exceedingly well, though the question of how much âloveâ exists between any of them is up for debate.
'After Miss Julie' runs through March 3 at Main Stage West in Sebastopol. Thursday through Saturday evening performances are at 8pm. The Sunday matinee is at 5pm.
For more information, go to mainstagewest.com -
Musical zombies rise from the dead to sing an evening of â50âs pop standards.
Let me try that again.
On February 4, 1964, The Plaids, an eastern Pennsylvania-based vocal quartet, were headed for a major gig at the Fusel-Lounge at the Harrisburg Airport Hilton when their cherry red Mercury was broadsided by a bus full of Catholic schoolgirls. The girls, who escaped unscathed, were on their way to see the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show. The Plaids went on to that Great Performance Hall in the Sky⊠or at least the green room of the Great Performance Hall in the Sky. Rather than spend an eternity waiting to âgo onâ, they make their way back to earth to give the concert that never was.
That is the plot upon which Stuart Ross and James Raitt hang twenty-four musical standards in their very popular jukebox musical Forever Plaid, running through March 3 at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center in Napa.
Frankie (F. James Raasch), Sparky (Scottie Woodard), Jinx (Michael Scott Wells), and Smudge (David Murphy) were high school friends who dreamed of musical glory. Following the path created by â50âs versions of what we now refer to as âboy bandsâ (The Four Lads, The Four Aces, The Crew-Cuts, etc.), they formed The Plaids and specialized in four-part harmonies.
And thatâs what youâll hear over the Michael Ross-directed showâs one hour and 45-minute running time. âThree Coins in the Fountainâ, âSixteen Tonsâ, âChain Gangâ, and âLove is a Many Splendored Thingâ are just some of the 20-plus songs performed by the crisply costumed gents (courtesy Barbara McFadden) with matching choreography by Woodard. Music is nicely performed by a trio consisting of music director Craig Burdette (keyboards), Quentin Cohen (drums), and Alan Parks (bass).
The guys are good with each one getting a solo shot to go along with the group work. Their stock characters (the shy one, the funny, etc.) banter with each other between numbers and amusingly engage with the audience. The comedic numbers are particularly well done with the showâs highlight being a three-minute recreation of The Ed Sullivan Show, though it helps to have some familiarity with that show.
The same can be said for the music. Yes, itâs a trip down memory lane, but if toe-tapping, hand-squeezing and perpetual grinning are any indications, Forever Plaid hits all the right notes with an audience willing to make the trip.
âForever Plaid' plays through March 3rd at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center in Napa. Thursday evening performances are at 7pm; Fridays and Saturdays are at 8pm. Thereâs a Sunday matinee at 2pm.
For more information, go to luckypennynapa.com -
To see or not to see? That is the question.
Anyone with even the slightest interest in theatre has probably seen a production or two of William Shakespeareâs Hamlet in their lifetime. Considered by many to be Shakespeareâs - if not the worldâs - greatest play, itâs one-third ghost story, one-third dysfunctional family drama, and one-third revenge tale. Itâs now the first-ever Shakespeare play to be mounted on the Nellie W. Codding stage at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center. Artistic Director Sheri Lee Miller helms the production which runs through February 17.
Something is rotten in the state Denmark. A spirit claiming to be the late King has appeared to Prince Hamlet to inform him he was poisoned by his own brother Claudius, who then married the widowed queen Gertrude and usurped the throne. He has one simple request of Hamlet â revenge!
Miller has gathered an impressive roster of talent to essay the Bardâs classic roles. First and foremost, thereâs Keith Baker as the brooding Prince. Baker is a marvel to watch and to listen to as Shakespeareâs words come trippingly off his tongue. Peter Downey is magnetic as the scheming Claudius, shading his villainy with a glimpse into his humanity and his true love of Gertrude. Eric Thompsonâs Polonius brings a welcome lightness to the stage and is sorely missed upon his âdepartureâ. Chad Yarish as faithful friend Horatio, Danielle Cain as the easily swayed Gertude, Ivy Rose Miller as the doomed Ophelia and the entire supporting cast do honor to their roles.
The stark yet imposing set by Elizabeth Bazzano and Eddy Hansen in conjunction with Hansenâs lighting Design and Chris Schloempâs projections design give the production an otherworldly feel. Costumes by Pamela Johnson pop against the dark and dank (courtesy of ample fog) backgrounds.
An extremely effective addition is a live music âsoundscapeâ composed and performed by Nancy Hayashibari. Accompanying many scenes, Hayashibariâs contribution to this productionâs success cannot be overstated.
Look, folks, Iâm no Shakespeare pushover. Itâs overdone, usually underproduced, and often interminable, but I get it. Itâs royalty free, has roles that are on every actorâs bucket list, and comes with a built-in audience. Yes, itâs long, but director Sheri Lee Miller has put together an outstanding production of Hamlet that should reach beyond that âShakespeareâ audience. Will they come?
Aye, thereâs the rub.
'Hamlet' runs through February 17th at the Spreckels Performing Arts Center in Rohnert Park. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 8pm, the Sunday matinee is at 2pm. Thereâs also a Thursday, February 14th performance at 7pm.
For more information, go to spreckelsonline.com -
Serial killing would seem to be rather ghoulish subject matter for a comedic play, yet Arsenic and Old Lace has been a reliable audience-pleaser for over seventy-five years. Sonoma Arts Live has a production running through February 10.
Joseph Kesselringâs tale of the Brewster sisters and their pension for helping lonely old men meet their maker via a glass of elderberry wine debuted on Broadway in 1941 and ran for 1,444 performances. It starred Jean Adair, Josephine Hull, and Boris Karloff as black sheep Jonathan Brewster. A film adaptation by Frank Capra followed in 1944 starring Cary Grant as Jonathan Brewster. Though the play has since become a staple of the American theater, like an old haunted house itâs starting to creak.
Mortimer Brewster (Michael Coury Murdock) returns to his childhood home and his Aunts Abby & Martha (Karen Brocker & Karen Pinomaki). After getting engaged to the next-door preacherâs daughter Elaine (Julianne Bradbury), Mortimer is horrified to discover his aunts have taken on the most macabre hobby. Theyâre helping lonely old men find âpeaceâ and disposing of the bodies in the basement. Luckily, Uncle âTeddyâ (Tim Setzer) believes himself to be Teddy Roosevelt and is always willing to dig a new lock downstairs at the Panama Canal for the latest âyellow fever victim.â
Mortimer figures he can pin everything on the obviously insane Teddy, but things get
complicated when brother Jonathan (Mike Schaeffer) shows up with a physician friend (Rose Roberts) and a body of their own.
Director Michael Ross has some good talent at work here. Mmes. Brocker and Pinomaki are delightfully dotty as the sisters, and Setzer invigorates the stage with his every appearance.
However, Mr. Murdock is too one-note as Mortimer, showing little range of emotion considering the insanity thatâs going on around him. He rarely seems to be âin the momentâ, often appearing to be casually awaiting his next line. Ms. Bradbury is far more animated as Elaine, making one wonder what she seeâs in Mortimer.
Schaeffer and Roberts are two very talented actors, but Iâm not sure these were the right roles for them. I found Schaefferâs menacing Jonathan undone by his distracting John OâHurley (J. Peterman from Seinfeld)-like voice and Roberts baby-faced Dr. Einstein too youthful to capture the characterâs exhaustion and desperation.
Nice stagecraft compliments the performances. The black and white set (by Michael Walraven) and costumes (by Janice Snyder) evoke a classic cinema period-like feel.
Arsenic and Old Lace is definitely a nostalgia piece, best enjoyed by those familiar with it.
âArsenic and Old Laceâ runs through February 10 at Andrews Hall in the Sonoma Community Center in Sonoma. Thursday through Saturday performances are at 7:30pm; the Sunday matinee is at 2pm.
For more information, go to sonomaartslive.org. -
When playwright August Wilson passed away in 2005, he left behind a body of work that has become a staple of the American theatre. As much a documentarian as a poet and author, the ten plays (Jitney, Fences, et al.) of Wilsonâs Century (or Pittsburgh) Cycle chronicle the twentieth century African-American experience mostly through the lives of the residents of Pittsburghâs Hill District, where Wilson grew up.
In 2002, Wilson stepped away from the Cycle and turned to himself as his subject with How I Learned What I Learned, running now at Mill Valleyâs Marin Theatre Company in partnership with San Franciscoâs Lorraine Hansberry Theatre and Oaklandâs Ubuntu Theatre Project. The show will play other Bay Area venues under their auspices after the conclusion of its Marin run.
Directed with obvious love by Margo Hall and starring Steven Anthony Jones as Wilson, the show is a 110-minute intermission-less conversation between the author and the audience. Itâs not a âgreatest hitsâ review, but a look back at the life experiences that shaped Wilson as a young man and the people he encountered along the way. Those familiar with Wilsonâs work will recognize some people as the basis for characters or plot elements in his work.
Set on a simple stage against a backdrop of sheets of paper hanging like laundry drying on a line, each of Wilsonâs often humorous reminiscences is announced by a projection of a typewritten title. After a quick review of the African-American experience through 1863, it begins with his decision to move out of his motherâs house and zig-zags through his experiences as a young man seeking work, his neighborhood interactions, his dalliances, his time in jail, his discovery of jazz, and the indignities he suffered because of the color of his skin. From an early job interview that ended with a warning not to steal, to being asked to stop mowing a lawn because the white home owner objected to a black man being on her property, to the difficulties in cashing a check, the showâs most powerful moments are those in which Wilson reminds us that the respect of others wonât come without respect of self.
Steven Anthony Jones is a marvelous story teller who, though he struggled a bit with lines on opening night, completely captured the audience by the time the lights had dimmed. August Wilson may be gone, but Jones brings him roaring back to life with an entertaining, enraging, and eye-opening evening of solo theatre.
âHow I Learned What I Learnedâ runs Tuesday through Sunday through February 3 at the Marin Theatre Company in Mill Valley before moving to other venues in the Bay Area. Dates and times vary.
For more information, go to marintheatre.org -
Continuing with the tradition of theatre companies producing theatre about theatre, 6th Street Playhouse is presenting Ken Ludwigâs 1995 door-slamming farce Moon Over Buffalo. The backstage comedy runs through February 3.
Buffalo, New Yorkâs Erlanger Theater is hosting the repertory company of George and Charlotte Hay (Dodds Delzell & Madeleine Ashe), grade-B actors and grade-A hams who never made it big on stage. Content to spend their waning years touring second-rate theatres and playing roles more appropriate for actors half their age, theyâre on the ropes when word comes to George that Frank Capra is coming to see them perform and possibly cast them as replacements for Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson in a big-budget period film.
Charlotte doesnât believe George as sheâs just found out heâs been lying about an affair he had with company ingenue Eileen (Victoria Saitz) who happens to be carrying Georgeâs child. Charlotte announces sheâs running off with family friend/attorney Richard (Joe Winkler) which sends George into a drunken spiral. Charlotte finds out the Capra story is true, so itâs up to Charlotte, her recently returned daughter Rosalind (Chandler Parrot-Thomas), her daughterâs ex-lover and current stage manager Paul (Robert Nelson) and Charlotteâs hearing-impaired mother Ethel (Shirley Nilsen Hall) to sober up George in time for the matinee. Thereâs also the confusion over Rosalindâs current fiancĂ© Howard (Erik Weiss), a TV weatherman who is mistaken by Charlotte for Capra and by George as Eileenâs vengeful brother, and a concluding performance of NoĂ«l Cowardâs Private Lives mashed up with Cyrano de Bergerac.
Director Carl Jordan has a terrific cast of comedic talents running, jumping, stumbling and rolling through Ludwigâs tale which comes off as a lesser knock-off of his superior Lend Me a Tenor. All the elements are there (mistaken identity, feuding lovers, running jokes, etc.) but at its core itâs a hollow re-do that starts slowly before hitting its stride. More problematic, the characters as written simply arenât very likeable. The show only works if you care about the characters and want them to get out of their mess. I just didnât.
The set by Jason Jamerson is solid â literally, as it has to withstand two hours of door slamming â and itâs one of the better sets seen recently on 6th Streetâs stage. The cast is game and their timing is great with each squeezing some laughs out of their characters. Delzell gets to play half the show soused, Parrot-Thomas is quite delightful as Rosalind, and while Weissâs physical comedy is always fun to watch, Iâd really like to see him do something different with his next role.
Moon Over Buffalo is a case where the whole is less than the sum of its parts.
'Moon Over Buffalo' runs Friday through Sunday through February 3 at 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30pm; the Sunday matinee is at 2pm. Thereâs a Thursday, January 24 performance at 7:30 pm
For more information, go to 6thstreetplayhouse.com -
Itâs said that musicals are the bread and butter of community theatre, so hereâs a list of the North Bay productions I toasted this past year. Here are my top torn tickets of 2018: Part Two, the Musicals (in alphabetical order):
Always, Patsy Cline⊠- Sonoma Arts Live - Danielle DeBowâs Patsy was as heartbreaking as Karen Pinomakiâs Louise was amusing in director Michael Rossâs labor of love. Excellent costume and set design work (also by Ross) along with outstanding live music accompaniment under the direction of Ellen Patterson made this a memorable evening of musical theatre.
A Chorus Line - Novato Theater Company - Few small theatre companies would take the risk of producing a vehicle that requires triple-threat performers in most roles. Director Marilyn Izdebksiâs decades of experience in dance and choreography and terrific casting were key to this productionâs success.
Hands on a Hardbody - Lucky Penny - The perfect sized musical for the Napa companyâs small space, there wasnât much room for anything else once they got the pickup truck thatâs central to the story on stage. Director Taylor Bartolucci and choreographer Staci Arriaga had just enough room for a nice, diverse cast to beautifully tell the atypical story.
I Love You, Youâre Perfect, Now Change - Raven Players - The cavernous Raven Theatre in Healdsburg was converted into a quaint black-box space where director Diane Bailey let loose four talented performers to tell musical stories about the arc of human relationships. It worked really well.
Illyria - 6th Street Playhouse - Shakespeare. Ugh. A Shakespeare musical? Groan. A really entertaining musical production based on Twelfth Night? Surprising! Director Craig Millerâs swan song was a clever adaptation of the Bardâs comedy that combined excellent vocal talents and the musical direction of Lucas Sherman to produce the best sounding show Iâd seen at 6th Street in a long time.
Peter Pan - Spreckels Theatre Company - Thereâs no better stage in the North Bay on which to see a large-scale musical than the Codding stage at Spreckels. Flying around on wires is so much more impressive in a 550-seat theater, and Sarah Wintermeyersâ winsome performance as Peter was good enough for me to set aside my long-standing beef with always casting a female in the role.
Scrooge in Love! - Lucky Penny - A fairly new play (this was only its third production) thatâs good enough to become a Christmas standard. A great lead performance from Brian Herndon was supported by a top-notch ensemble in this reverential continuation of the Dickens classic. -
âTis the time for âBest of âŠâ lists, so in the spirit of my illustrious predecessor and with a nod to the substantial differences in mounting a musical versus a play, here are my top torn tickets of 2018 - Part One, the Plays (in alphabetical order):
Blackbird - Main Stage West â As dark subject matter goes, this look at a pedophile and his victim is as unsettling a piece of theatre as Iâve seen. Under David Learâs direction, Sharia Pierce and John Shillington acted the hell out of David Harrowerâs script which raised a lot of really uncomfortable questions and provided no answers.
Buried Child - Main Stage West â Elizabeth Cravenâs direction of Sam Shepardâs nightmarish look at the crumbling American Dream found the right balance between the real and the surreal in this dark, funny, disturbing, and heartbreaking show.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Spreckels Theatre Company â Elijah Pinkhamâs revelatory performance as a 15-year-old with an Aspergerâs/autism-like condition on a journey of self-discovery was the centerpiece of this Elizabeth Craven-directed production.
Death of a Salesman - Novato Theatre Company & 6th Street Playhouse - Itâs a criticâs burden to have to go see multiple productions of the same piece within weeks or months of each other and itâs rare when both productions are superb. The Carl Jordan and Craig Miller-helmed productions each had their own strengths and weaknesses but both had towering lead performances. Joe Winklerâs and Charles Siebertâs takes on Willy Loman were utterly different and totally devastating.
Equus - 6th Street Playhouse â Peter Shafferâs 1973 play about a boy and his horse was such a left-field choice for 6th Street to produce that I really didnât know what to expect. That this very difficult play turned out to be one of the North Bayâs best 2018 productions is a credit to director Lennie Dean and an outstanding ensemble.
The Great God Pan â Cinnabar Theater â A terrific combination of script, performance, technical and design craft under the direction of Taylor Korobow made this rumination on recovered memory unforgettable.
Oslo - Marin Theatre Company â While the Oslo Accords have been deemed a failure, MTCâs excellent production of the J.T. Rogers drama about the negotiations that lead to them reminded us that humanity is too often the missing element in politics today.
Next week: Top Torn Tickets, the Musicals! -
For years, Petalumaâs Cinnabar Theater has closed out the year with a musical cabaret show. Past yearsâ productions have celebrated the work of musical artists from Edith Piaf to Mahalia Jackson to Frank Sinatra. This year, the work of classic American tunesmith Cole Porter takes center stage via Love, Linda, a look at Porter through the eyes of his wife, Ms. Linda Lee.
Veteran cabaret performer Maureen McVerry plays Mrs. Cole Porter and yes, there was a Mrs. Cole Porter. More than a marriage of convenience, the Porters had a genuine affection for each other, despite Porter leading an active homosexual life. Notwithstanding the challenges that presented to the relationship, they remained married until Leeâs death in 1954.
The show is set in the Porterâs elegant Parisian apartment where Linda reminisces about her life before Porter, how they met, their life together in Paris, their adventures in Hollywood, and their settling in an apartment at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York. Interspersed between the memories are, of course, the songs. The tale of their time in Paris is matched with âI Love Parisâ, their time in Hollywood with âNight and Dayâ (also the title of the highly fictionalized film biography where the diminutive Porter was portrayed by the 6â4â Cary Grant). Her complex relationship with Porter is represented by âMy Heart Belongs to Daddyâ and âWunderbarâ.
Ms. McVerryâs vocals are accompanied by a terrific on-stage three-piece combo of piano (played by Chris Alexander for the opening performance, musical director Cesar Cancino handles it for the rest of the run), bass by Steven Hoffman, and drums by John Shebalin. McVerry does not possess a particularly rich voice, which led the musical accompaniment to regularly overwhelm her vocals. We hear Porterâs beautiful compositions, but his often amusing, often passionate lyrics are frequently lost. Cinnabar should really consider miking their musicals.
Director Clark Sterling keeps things moving at a brisk pace and brings the show in at 85 minutes, including an intermission. Scenic designer Wayne Hovey brings an expansive apartment feel to the Cinnabar space, though I wish the projections used throughout the show had been worked more into the set rather than displayed over it.
Love, Linda is an affectionate look back at one of Americaâs greatest musical talents. My affection for it would be amplified if the vocals were.
'Love, Linda' runs through January 13th at Cinnabar Theater in Petaluma. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 8pm; the Sunday matinee is at 2pm. Thereâs a New Yearâs Eve party and performance at 9pm on December 31st.
For more information, go to cinnabartheater.org. -
Dear Evan Hansen,
I attended the opening night performance of the San Francisco run of your national tour at the Curran Theatre. Iâve heard a lot about your show - the six Tonys (including Best Musical) and the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. Iâve seen the songs performed on various television shows and many of my friends own the album. I know this show has touched a nerve with a lot of people and, after seeing it, I understand why. Yet, I left the theatre feeling a bit uncomfortable.
Your story of a friendless high school student (played by Ben Levi Ross) with an unspecified behavioral condition who finds himself trapped in a lie of his own creation about a fellow studentâs death has a lot to say. It speaks to the lonely, the different, and the heartbroken via some beautiful songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, like âYou Will Be Foundâ and âWaving Through a Windowâ. Your tale of the desperate need for human connections in a technologically oppressive world is filled with terrific performances, especially Jessica Philips as your mother, Jared Kleinman as your âfamily friendâ Jared, and Maggie McKenna as Zoe, the object of your affection.
Steven Levensonâs book speaks many truths as well. I have experienced first-hand the phenomenon of what happens at a public school when students are faced with the unexpected death of a classmate; how some latch on to a person they never knew and create a relationship that never existed.
Where I find the story less than truthful, however, is in dealing with the issue of your condition and the underlying message of the myth of a âgood lieâ.
What is it that led you to seek therapeutic help? Is your awkwardness a manifestation of that condition? If it is, why is the audience amused by it? Do they find your behavior cute? Funny? Is your pain being played for laughs? Is that why your lying is excused? The more I thought about these things, the more troubled I became.
And what of your lie? Is the fact that everyone seems to come out of the situation unscathed, or even better off, a classic case of the ends justifying the means? Is that the message with which the playwright really wants to leave us?
We live in perilous times, Evan. Truth is a precious commodity that is in too short supply these days. Letâs not lose sight of that via eye-popping stagecraft and soaring ballads.
Sincerely,
Me
âDear Evan Hansenâ runs through December 30th at the Curran Theatre in San Francisco. Dates and times vary. For more information, go to sfcurran.com -
One-person shows with a holiday theme tend to skew toward the male variety, whether itâs a show about a disgruntled department store Christmas elf (David Sedarisâs Santaland Diaries) or a single dad desperate to maintain the fiction of Santa Claus with his children (David Templetonâs Polar Bears). Even Dickensâs classic A Christmas Carol has been reduced to a one-man show with Scrooge.
Playwright Ginna Hobenâs the 12 Dates of Christmas is a rare female-centric holiday themed show that, despite its title, has little to do with the holiday and more to do with a one womanâs experience in the dating world. It runs at Santa Rosaâs 6th Street Playhouse through January 6.
Mary (Jess Headington), a thirty-something actress in New York, is getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with her fiancĂ© when he calls to beg off due to food poisoning. Sheâs watching the Macyâs Parade on television, when what to her wondering eyes do appear but said fiancĂ© nibbling on his co-workerâs ear.
No sooner is the engagement ring dropped in a Salvation Army kettle when Mary begins her own parade - of dates. We skip from holiday to holiday and follow her through a year of family set-ups, chance meetings and the occasional hook-up. Each date is represented by an ornament Mary hangs on her Christmas tree.
Thereâs a doctor whoâs too good to be true, a bartender who forces Mary to break one of her personal rules (never date anyone with an ass smaller than your own), a stalker, a guy who offers her a steady job, a co-worker, an old friend, and even the ex-fiancĂ©. Some dates are better than others. She turns down a guy who calls back. She waits for a call from a guy who never does. A year later, sheâs still single, but seems content with her choices and has moved on, continuing to build her life, whether thereâs another person in it or not.
Headington is a talented performer and engages the audience from the get-go. Her Mary is a fully-formed character, neither perfect nor a walking disaster. She owns her choices, recognizes the bad ones she makes, revels in the good ones, and keeps plowing forward through the ups-and-downs of dating with her sense of humor intact.
Mary is not the only character to take the stage, as Headington takes on the roles of her mother, her busy-body aunt, her perfect sister, her various dates and about a half-dozen other characters who enter the scene. She does a good job making each character distinctive and recognizable, either through vocal choice or physicality.
Director Juliet Noonan keeps Mary on the move and brings the show in at about 90 minutes with an intermission. She utilizes the entire black box space and even has Mary come into the audience. Headingtonâs goodwill prevents these moments from becoming too intrusive. The closing moments of both acts need to be defined a bit more, though. Itâs never good when an audience isnât sure whether a show is over or not.
The dating world is often a fertile field for comedy. Headington and the 12 Dates of Christmas do a pretty good job of harvesting that field for good-natured laughs.
'The 12 Dates of Christmas' runs through January 6th at the 6th Street Playhouse Studio Theatre in Santa Rosa. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30pm; the Sunday matinee is at 2pm. Thereâs one Saturday matinee on December 29th and a Thursday evening performance on January 3rd.
For more information, go to 6thstreetplayhouse.com. -
For folks looking for some respite from Christmas shopping or from becoming participants in the demolition derby that is mall parking, North Bay theatre companies are providing several seasonal entertainments to help keep you in the holiday spirit.
Family-friendly musicals are the usual fare and there are several on tap. While not all would be classified as holiday-specific shows, theyâll still get the kids out of the house for a few hours and give adults some welcome relief.
Santa Rosa Junior College Theatre Arts (theatrearts.santarosa.edu) is presenting Shrek, the Musical. Burbank Auditorium renovations continue to require them to do their shows âon the roadâ, so youâll have to travel to Maria Carrillo High School to see this one.
Spreckels Theatre Company (spreckelsonline.com) is doing The Tailor of Gloucester. This original holiday musical, based on the Beatrix Potter story, was originally commissioned and produced by Petalumaâs Cinnabar Theater back in 2004 and had several Youth Theatre productions there. Michael Ross directs (mostly) adults in this studio theater production.
Sonoma Arts Live (sonomaartslive.org) brings Anne of Green Gables to their Rotary stage. This musical version of the L.M. Montgomery classic is about a spunky redheaded orphan winning over her new family and an entire Canadian island.
Speaking of spunky redheaded orphans, 6th Street Playhouse (6thstreetplayhouse.com) assures us the sunâll come out tomorrow with Annie. Itâs Daddy Warbucks versus the evil Miss Hannigan with Annie - and her little dog, too â as the objects of their attention. The 12 Dates of Christmas will run in the 6th Street Studio Theater. Itâs a single womanâs âholiday survival guideâ.
For nostalgia fans, Redwood Theatre Company (redwoodtheatrecompany.com) will be presenting Itâs a Wonderful Life in the live radio play format.
A plucky little girl â this time named Eve â takes center stage at the Cloverdale Performing Arts Center (cloverdaleperformingarts.com) in Yo Ho Ho: A Pirateâs Christmas. Can she rescue Santa and Christmas from the clutches of a gang of directionally-challenged pirates? If she doesnât, the audience may mutiny.
Over in Napa, Lucky Penny Productions (luckypennynapa.com) is presenting Scrooge in Love. This will be only the third fully staged production of this original musical after having been done twice by San Franciscoâs 42 Street Moon. It musically answers all the questions you may have about what happened after the end of Dickensâs classic A Christmas Carol. Dyan McBride, the showâs original director, heads this production as well.
Finally, for those in the mood for a big, splashy music and dance extravaganza, thereâs always Transcendence Theatre Company (transcendencetheatre.org) and their Broadway Holiday Spectacular. Theyâll be doing three performances at Santa Rosaâs Luther Burbank Center and two performances in Napa at the Lincoln Theatre in Yountville.
Lots of entertainment options, and Iâm sure the producing companies would like to remind you that theatre tickets make GREAT stocking stuffers.
You can find links to all these shows and more on the calendar page of the North Bay Stage and Screen web site at northbaystageandscreen.com. -
When after sixteen years David Templeton hung up his theater criticâs hat, his stated purpose was to turn his full attention to other pursuits: artistic, journalistic, theatrical and otherwise. Since then, he continues to write, has a full-time gig as the Community Editor at the Petaluma Argus-Courier, and took a featured role in Left Edge Theatreâs pole dancing extravaganza The Naked Truth. An âotherwiseâ pursuit for Templeton would be directing, and heâs about to do just that with his holiday-themed one-man show Polar Bears, opening November 30 at San Rafaelâs Belrose Theater.
Templeton describes Polar Bears as âa heartwarming holiday tragedy.â Say Again? âI wrote it,â said Templeton, âbecause I've read scads of stories about Christmas and families and Santa Claus, but never have I read any story about that unique passage of childhood, and parenthood, that is the moment that kids stop believing, and the ways their parents help or hinder that rite of passage.â
Itâs an autobiographical tale of an average father who finds himself a bit in-over-his-head one holiday season and goes to increasingly outlandish lengths to keep his kids' belief in Santa alive. It seems his own faith in Santa was disrupted when he was four-years-old and he's hellbent on making sure that doesn't happen to his kids.
Polar Bears had two successful productions in Sonoma County with Templeton under the direction of Sheri Lee Miller. For the this production, Templeton takes over the directing reins and has cast actor Chris Schloemp in the role of David Templeton. Sound strange? âIâm actually not thinking of it as Chris playing ME,â said Templeton, âheâs playing a character named David, who did some things I did, but I told him from the beginning to think of David as a fictional character. Heâs constantly surprising me with new things, and I love it.â
Whatâs it like for an actor to be directed by his âcharacterâ? âBeing directed by the guy youâre performing and whoâs also the writer is a little intimidatingâ, said Schloemp, âbut also very rewarding in that, in any play, there are always those nagging questions you want to ask. Here I get to ask them at every rehearsal. Davidâs been very insistent that I am not playing him, so I have free rein.â
So, in a season full of Nutcrackers and Christmas Carols, where does Polar Bears fit in? âI think anyone who loves Christmas stories but has grown tired of the same old cloying, overly sentimental holiday stories will appreciate itâ, said Templeton. âThat was the intention, and based on audience reactions in the past, I think weâve succeeded.â
âPolar Bearsâ opens November 30 and runs through December 15 at the Belrose Theater in San Rafael. There are Friday and Saturday evening performances at 7:30pm. For more information, go to thebelrose.com
There will be one performance in Santa Rosa at 7:00pm on December 23 at Left Edge Theatre at the Luther Burbank Center. For more information, go to leftedgetheate.com -
If youâre trying to avoid attending the umpteenth production of The Nutcracker in your lifetime, Marin theatre companies are providing several other entertainment options for this holiday season.
Last year, the Marin Theatre Company (marintheatre.org) was one of the participants in the rolling world premiere of Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melconâs Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley. The continuation of Jane Austenâs Pride and Prejudice was a smashing success, so itâs no surprise that Gunderson and Melcon have returned to the material and created a companion piece entitled The Wickhams: Christmas at Pemberley. While Miss Bennet dealt with the folks celebrating Christmas âupstairsâ at the manor, The Wickhams is more of a âdownstairsâ piece focusing on the estateâs staff as they deal with an unwelcome visitor and a potential holiday disaster. Megan Sandberg-Zakian directs the show which will no doubt be colorfully costumed and impressively designed.
The College of Marin Performing Arts Department (pa.marin.edu) will be presenting the musical comedy Nuncrackers in their Kentfield campusâs studio theater. Yes, itâs a Nunsense Christmas musical. Creator Dan Gogginsâs Little Sisters of Hoboken return to stage a Christmas special in their new basement cable access TV studio to raise funds for the Mount Saint Helens School. The nuns will be singing songs like âThe Twelve Days Prior to Christmasâ and âSanta Ainât Cominâ to Our Houseâ, dancing in their habits, and handing out fruit cake. I think Sister Amnesia makes a return appearance, but I canât remember.
Actors Basement is staging PacSun contributor David Templetonâs one-man holiday show Polar Bears at The Belrose (thebelrose.com) in San Rafael. Itâs the autobiographical tale of a fatherâs attempt to keep his childrenâs belief in Santa Claus alive way past the point most others do. Templeton has performed the piece in Sonoma County several times in the past few years. For this Marin production of his âheartwarming holiday tragedyâ, Templeton moves into the directorâs chair and turns over the performance duties to actor Chris Schloemp.
The Ross Valley Players (rossvalleyplayers.com) are giving audiences the chance to completely forget about the holiday season with their production of The Odd Couple. The Neil Simon classic comedy about a mismatched pair of middle-aged roommates thatâs been a proven laugh-getter since itâs 1965 Broadway premiere.
For those willing to travel and in the mood for a big holiday musical extravaganza, the Transcendence Theatre Company (transcendencetheatre.org) will be presenting their Broadway Holiday Spectacular with three performances up at Santa Rosaâs Luther Burbank Center and two performances out at the Lincoln Theatre in Yountville.
Thereâs nary a Sugar Plum Fairy in sight on these North Bay stages.
You can find links to all these shows and more on the calendar page of the North Bay Stage and Screen web site at northbaystageandscreen.com -
For an area with as large a gay population and as much theatre as Sonoma County, itâs surprising how little gay-themed theatre is produced in the region. Oh sure, the larger companies will produce the more mainstream musicals like Cabaret or La Cage aux Folles every few years, and Halloween usually brings The Rocky Horror Show, but little else seems to cross local stages.
The nomadic Pegasus Theater Company, in existence in one form or another for about 20 years, is the exception. Its Russian River roots have been planted firmly in the gay community since its inception, and it regularly programs shows with gay content into its seasons. Previous productions include newer plays like Avow to old chestnuts like Norman, is that You?
This season Pegasus brings Paul Rudnickâs The New Century to the Mt. Jackson Masonic Lodge in Guerneville. Rudnick (I Hate Hamlet, In & Out) has taken a collection of comedic one-acts and put them together for this show. Itâs basically three monologues and a âwrap upâ scene.
âPride and Joyâ opens the show with a meeting of the Massapequa, Long Island chapter of the PLGBTQCCC & O â the âParents of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, Transgendered, Questioning, Curious, Creatively Concerned and Othersâ. Ms. Helene Nadler (Thea Rhiannon) introduces herself to the membership as the "most loving mother of all time". She has to be. She has three children: a lesbian daughter, a transgendered son who dates lesbians, and a gay son into BDSM and scatology. Beat that, parents.
We the meet âMr. Charles, Currently of Palm Beachâ. Charles (Nick Charles) has been exiled from New York by the gay community for being âtoo gayâ, which happens to be the title of the cable access show he now hosts along with his âwardâ Shane (director John Rowan) where he answers viewer mail and revels in being who he is.
With âCraftyâ we meet Barbara Ellen Diggs (Noel Yates), a crafts-crazy Midwesterner who makes toilet paper koozies and tuxedo toaster covers. The passing of her son by AIDS has led her to question her faith. âI donât know if I believe in God anymore,â she says, âbut I do believe in cute.â
All these characters come together in a really contrived closing scene set at a New York Hospital maternity ward that seems tacked on to create a full-length show.
The show suffers from the challenges inherent in running a small theatre company - no budget, minimal sets and lighting, a limited talent pool leading to casting issues, etc., but it has heart, which counts for a lot, and you have to love a show that credits costumes to an entity called âNutsack Creationsâ.
âThe New Centuryâ runs through November 25 at the Mt. Jackson Masonic Lodge in Guerneville.
Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30pm, the Sunday matinee is at 2pm.
For more information, go to pegasustheater.com -
I donât know anyone who attends theatre to reinforce their belief that life is simply a series of travails to be endured until the sweet release of death, but if youâre out there, have I got show for you. Birdbath Theatres is presenting Anton Chekhovâs Uncle Vanya in a new adaptation by Jesse Brownstein, directed by David Abrams and playing at The Belrose through November 18.
Vanya (Rob Garcia) and his niece Sonya (Winona Wagner) manage the small estate of his late sister where they live with the family matriarch Mariya (Molly Noble), an old family nurse (Shirley Nilsen Hall), and a guitar-playing family friend (Andrew Byars).
The estateâs meager proceeds have gone to support his late sisterâs husband Professor Serebryakov (Ray Martin) and his new trophy wife Yelena (Claire Champommier). A perpetually infirmed Serebryakov, after spending the summer at the estate, has come to a decision. He wishes to sell the estate to come up with enough money to purchase a nice retirement cottage in Finland for him and his wife. What of the others who live there?
Well, those details can be worked out later.
This infuriates Vanya, whoâs already ticked off because Yelena, for whom he secretly pines, has shown affection for country doctor Astrov (Jesse Lumb), who has also caught the eye of the perpetually sad Sonya, who bemoans her looks. After two and a half hours, no one ends up with anyone, nothing is sold, and life drones on.
Abrams takes a minimalist approach to Chekhovâs look at the miserable lives of a turn-of-the-twentieth century Russian family. Thereâs no set of which to speak; the audience is seated against the theater walls and up on the stage; and the action (and I use that term loosely) often takes place at opposites sides of the small space, leading many in the audience to have to make a tennis match-like back-and-forth observation of the proceedings.
Itâs a well-acted production, with Garciaâs Vonya a cauldron of self-loathing that, after finally boiling over, returns to a state of eternal simmering. Lumbâs Dr. Astrov is the least dreary of the lot who, while filled with remorse about his life decisions, provides a welcome spark to the often-lethargic proceedings.
The playâs bleak tone is reinforced with some fine cello accompaniment by Diego Martinez Mendiola. Is there any sadder sound produced than that of the bowed chordophone?
Regret is the overriding theme of Uncle Vanya; the regret that comes when revisiting the decisions that define a life. I donât regret the time I spent with the dispiriting Voinitsky family, but I donât see the need to revisit them anytime soon.
âUncle Vanyaâ runs through November 18 at the Belrose Theater in San Rafael. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30pm; the Sunday matinee is at 2pm.
For more information, go to birdbaththeatres.com -
In the past month, North Bay stages have been occupied by vampires, ghosts, a Thing, and Transylvanian transvestites. The Novato Community Playhouse now finds itself overrun with the most ghastly, heinous, and horrifying creatures ever to set foot on a theatrical stage. I am referring, of course, to white upper middle-class parents. They are the featured monsters in playwright Yasmina Rezaâs God of Carnage, directed by Terry McGovern and running at the Playhouse through November 11.
Alan and Annette Raleigh (Ken Bacon & Jena Hunt-Abraham) have come to the home of Michael and Veronica Novak (Marty Lee Jones & Heather Shepardson) to discuss the matter of a fight between their sons. It seems that the Raleighâs son knocked two teeth out of the mouth of the Novakâs son with a stick. After a quick review of the Novakâs statement on the incident (and the decision to change the verbiage to reflect the Raleigh boy being âfurnishedâ with a stick, as opposed to âarmedâ), the two couples sit down to awkwardly determine what to do next. Over the next ninety intermission-less minutes, the façade of civilized gentility will give way to tribal warfare.
Rezaâs play has always seemed to me to be a grade B knock-off of Edward Albeeâs Whose Afraid of Virginia Woolf? If it was Rezaâs attempt to show that who we appear to be is rarely who we really are, sheâs at least fifty years late to that party. What she adds to that familiar trope is the omnipresence and annoyance of cell phones in our lives and a considerable quantity of stage vomit.
Ah, yes, the vomit. Within the theatre community, this show has garnered the nickname âthe vomit playâ as there is a scene that requires (per the stage directions) âa brutal and catastrophic spray of vomit.â While itâs always interesting to see how a company accomplishes this, itâs really little more than a device to represent the verbal garbage spewn by many on a daily basis. The Novaks and Raleighs have been vomiting on each other all evening, why not take it to its logical conclusion?
Have I mentioned yet this is a comedy? Yes, there are plenty of opportunities to laugh at the parentsâ idiocy, but the joke is ultimately on the audience. Go ahead. Laugh at them, because they couldnât possibly represent you.
The late, great cartoonist Walt Kellyâs âPogoâ line comes to mind:
âWe have met the enemy and he is us.â
âGod of Carnageâ runs Friday through Sunday through November 11 at the Novato Theater Company Playhouse in Novato. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 8 pm; thereâs a Sunday matinee at 2pm.
For more information, go to novatotheatercompany.org. -
If youâre wary of attending the latest splatter fest at your local multiplex and seeking a kinder, gentler Halloween season entertainment, Napaâs Lucky Penny Productions brings you NoĂ«l Cowardâs Blithe Spirit, running through November 4. Itâs an old-fashioned ghost story laden with Cowardâs acerbic wit and charm.
Author Charles Condomine (Tim Kniffin) is researching the occult world for his next novel. Heâs invited a local medium, Madame Arcati (Karen Pinomaki), to conduct a sĂ©ance in his home. Charles is convinced sheâs a charlatan, but Arcati manages to call forth the spectral presence of his late first wife Elvira (Sydney Schwindt). As Charles is the only one who can see or hear Elvira, Charlesâ current wife Ruth (Kirstin Pieschke) thinks heâs going quite mad. Soon convinced of Elviraâs presence, Ruth finds herself in a battle with Elvira over their husband.
At first terrified with the situation, Charles actually begins to take some delight in the circumstances and starts to adapt to living with two wives â even if one is dead. Elvira goes about scheming to get Charles to join her on the âother sideâ while Ruth seeks out Madame Arcati to help rid her of the troublesome spirit. Thatâs easier said than done.
Director Barry Martin brings a light touch and a good cast to this production. Kniffin is solid as the initially flustered but soon rolling-with-the-punches Charles who, after closer examination, is really quite a cad. Heâs the perfect vehicle to deliver some classic Coward lines in a classic Coward manner. Schwindt is a lot of fun as the devilish Elvira and gets a major assist from makeup designer Brette Bartolucci. Small, intimate spaces like Lucky Penny can be a test for makeup designs as the audienceâs proximity to the stage can make the artificiality abundantly clear. In this case, Bartolucciâs makeup and April Georgeâs lighting design work really well together.
As Madame Arcati, Pinomaki has the showiest role (it won Angela Lansbury her fourth Tony for the 2009 revival) and garners big laughs with her physicality. Festooned in costume designer Barbara McFaddenâs colorful accoutrements, Pinomaki earns those laughs by playing the character straight. Her visual outlandishness and other spectral bits are nice counterparts to the dry verbal humor for which Coward is best known and that this cast delivers well.
The play creaks a bit, but in a day when stage pyrotechnics often overwhelm a show, itâs nice to be reminded that the words are what really matter.
âBlithe Spiritâ plays through November 4 at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center in Napa. The Thursday performance is at 7pm; Friday and Saturdayâs are at 8pm; the Sunday matinee is at 2pm.
For more information, go to luckypennynapa.com - Mehr anzeigen
