Mondo Johnny

The 39 Steps Delivers Big Laughs at Swift Creek

2012-02-02T21:42:00.000-08:00

What would happen if you crossed the master of the macabre Alfred Hitchcock with British comedian Benny Hill? I think you would get something that resembles THE 39 STEPS, the current hilarious production being offered by Swift Creek Mill Playhouse. While some may take issue with its farce like over the top manic approach, I found the evening to be very entertaining and the energy expended by the actors would be enough to light a medium sized city during a blackout.

Based on the novel and film of the same name, this version takes a great deal of liberty with the story of saboteurs in Great Britain trying to spirit off military secrets and only one ordinary man can stop them. Trouble is that one man Richard Hannay, played winningly by the under used Dan Stackhouse, has been framed for murder and all he knows is he needs to find out the meaning of the phrase, The 39 Steps. Stackhouse is in almost constant motion throughout the play and running that long in a wool coat has got to be tough.

In the role of three very different women is the also under used K Strong. It’s been a long time since I’ve had the chance to see Strong perform and she hasn’t lost a step. Her comedic timing is very good and she adds a great deal to the hilarity of the evening.

Rounding out the cast are Frank Creasy and Steve King who assume a number of roles Greater Tuna style. While their accents are all over the place, it merely adds to the insanity, and much of their characterizations are accomplished with a quick change of hats and attitudes.

Director and set designer Tom Width has worked his slapstick to perfect timing and the staging is among the most clever I’ve seen in years. Be sure to look closely at the scene on the top of the train and watch how Width works his stage magic. He is in top form along with his lighting designer Joe Doran and sound designer Paul Deiss. Doran’s lights give the stage motion and Deiss has created a soundscape that is respectful of the original music and sound effects that are sometimes realistic and sometimes a punchline.

Maura Lynch Cravey’s costumes run the gamut from British sophisticate to femme fatale to Scottish country bumpkin with ease. Like the previously mentioned Greater Tuna or The Mystery of Irma Vep, both of which have been performed at Swift Creek, the quick change artistry of the actors adds a great deal to the enjoyment.

Audiences may be divided, but the vast majority of people will find the evening enjoyable and just plain fun. Sometimes we forget that theatre doesn’t always have to be serious and life-changing. Every so often, it’s good to get out and just have an enjoyable evening laughing and being a little silly. If you can’t let go and just have fun, then tell yourself you are lowering your stress level, reducing your blood pressure or just laughing hard in order get a little exercise. Whatever your excuse, it’s a good reason to get out and enjoy the madness that is THE 39 STEPS.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Lord Of The Flies at Henley Street Theatre

2012-02-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

William Golding’s award-winning book LORD OF THE FLIES is one of my all-time favorite novels, one of the few populist novels that achieves a high literary status. It is equally at home with both critics and the general public and its themes of society’s eventual descent into chaos has become a well-used theme in modern horror works. When the rules of society are removed, the vacuum is either filled with new rules or total anarchy. LORD OF THE FLIES is the story of a group of young British schoolboys who have survived a plane crash and now find themselves freed from adult rule on a deserted island.

The novel has been adapted into two films, one directed by the legendary Peter Brook; and it has also been adapted into the play now being offered by Henley Street Theatre. This adaptation by Nigel Williams condenses the several weeks the novel covers into a tight 90 minutes. While it speeds up the production, the accelerated pace also makes the events a little less believable.

The play has a lot to offer, especially several performances. I was particularly moved by Eric Evans as Ralph, the young leader who eventually becomes hunted. Drew Sease as Jack does a great job of personifying everything that is wrong with a person. Sease captures the essence of evil very well and is a real presence onstage. Sean Wyland as the martyr Simon offers us the representation of the spiritual on this lost island. His scene where he uncovers the titular Lord of the Flies is very well played. Matthew Barger as Piggy, the voice of reason, who whines, wheedles, and is the most vulnerable of all the boys, brings all of Piggy’s faults to life.

Despite these good performances, there is a definite schism between the level of accent work offered by all the actors. Another issue with the play is the tightness of the set designed by Jason Winebarger. The intimate size of the SPARC stage makes it impossible to separate the playing areas. While the older boys are plotting a hunt, it seems right on top of the younger boys trying to keep the fire going on the beach.

One last issue is the sound which is over the top for a large portion of the play. Wooden spears against the stage create a cacophony that makes it nearly impossible to hear dialogue, even when it is shouted and chanted. The lights, by Joe Doran are occasionally brilliant, but the strobe lightning is powerful enough to induce a headache.

Director Josh Chenard has put together an interesting evening of theatre that will electrify some audiences. Unfortunately there are other drawbacks associated with the production that others will not enjoy. This entry into both the Acts of Faith Festival and Minds Wide Open is guaranteed to start many conversations, just as LORD OF THE FLIES has been doing since 1954. Henley Street Theatre has been building its reputation on creating theatre that starts dialogues among adults, and this play is no exception.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Always Patsy Cline at Barksdale Hanover Tavern

2012-01-27T01:41:00.001-08:00

Virginia native Patsy Cline was the first solo female country music superstar and before her tragic death in a plane crash in 1963, she managed to cross over to the pop charts as well. Some 50 years after her passing she is still recognized for her enormous contributions to music and has been treated to a bio pic starring Jessica Lange, and several plays, one of which Always…Patsy Cline is now playing at Barksdale Hanover Tavern.

Always…Patsy Cline tells the story of her rise to fame through the eyes of one of her earliest fans, Louise Seger, a Houston woman who befriended Cline one night and the two became pen pals for the rest of Cline’s life. It’s a true story, and even though certain liberties are taken in the script in order to accommodate some of Cline’s recording, the evening is over the top with its energy and most people will have a wonderful time listening to the music and enjoying Seger’s adulation stories and downhome humor.

Debra Wagoner plays Cline, taking her from her early days in cowgirl outfits singing songs written by artists who were part of her record label to the mature talent appearing in cocktail dresses and recording songs written by the best in country music. Cline had hits with songs by people like Hank Williams, Bill Monroe, and Willie Nelson. Wagoner does a great job rendering these well-known songs in a style similar to Cline’s, but not completely imitative.

Wagoner also finds ways to incorporate banter with the band led by Musical Director Drew Perkins to help reveal Cline’s fun side. The six-person band is tight which is impressive when you realize they have not had that much rehearsal time, and there are rotating members making it difficult to establish a working relationship. Perkins has perfected the country gentlemen role, but here you can see there is a devil on his shoulder just waiting to get into mischief.

Terri Moore is uberfan Seger, who manages to steal most of the scenes she is in. When we first meet her she is a housewife doing kitchen chores and she takes us through the process by which she became a Patsy Cline fan. First she is seen watching her on Arthur Godfrey and then discovering her on the radio and finally meeting her in a honkytonk in Houston. While at that honkytonk, Seger and Cline cement their friendship and Cline spends the night at Seger’s house.

Terrie Powers’ set is simple but effective – a large open space for performing and a smaller rotating area that becomes a kitchen, a section of the honkytonk, and a radio station as necessary. K. Jenna Ferree’s lights are decent although not flashy, and Elizabeth Hopper’s costumes work very well, especially Cline’s cocktail dresses.

Director Joe Pabst has put together a fun evening that should please older patrons as we remember Patsy Cline in her prime, and younger viewers can discover a legend. Cline influenced an entire generation of singers, both male and female and her story still looms large over country music. I can guarantee that Always…Patsy Cline will be a hit, if you’re going don’t wait to order tickets.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Goodbye Etta We'll Always Love You

2012-01-25T04:11:00.000-08:00

I honestly don’t remember the first time I heard Etta James. Maybe it was at some cousin’s wedding when the bride and groom took their first dance to “At Last,” except none of my cousins would have been hip enough to have played her. “Freebird” maybe, but not Etta.

Whenever it was, that beautiful voice settled somewhere in my memory and I picked up my first Etta James album and I fell in love. I’ve never met Etta James, never even laid eyes on her except in pictures and television, but I love her nonetheless. Her glorious voice raises your spirits, and it’s impossible not to feel what is behind that voice – a heart heavy with pain and a tortured soul.

Etta James was the embodiment of the blues.

If you’ve ever listened to the radio program I co-host with Henry Cook, Time For The Blues, heard on WCVE Public Radio (visit our web presence here), you’ve probably heard me talk about Etta before. We have featured her music on several different occasions and will continue to do so in the future. I can’t imagine not having that voice be a part of our shows going forward.

With her passing due to complications from leukemia and a compromised immune system from years of hard living, I can only imagine that more folks will discover her work. That always seems to be the case when the spotlight shines on someone who has been outside of the light for awhile. There will be a lot to discover – from her days at Chess all the way up to her final albums, you will hear style, power, and a raw approach that few could ever achieve.

It would be easy to list James’ albums and name my favorite tracks to act as a guide for you, but sometimes when we do that we deprive you of the discovery process. You might find different songs that speak to you in ways that they didn’t speak to us. So listen to her, once you find a way into the music, you will never leave it completely. Etta’s music is a part of my DNA, it is heavily represented on my MP3 player and she’ll be back on Time For The Blues before long.

Goodbye Etta James, thank you for bringing us your talent and sharing your music with us. I hope that this tortured angel will at last find rest.

2 Boys In A Bed On A Cold Winter's Night Warms Up at Triangle

2012-01-20T02:05:00.000-08:00

“You don’t know anything. I could be lying,” says Peter to his lover for the night Darryl in Richmond Triangle Players production of 2 BOYS IN A BED ON A COLD WINTER’S NIGHT. At that precise moment, the play crystallizes and becomes much more than the chronicle of a late night romp between two aroused men. On the surface this searing play seems to be about two strangers who meet, drink, fall in lust and go to one’s apartment to satisfy that urge. But there is so much more lurking beneath the surface of this tight two-character play by James Edwin Parker.

Darryl, as played by Nick Baldock, is a chatty lover; the kind that wakes up in the middle of the night and ask questions about his partner’s life, loves, and beliefs. At first it seems cute and rather ordinary although the intensity of his questioning quickly gives way and exposes his neediness. Baldock is driven and the rollercoaster nature of his conversation is dizzying and the audience wonders when he is going to come off the rails.

Peter, played by Nicholas Wilder, comes off every inch the controlled dominant partner, in total command of the sex who attempts to shut down Darryl before he gets started with the questions. Peter just wants sex and sleep while Darryl seems hell bent on creating intimacy.

2 Boys is set in 1987, pre-internet dating sites when people had to venture out to bars or other pick-up places in order to connect. It could be exhilarating, being on the hunt, but it could also be frightening not knowing anything about who has just entered your life. Is the person sane or violent? And of course the shadow of AIDS hung everywhere. That’s what these two actors deal with in real time with no extraneous dialogue or filler material.

T. Ross Aitken’s set makes the most of every inch of the stage. The Bed, which might as well be a third character, dominates center stage with a small living room to one side and a bathroom on the other. It is functional, utilitarian, and exactly the kind of apartment a struggling almost young man might have. Johnny Kernisky’s atmospheric lighting bathes the set in beautiful blues giving the area the feeling of fantasy.

Director Justin Amellio has kept the play brisk; the entire play runs a taut 70 minutes without an intermission, at times playful, other times menacing. Neither character wants to be truthful and it is only after time has passed that the real, honest, brutal truth comes out. Amellio has found just the right touch in order to let these actors explore their darker sides and bring them out on stage.

2 Boys, ultimately a play about control, illusion, and territory. Watch the way that Peter reacts to Darryl whenever the latter changes his position on stage. It is very subtle, almost choreographed the way he uses his position to enhance his power. I was reminded of magnets whose opposites attract and like sides repel.

Make no mistake, this is ADULT material with a great deal of full nudity on stage. However, if you miss this one, you will be sorry. This is a very powerful play.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Happy Birthday to The Greatest

2012-01-17T04:29:00.000-08:00

Last night Holly and I camped out in front of the television set and caught the love fest for Betty White’s 90th Birthday. Very well deserved, love me some Betty White and I was delighted to see so many people turning out to throw her a major wing ding. She may be great, but today is also the birthday of The Greatest, the one and only Muhammad Ali.

If you didn’t know, I am a fight fan. Not so much on today’s lightning quick Mixed Martial Arts matches, although in a pinch I can enjoy a battle inside the cage; no, I prefer the sweet science, boxing, or at least I used to love it very much. As in many relationships, we’re sort of taking a break right now.

I can safely say that it was Ali who made me a fight fan. Brash, cocky, he was more Gorgeous George than Joe Louis and he always put on a good show. Ali had the fastest hands of any heavyweight I ever saw and he could work a microphone better than anyone before or since. Ali claimed he was so fast that “I could cut off the light and be in bed before the room got dark.”

An old boast, but somehow it seemed possible with Ali.

I was too young to appreciate his gold medal-winning efforts at the 1960 Olympics, but was a fan by the time he took on Sonny Liston for the heavyweight championship in 1964. Ali, at the time was known by his birth name Cassius Clay and was the golden boy of boxing. Where Liston was seen as a big thug, an ex-con who decimated his opponents with one of the hardest right hands in history, Ali-Clay was a scientific boxer, the type of fighter who possessed power but won by finesse. Most experts figured Ali-Clay wouldn’t be able to last more than three rounds before the caveman like Liston disposed of the brash upstart.

History shows that Ali won the fight. There have also been allegations that the fight was fixed – yet, if you watch the tape of the fight, you can see that Ali was blind for an entire round – three minutes in which Liston stalked and tried to pummel Ali into submission. Only the guys in the backrooms know if the fight was fixed, but the outcome was that Ali emerged as the heavyweight champion of the world and uttered the phrase, “We shook up the world,” to celebrate the moment.

If there was one expression that could sum up Ali’s life until now, it was that. Ali shook up the world wherever he went. After he had the title, he announced that he had joined the Nation of Islam, elevating its presence in most American’s eyes. While the mainstream press still referred to him as Cassius Clay, he slowly changed the world’s awareness and he became Muhammad Ali, or simply The Champ.

The second fight with Liston was plagued with questions. No major venue would host the fight, so it was fought in the hinterlands of Lewiston, Maine. Liston only lasted one round and fell from what has become known as the “phantom punch.” People looked at the tape of the fight and Liston seemed to go down without being punched. There was outrage, the fight was fixed they said; those Islamic fanatics surrounding the Champ got to Liston.

Again, who knows? But if you look at the fight, you will see Liston react to a crushing right a few seconds before he drops his hands then falls hard to the canvas. A knockout is not always instantaneous.

You don’t need me to recap Ali’s career. If you’ve read this far, chances are you already know about it. If not, there are plenty of websites to gush praise or condemnation on the man. Yes, he still incites controversy among some and great affection from others.

Since his diagnosis of Parkinson’s Ali has lived a more secluded life. His fast body and tongue have been slowed by his condition and this once-great warrior has slipped from public consciousness and brought out only on special occasions such as when he lit the torch for the Atlanta Olympics.

I saw the man once in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He was on one of those moving sidewalks heading in my direction. As we got near he lifted his head up slightly, and I said, “Love you Champ.” He raised his fist in salute. I’ll never forget those few seconds as long as I live.

So, thank you Champ for all the years of grit, determination, and for elevating the game. Thank you for years of entertainment, enlightenment, and rope-a-dope. Thank you from all your fans, and those of us who will always think of you as The Greatest.

Happy Birthday Champ, and tonight when you blow out the candles on your cake, I’ll still believe you can jump in the bed before it gets dark.

All Things In Moderation, Except

2012-01-11T03:18:00.000-08:00

So just for fun I threw out a set up on Facebook. No instructions attached, just a hanging sentence that read, “All things in moderation, except…” Think for a second about how you would answer such a question. I was curious to see how folks would interpret it, or if they would ignore it the way I ignore so many things on Facebook.

Some of the things people listed were thoughtful, some whimsical, others practical. If this were Reader’s Digest or Cosmo, then it would be attached to an article emblazoned with HOW YOU ANSWER REVEALS YOUR PERSONALITY (OR YOUR LOVER’S). I’ve taken a lot of those quizzes in my life and the only conclusion that I’ve been able to come to is, I seem to like quizzes.

So, no claims as to revealing your personality, or anything else – it’s just a little piece of fun. And you can still contribute, either here in the comments section, on my original Facebook post, or by dropping me a line at mondojohnnyblog@gmail.com. As always, here at Mondo World Headquarters, we would love to hear from you.

One person responded with “knowledge, wisdom, acceptance, tolerance, and love”; a solid list that even differentiates between “knowledge” and “wisdom,” a cool philosophical point that opens up debate. That was followed by a good one – “moderation.” Laughed at that one as it reminded me of an Oscar Wilde quote, “I can resist anything except temptation.” I’ve been accused of leading my life that way as well.

The next one was simply “chipotle” from a respondent looking for a little spice in her life, then “COFFEE” followed by ten exclamation points. There was a time I would be joining in the chorus for this one, but I’ve actually lived coffee free now for over a decade and lived to tell the tale. It hasn’t been easy…

The next three formed a combination close to my heart; “extravagance,” “music,” and “comic books.” Those are definitely three of my favorite things. While I actually lead a fairly simple existence, I have delusions of extravagance. I’m part of the 99% but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind being a part of the 1%. I also couldn’t live without music – good thing I work at a radio station where I get to play the blues, but I also get to listen to a wide variety of music; classical, jazz, world beat and so many others. Comic books are one of my favorite things of all time. I grew up reading the whole superhero gamut, added the underground comics, and now I follow a number of independent comics.

Hello, my name is John, and I’m a comic geek…(Hello, John)

Anybody looking to connect with me this Sunday should head over to the Virginia ComiCon. Be sure to say hello.

Continuing the list are more things I love; “chocolate,” “THE RAMONES,” “theatre,” and “living life to the fullest.” While I’m sorry to report that I won’t be eating much – if any – chocolate in the future for health reasons, it will always remain a great pleasure. THE RAMONES, hey the guy wrote them in all caps, so who am I to tinker with his obsession? Saw the Ramones a couple of times at VCU back in the day and I’ve long been a fan of punk as a statement and as music. The Ramones were one of the all time greats. If you have to ask how I feel about theatre, I invite you to check out the vast majority of the blog. If that doesn’t answer your question, call me.

As far as living your life to the fullest, there really can be no other way. I’ve had my near death experience and while I’m in no hurry to shuffle off this mortal coil, I think we have such a limited time and so many experiences to accumulate that we need to keep ourselves open to all possibilities. That doesn’t mean you should go crazy and try to climb mountains or jump out of airplanes – unless that’s something you want to do. Like those Cosmo quizzes, you’ll have to find your personality traits yourself. Just find that passion and follow it with abandon.

Now we come to some of the more whimsical selections; “daydreaming,” “Moon Pies,” “olives,” and “Rocky Horror.” I think all four stand on their own, although I wouldn’t try to combine the olives with the Moon Pies unless you’re pregnant and having one heck of a craving. Speaking of Rocky Horror, I sure would like to see a new production of it mounted here in town. It’s been years since we were treated to the version at the Barksdale and it’s time to see a new interpretation.

We finish up with a couple of diverse thoughts; “kindness,” with which I will wholeheartedly agree. We cannot have too much kindness in the world. And the last word (at the time of this writing) belongs to my old pal Bud, who thinks that we should have “Root beer. And maybe peanut butter cups.” Mmmm, tasty.

Thanks to everyone who participated. I look forward to hearing from more of you, oh, and my answer was “laughter, life, and love.” Although reading a comic book while listening to the Ramones and eating a Moon Pie is a close second.

STATS and the Top 15

2012-01-06T02:52:00.000-08:00

So I recently discovered the STATS tab for this blog. You can tell we are up on all the technological advancements here at Mondo Johnny World Headquarters. This tab tells me which of these little scribbles my audience is reading. While it gives me a few minutes of elation when one of the entries gets a lot of hits, I tend to worry what’s wrong with the ones that few people read. What’s wrong with this entry? Why doesn’t anyone love it? Why…

Sorry, got a little soap opera there for a minute. I’m back now. Won’t happen again.

One of my entries that gets a lot of hits is one I wrote about the 15 Plays that were a big influence on me. It was one of those Facebook challenges that was going around for awhile and was originally suggested to me by director and PhD to be Rick St. Peter. Most people don’t know this, but when I hosted a talk show for WCVE Public Radio, Rick was such a frequent guest, people used to ask if he was a co-host. He would have been a good one.

Anyway, enough about Rick, he doesn’t need me to be his publicist, he’s doing just fine without me.

I want to turn this challenge around and give it a little Mondo twist. What 5-10-15 plays would you like to SEE here in Richmond? You can explain why or why not. I know for a fact that one or two of the Artistic Directors in town drop by from time to time and I sure they would be interested in seeing what you have to say.

If you don’t want to leave it publicly, feel free to drop me a line at mondojohnnyblog@gmail.com. I’ll respect your wishes to remain anonymous but I may post your suggestions.

That’s it. Looking forward to your thoughts, And Rick, feel free to drop by anytime.

Shifting Directions? Or Shiftless Connections?

2012-01-03T03:52:00.000-08:00

Okay, so a couple of people asked me what was up with the blog. That lately I’ve been posting a few more non-theatrical items. They want to know if this shift in direction is permanent or if I will get back to my collection of reviews as they needed them as a cure for insomnia.

I just want to assure you that this blog will continue on the path that I set out on a couple of years ago – it will be a repository of reviews I scrawled about theatre in Richmond. But frankly I always wanted to write about more. In the past I’ve talked a little bit about my life as a stand-up comedian, and as such, I was moving into a direction of being a social gadfly – being a commentator which is a polite way of saying I wasn’t getting too many laughs but a lot of people nodding their heads and agreeing with me.

So missing those nods, I thought I would drift back a little bit, but I’m too old and too set in my ways to make the round of open mic nights or beg for a spot and the more established comedy clubs. (Although, if any theatre owner wants to get together and put on a night of comedy on a dark night, please let me know at Mondojohnnyblog@gmail.com.)

Some of my heroes were writers like Art Buchwald, Erma Bombeck, Don Marquis, and Dave Barry. I thought these folks had the greatest job imaginable – work a couple of days a week writing funny things that people could read while slurping down frozen waffles and laugh as they run out the door. Okay, maybe not always laugh, but at least nod their head in agreement. I wanted that job. I wanted to mine my life for laughs from strangers and get paid gobs of money doing it.

Using my great financial acumen, I’m starting out by doing it for free. Unless of course someone wants to pay me for opening up my psyche for fun and laughter on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. Anyone? Damn. So, we’re back to that free thing here on the blog.

Anyway, I hoped we could kick off the new year with a contest in which you can supply an opening line for me to use. Remember that email? Mondojohnnyblog@gmail.com. You can use it to drop me a line, disagree with me politely, agree with me vehemently, marvel over the fact that I spelled “vehemently” correctly on the first try, or give me an opening line. I love to build stories from a single line. Used to do it all the time and look forward to doing it again.

Coming soon: More news about celebrities, politicians, and small minded people. Don’t forget pets, lack of sleep, and too much laundry. The joy of naps! Why I love theatre! When do I plan on reading Bill Brock’s play about James Dean? All this and more – soon, here in Mondojohnny land. Season tickets still available.

Kicking off 2012

2012-01-01T11:28:00.000-08:00

It’s the first Sunday of 2012 The Year of the Mayan Revenge and most of the world is starting out with a pounding head and we can hear snails crawl from half a block away. Sleeping late is rarely an option because there is always someone in the house that wants to get up and watch the Tournament of Roses Parade from Pasadena. I suggest a straight backed chair and duct tape for those individuals – just pull the tape very gently so the zzzzzzzzsssssssshhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaakkkkkkkk sound it makes while being pulled doesn’t aggravate your hangover.

Many people will make New Year’s Resolutions, most likely the same ones they make every year. I think about making some every year, but that would break a resolution I made in 1967 to never make any more New Year’s resolutions. Before that I would set the bar pretty low – resolutions included breathing, occasional naps, reading comic books, and remembering to take my house key when I went to school.

That last one was pretty hard to keep, but I managed and through sheer willpower I have continued with all of those resolutions.

So, while I am happy to continue to honor those long held promises, that doesn’t go over too well with the other people in my house. Recently my lovely wife Holly told me she would be making some resolutions for me and if I wanted to continue to sleep indoors, I better follow them. Not wanting to become the only member of Occupy My Front Yard, I figured I should at least make a real attempt at these.

Number One: Fix dinner once in a while. This does not mean pick up something from a fast food joint, make a peanut butter sandwich, or fire up the barbecue grill. Anything that involves a mountain of charcoal, two cans of lighter fluid, an explosion, singed eyebrows and a trip to the emergency room does not constitute fixing dinner. However, I will accept dinner at a place where you must wear a jacket and tie, there are cloth napkins and none of the meals are prefaced with the word “Happy.”

Number Two: Bringing in the groceries consists of two parts, bringing them into the house, then putting them up in the proper cabinets. We’re going to work on completing that second part.

Number Three: Since all the neighbors are on the same recycling schedule, you can’t fool anybody by leaving the plastic bins at the curb for an extra day, or two, or three. They need to get put away the same day that the recyclables are picked up.

Number Four: You can actually take the trash out any day of the week, not just wait until midnight the day before it gets picked up. Really. I know that seems like blasphemy, but you can take the trash out, then replace the bag inside the trash can.

Number Last: The back seats of our cars should not look like a reverse archaeological dig, where things are piled up in layers until the entire back seat is covered. We do have to occasionally transport mothers, children, dogs, and stuff so a clear back seat would come in handy.

So I have a question for the Mayans out there who might be reading this right now. Do we know when the world will be ending in 2012? I mean a firm date. Because if it’s sometime in the first quarter, I might be able to get away with a few excuses and to why I didn’t do any of these things. But, if it’s later in the year, like September onward, I better at least make some kind of effort to pick up the recycling bins and take the trash out. I don’t know about your household, but around mine when the wife says I’m sleeping on the sofa, there is no appeal process. Begging, sure, but that usually doesn’t work. I think it’s the ducky pajamas. No one looks secure and masculine in ducky pajamas.

So, until I get an answer from my Mayan readers I guess I better try to do something around the house. But not until after the Tournament of Roses Parade. Don’t want to spoil her.

Goodbye 2011 Been Nice Knowing Ya!

2011-12-29T07:20:00.000-08:00

I know we’re supposed to count the things we are thankful for sometime around Thanksgiving, but due to a few commitments I’ve gotten a little behind this year so I’m just now getting around to my annual introspective look back. So, stealing an idea from Sesame Street, the pastor from church, and Harlan Ellison, here is an alphabetical look at some of the things for which I am grateful.

A is for Apnea. Yeah, who’s grateful for a condition that could kill you? I’m grateful that it’s been diagnosed and treated. Sleep is a wonderful thing that I never experience the way that most people do. Now, thanks to an extremely quiet machine that helps me breathe at night, not only can I sleep deeply, but so can my wife. It’s a win win situation.

B is for Bookstores. Few things in life are as fun for me as walking into a brick and mortar bookstore with a staff that knows their stuff. I can’t go into the Fountain Bookstore without Kelly or Heather recommending several books that they know I’ll like, not just parroting the bestseller list. Any store that takes the time to get to know its customers and to take care of them deserves our loyalty. That’s worth a heck of a lot more than saving a few percentage points. Keep our stores alive.

C is for Comic Books. Or Graphic Novels. Since rediscovering these delightful moments from my childhood, I have learned to love the independent publishers who bring us great stories every month. They make me think, challenge my perceptions, and give me great characters to root for. Drop by your neighborhood store and ask for some recommendations and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

D is for Detroit, Unlimited. That was my entry in the 24 Hour Theatre Experience at Sycamore Rouge this year. I was locked inside the theater, given certain parameters to include in the play and then left alone. I wrote a little two-person play that was directed by Jan Guarino and starred Irene Kuykendall and Claire Biggers. Here’s a link to the play on YouTube. Check it out.

E is for Education. I realize now that mine will never be over as long as my curiosity remains high. Currently I am working on my theory supporting a biological need to create in humans. In my current opinion, I feel every human being has the desire to create. Not just artists, everybody. The things that are created differ greatly, but I feel that it all stems from a need to contribute to the societal constructs we humans build. Stay tuned.

F is for Family and Friends in all their forms. Even when they make you so mad you can’t see straight, at the end of the day you know they will be there at your side when the chips are down.

G is for Game Theory and Grift, two things that drive my plays. Well, some of them anyway. Somewhere, somehow they will be combined into one work. I don’t know how just yet – the characters haven’t revealed themselves to me, but I know they are out there. Maybe we’ll meet in 2012.

H is for High School Reunions. It was the first one Holly and I attended as husband and wife. It was so good to see old – I mean dear friends, many of whom have scattered all over the globe. It’s also nice when you are one of only two guys that still have long hair in a room full of balding men.

I is for Impossible and not the Mission kind. After all, if those Missions were truly impossible, how come we’re up to FOUR movies? Shouldn’t they be called Mission Kind Of Difficult? I’m talking about doing those things I never believed I could do anymore – like fun five miles, or even one. It’s time to start pushing myself in a way I’ve never done before.

J is for Jeopardy, my favorite game show of all time. I still want to get on the show, but if I was doing badly, might have to start giving out joke questions to all the answers. I’ll take Smart Asses for 200 Alex…

K is for Kettlebells. I started to work out with kettlebells at the Richmond Kettlebell Club and immediately felt improvement in my arms, back and core. I firmly believe that in 2012 I will get back into shape, drop a lot of weight, and build up my endurance. Kettlebells will be a big part of that plan. If you contact the club, tell them I sent you. They’ll treat you right.

L is for Lucha Libre. If you think that Lucha Libre is just about wrestling, go back and watch it again. It is epic storytelling inside a four-sided ring. It is great good taking on great evil and it has spilled out into a variety of other entertainments. Mostly south of the border, but keep your eyes peeled, there’s more coming your way.

M is for Magazine, especially Fangoria. It has long been a dream of mine to get an article into print in the magazine and not just on the website and this year I did it. Not only did I get an article about a catering company that makes horror themed cupcakes, but I got a review in issue 300 for one of my all-time favorites, Bubba Ho-Tep.

N is for Noir. I love the genre – both in film and in literature. Characters created out of both darkness and light, shadows that hide – it’s the hero cycle played out in miniature. Wise cracking knights in service of women who may not deserve their help disguise messages inside of story. Andrew Vachss, who writes some of the best – and darkest – literature, calls his work a “Trojan Horse.” While you are engaged in the details of the story, you’re learning something about the underbelly of life.

O is for Obi Wan Kenobi. Not sure why, but since I didn’t have a Star Wars reference yet, and the letter “O” is tricky to match up, there you go. I played a singing, dancing Obi Wan Kenobi one summer at ComedySportz and had a good time. Maybe they will do more movie parodies for late shows, if so put me down for a couple of tickets – or let me know when are the auditions.

P is for Puppet John Porter who made his first appearance at this year’s RTCC Awards show. No, I didn’t have anything to do with his creation, nor did I know it was coming. I still thought it was hysterical as did much of the audience that night. I just wish my wife hadn’t requested one…

Q is for Quilt. Thanks to my quilt making wife, mother-in-law, and step daughter, there are approximately 500 quilts in my house – none of which can go on the bed. They’re keepsakes. And they’re beautiful. I never looked at the intricacies of piece work before but now I can appreciate them for the artistic achievement that they are. Plus, this past year we went on the Tour de Quilt and visited a number of quilt shops all across the state during one glorious fall weekend. Anybody need some fabric?

R is for Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards. Yes, I know what some of you call them, but the “Artsies” are a very serious undertaking for those of us who put them on. My pal David Timberline is still pulling his hair out over this year’s presentations, but he did an AMAZING job of pulling it all together. I had a small part in the festivities writing some of the jokes and convincing everyone that a bear chasing the band leader would be funny.

S is for Santa Claus. If you’ve never had the chance to experience life as the Big Guy, you have no idea what it’s like to be a rock star. If Santa and Elmo could team up, they could rule the toddler world.

T is for Tracy Lynn who sits about two feet away from me at work. Yes, she really is that bubbly at 4:30 in the morning and she is a great work partner. She makes getting up well before dawn worthwhile. Everybody should be so lucky as to have someone like her at work. Speaking of work partners, T is also for Time For the Blues, the little radio show I co-host with the immortal Henry Cook. We play great music and tell bad jokes and have more fun than any two people should be allowed to have. Tune in one night and see what all the fuss is about.

U is for Ukulele. I don’t have one and really don’t know if I have the patience to learn, but the ukulele in Train’s Soul Sister make me smile. Can’t help it, I really like the sound and may have to get one at some point. My friend Gary Pack has an electric one. Honey?

V is for Voice Overs. Haven’t done them for a long time but recently started doing them for Channel 12. Now I’m expanding my opportunities and working with a voice over company to supply them with product. Who knows? You may hear my tired old voice warbling its way into your homes very soon.

W is for Writing. After sampling many varied jobs in my communications career, I’m pretty sure scribbling down words is what I was meant to do. What directions that will take is yet to be revealed; plays, screenplays, novels, blogs, or scribbling on napkins. Stay tuned.

X is for X-Rays. I’ve had a lot over the last few years, but I’m hoping to skip that little bit of fun for 2012. No stress tests either, fingers crossed.

Y is for Yiḏaki, otherwise known as a didgeridoo. My sister Melissa brought one back from Australia and gave it to our father who loved strange instruments. I think he played it once and then set it aside. Apart from its aesthetic beauty (it is painted in beautiful earth tones and has an aboriginal design) it has a beautiful tone and I have now become an aficionado of its music. It also helps sleep apnea patients learn how to breathe better. Again a win win situation, except for my family, pets, and neighbors who don’t quite share my enthusiasm for the instrument.

Z is for Zombie, one of the classic horror archetypes. While I’ve always enjoyed zombie movies and books, I was delighted to see my friend Rebekah on tv discussing them for Halloween. As I always end my stand-up classes, applaud your friends, and I always do. Great job, Bekah!

Well, that’s it. Another year has come to a close and I am delighted that we’ve had some time together. If you’ve enjoyed your touch of the Mondo – stick around for 2012. There are many changes coming to the blog and while it will continue to cover the world of theatre, there are more things that I’ll be writing about and I hope you’ll find it in your heart to drop by and tell your friends about the fun.

Have a great, glorious, and safe New Year’s and all of 2012!

Your pal,
Mondo Johnny.

Hanging With The Claus

2011-12-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

It may seem like an obvious statement, but Santa Claus is one busy man – or elf – or Saint. Even after having the opportunity to hang with him for three weeks during his run at the latest incarnation of Drifty the Snowman at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse, I’m not sure how to describe the big man. I can tell you this, he’s in constant contact with the North Pole even during the show – he’s got a phone going, the laptop humming and even with a mouthful of cookies, you know that he is large and in charge.

Everybody should get the opportunity to observe Santa up close. Aside from the fact that he made every show, never missed his cue or blew a line; he sang robustly (if not on key, but who is going to tell Santa that?), danced, and made sure to visit with every child that wanted to meet him. And those kid’s faces – you could see the love they have for that great generous spirit, and not just because of the possibility that Santa might show up at their house with some really cool presents.

Sure, there were some kids that were just after the loot, but most just wanted a hung or a hand shake, and a chance to give back a little love. On Saturdays Santa sat on his throne and listened to any child that wanted to climb up on his lap and talk, ask for gifts, and ask questions about life at the North Pole. The kids ranged in age from a few months to middle age – and they seemed to have a great time. Several families have been coming to see the annual Dirfty show for 20 years and some who were children when they started are coming back with children of their own.

I can tell you this, settling in backstage with a group of great actors and Mr. Claus made three weeks fly by and made me reevaluate how I think about Children’s Theatre. I still want to get by and see Frog and Toad at Barksdale Willow Lawn and check out some of the other offerings around town. I saw a lot of beaming children wearing the face that I wore when I was 5-6 years old and first fell in love with theatre, and maybe these shining faces will become our next generation of actors, directors, designers, or audience members.

And now that Santa and I are buddies, maybe I can occasionally get some dispatches from the north Pole and pass them along to you.

Peace of the season be with you and your family and loved ones.

Picasso At The Lapin Agile Shines At Sycamore Rouge

2011-12-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

For those who experienced Steve Martin’s meteoric rise in the world of comedy, for every person who put twisted balloons on their heads and got happy feet, there were many others who just scratched their heads in wonder and then got on their feet and moved on. Martin changed the face of comedy, being one of the first to remove the punchline from the joke and in doing so he forever altered the structure of stand-up.

As such, Martin is an innovator whose work should be respected like other stand-up giants like Richard Pryor, George Carlin, and Mark Twain. Yes, Mark Twain. Remember after he went bankrupt, he toured the world doing a lecture series and telling funny stories, thus making him one of the very first stand-up comedians.

After Martin left the world of stand-up, he turned his attention to writing and starring in various movies. If you only think of him as the white suited wild and crazy guy, please go back and revisit masterpieces like Roxanne and feel his depth and love for life.

Prior to becoming a performing phenom, Martin was a philosophy major and as such knows his way around an argument. Good thing, for his play PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE is thick with ideas and starts with a simple premise; what if Pablo Picasso and Albert Einstein met in a bar one night? What kind of conversation would these two men have? What if they were young, young like the twentieth century was in 1904 and knew that the fire that burned in their hearts would soon light the world.

This collision of science and art on a Parisian night is the idea that makes this play swirl with joy.

Now don’t get the idea that this is some sort of didactic debate, after all Martin has crafted one of the funniest plays in years and the audience on opening night was soon howling with delight.

The two leads, Adam Mincks as Einstein and Ryan Bechard as Picasso face an interesting challenge, capture the essence of real life people without necessarily becoming slavish imitations. Mincks goes after Einstein’s wild haired manic enthusiasm while Bechard portrays Picasso’s legendary sexual appetite. Their verbal duels are great fun and thought provoking at the same time.

Philip Malone has created a fine bar as his set, but one thing I would honestly liked to have seen was moving the bar onto the floor – not separating it from the audience, but making us all feel like we were part of the play. After all, Sycamore Rouge’s intimate setting and comfortable chairs, couches, and cocktail tables would be perfect to create this event. The costumes by Kate Prothemos were very nice, especially Irene Kuykendall’s sexy costume as she waited for Picasso. Brittany Dilberto’s lighting design got a chance to shine near the end of the play as it takes a bold leap from reality as we know it, to a world of expectations and possibilities.

Director Jeffrey Cole has shown that he has a deft touch for the comedy and isn’t afraid to shy away from the dramatic moments and even embrace the unexpected.
PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE is a lot of fun and you might even find yourself locked in a debate on the natures of art and science on the way home. If you do, count yourself lucky.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Happy Birthday Bill Hicks!

2011-12-16T04:09:00.000-08:00

Today my friend Bill Hicks would have turned 50. I only got to know him slightly, but he was a great influence on my comedy, and now years later my life. Hicks was a marvel to watch. Years ahead of his time, he walked into danger with every set and his audiences were treated to a true revolutionary. Let the other comedians stick to stale routines about celebrities and airplane food – Hicks would light out for the unchartered territories and let his audience find him by following the trail he blazed.

I miss Bill Hicks just about every day. But this isn’t going to be a maudlin oh woe is me kind of blog – Hicks would have grabbed me by the metaphorical lapels, blown smoke in my face and tell me to stop being such a whiny little bitch.

Stand up is not an easy way to make a living. A lot of crappy hack comics do manage to make a living by trotting out well-worn premises, but the real comedians who push the envelope and become social commentators are rare. That was Hicks, a rare individual who would make you laugh your ass off and then make you look at the world a little differently.

When Hicks came along and allowed me to orbit his world briefly, I was one of those “other” comics, basically a hack doing anything for a laugh. I was desperate for the laughs. Please love me audience while you nurse a beer through an entire evening of weak open mic comics. I did have the rare ability to get the audience to like me, and so was able to get away with weaker material.

I was afraid to take chances because if the six or seven people in the audience didn’t like me, I might not get hired to open for somebody you never heard of six months from now. I craved that validation. Among my contemporaries I was the first out of the shoot – I started getting steady work and that extra income went a long way to supplement my fairly meager salary. Two growing kids like to eat and they grew through clothes at an alarming rate. My day job barely covered the essentials, so if I could pick up some extra cash by entertaining drunks, well, that meant we could afford groceries AND electricity.

For some reason, Hicks saw something in me that I didn’t even see in myself. We talked one night at the Richmond Comedy Club that was upstairs over an Italian restaurant. It was a quiet night with only a couple of regulars scattered at three or four tables. Hicks sat at the bar talking to the manager of the club who had been a friend of his for years. On the way from somewhere to somewhere else he stopped off for a short time and was crashing on her couch.

After my set he waved me over and stubbed out his cigarette. Mostly we just chatted a little bit about the road (I was getting ready to do my first out of town trip) and he invited me to take him out to lunch while he was in town.

I wish I had recorded our conversations. Much of what he talked about centered around being funny, but being original. He talked about getting in touch with those dark corners in your mind, that those dark corners were far more interesting than the lighted uncluttered space that is most people’s lives. Today, when I teach either writing or stand-up, that is one of the rules I put out early, and those students who follow that advice accelerate their material considerably.

It wasn’t too much longer that Hicks was gone. Shortly after that he was diagnosed with the cancer that would eventually take his life.

So, just for today, to celebrate Bill’s 50th birthday, be fearless. Be daring. Be original. Find those dark corners and bring them out for everybody to see. You just might find that the things we consider evil within us are the things that make us human and connect us. Casteneda said that we are all made up of light, and that light connects us to the others in our life.

Of course Casteneda did do an enormous amount of peyote….

But we are all connected somehow, and as long as those things stay in the darkness, their hold on us grows. Break free and bring ‘em out.

They just might be funny.

Happy Birthday Brother Bill. Thanks for the years and the gift of laughter. You might have laughed at this, but I hope God holds you in the palm of His hand until we meet again and share a few laughs.

Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas Heralds In The Holiday Season

2011-12-14T04:01:00.000-08:00

It has taken me a little longer than normal to write a review of BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS, a world premiere now showing at Barksdale Theatre Hanover Tavern. It’s not that I disliked the play, to the contrary, I rather enjoyed it, although I have a few issues with the production, I think that the music alone is worth the price of admission. The author of the play, Bruce Miller, artistic director of Barksdale Theatre, is a man with a passion for his Appalachian heritage. This is something that he and I share. And when he first described his approach to this production many months ago I was intrigued and have been looking forward to the play ever since.

Music runs deep in Appalachia. It is not uncommon for whole families to gather together, bring out musical instruments and play and sing the night away. Add to this storytelling which is another great facet of Appalachian culture and you have the basis for BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAIN CHRISTMAS.

Miller’s approach is to gather together people who may have lost their homes but not their heritage their history or their culture. He has based the play around the stories of people whose homes and farms were taken from them in order to create Blue Ridge Mountain Park. These folks have climbed up a mountain bringing their musical instruments with them and perform some of Christmas carols and tell the stories of the Bible reworked to fit their lives.

The ensemble is one of the strongest gatherings of musicians, singers and actors led by musical director and all around fun guy Drew Perkins. Perkins has made quite a career out of playing good-natured good old boys but don’t let that fool you use one hell of a musician and his violin and guitar playing among others are on the display here.

Other members of the ensemble include Emily Cole, David Janeski, Katrina Carol Lewis, Nick Shackleford, Anthony Smith, and Eric Williams. They each take turns harmonizing and more than a few solo turns as well. Along the way they re-create some of the mystery plays that date back into the Middle Ages, including their version of The Second Shepherds Play, perhaps the oldest comedy written in English. It is a rare treat to actually see some of these plays performed and the group seems to have a lot of fun doing so.

On the technical side, Terrie Powers has created a unique set that allows entrances and exits from all directions including the floor. While Powers has always had a strong approach to her set designs, recently she has been doing some very good work. Lights by K. Jenna Ferree are well done and bring a soft glow to an otherwise starlit night. Lynn West’s costumes are good if a little generic and the musical direction by Drew Perkins is extremely well done.

Director Anna Senechal Johnson has done very well with play although there are a few pacing issues that I think will be worked out in subsequent productions. While the play is enjoyable in its current state, I truly feel that there is a great deal left to explore and to solidify the script.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

My Fair Lady at the Empire

2011-12-13T03:33:00.000-08:00

(Meant to get this one on earlier - but then I also meant to add more material. What is it they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions? So, here it is as originally written - about 150 words longer than the review that aired on WCVE Public Radio.)

No one puts on a big spectacle quite like the folks at the Empire theater. Every six months to a year they managed to come up with a big splashy musical production that is guaranteed to wow most of the theatergoing audience in the city. Their most recent production is MY FAIR LADY one of the all-time classics, and while there is a great deal of wonderful things to recommend with this reduction I still find myself shaking my head at some of the choices that were made.

Please don’t misunderstand me, there are so many great things with this production is hard to nit pick, but that’s my job. We will get to my reservations a little bit later, but first let’s take a look at all the really good things.

One of the greatest things about this production is Stacey Cabaj, a truly talented actress whose singing voice should be considered a national treasure. I vividly recall her performance in last year’s The Sound of Music when she totally captivated me and everybody else who came to see the show. If anything her performance is even better in MY FAIR LADY. As Eliza Doolittle she manages to capture both her ambition and her desire to stay connected to her roots.

The role of Henry Higgins is a difficult one to play. Director Bruce Miller was wise to cast Joe Inscoe as the irascible confirmed bachelor that takes on Eliza as a special project. Higgins is out to prove that not only can he correct her speech but turn her into a lady at the same time. As you are no doubt aware the play MY FAIR LADY is based on George Bernard Shaw’s classic Pygmalion. The original story of Pygmalion concerned a sculptor who created a statue so beautiful that he fell in love with it.

That’s one of the issues that I have with this production. Inscoe never seems to find that chemistry with Eliza that leads to his eventual infatuation for her. By the time we get to the end of the play when Higgins should be obviously attracted to his Pygmalion he never seems to get there. However it’s a small quibble and judging from the audience’s reaction on opening night puts me squarely in the minority.

As Alfred P. Doolittle, Jason Marks may have played the greatest role of his life. His singing and dancing on both highlights of this production and his performance during the song “Get Me to the Church on Time” makes that particular number memorable and exciting. Of course Leslie Owens-Harrington’s stellar choreography may have had a little bit to do with that.

Matthew Costello in the role of Col. Hugh Pickering does a great job of underplaying in order to give a brighter spotlight to Inscoe’s Henry Higgins.

Andrew Boothby has limited stage time but manages to steal the scenes. I would say that he chews up the scenery but the truth of the matter is he doesn’t chew as much as swallow them whole. His role of Zoltan Karpathy may not appear frequently but it is a highly pivotal role, and he brings a deft comic touch.

A highlight for this particular critic is the emergence of Ben Houghton in the role of Freddy Hill. Houghton’s voice is amazing and his take on the song “On the Street Where You Live” is breathtaking. I cannot wait to see him in other roles down the road.

On the technical side Brian C. Barker has designed a great set even if there were a few bumps on opening night. Sue Griffin continues to put together some of the best costumes especially those of the society patrons. Lynne Hartman has once again provided great lights.

I have no doubt that MY FAIR LADY will be a smash hit and be fondly remembered by most to see it.

For WCVE Public Radio I’m John Porter.

It's A Wonderful Life - Live Radio From Swift Creek

2011-11-27T08:14:00.000-08:00

So many holiday traditions, so little time. Just as you can count on some stores hauling out the holiday decorations the day after Halloween, you can count on certain tell-tale signs that December and all its attendant miracles are soon upon us. One of those events is the annual showing of Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, one of the greatest American movies ever made. Over the past decade or so, there have been many attempts to bring the movie to life on the stage with a variety of success, and one such version is now playing at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse.

This version entitled, IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY reinvents the movie as if it were a radio broadcast in the mid 1940’s. If you have never heard a radio play before, you have missed out on one of the golden eras of entertainment and I for one, am saddened that radio plays are almost unknown any more in the United States. I have European colleagues that still teach the techniques and present this form of theatre on a regular basis. Whenever they do, I tune in via the internet, and suddenly I am in a completely different world.

So I was excited when I saw the listing for this and have been looking forward to the production with great anticipation. I was not disappointed. Director Tom Width has assembled six talented actors to play all of the parts and provide all of the sound effects. For those familiar with the movie, and I can hardly imagine anyone who is not familiar with the movie, will have no trouble placing each of the characters, and after watching one or two of the actors acting out scenes in which they play both sides of a conversation, you may come away with a deeper appreciation of radio.

Joe Pabst is George Bailey, the small-town dreamer who wants to escape from Bedford Falls’ gravity, but who finds himself becoming the reluctant heart and soul of the town. Pabst walks a delicate tightrope as he carves out his own version of this iconic character but still manages to find those Jimmy Stewart nuances that make the character indelible in our memories.

Georgia Rogers Farmer is his wife Mary, among a few other characters and she does a wonderful job of bringing her to life. Farmer has talent, charm, and all the tools to become one of the best actresses this town has to offer.

Paul Deiss has about ten lines in the whole play, but creates most of the sound effects and gives the play its unique charm. Since most of the action is verbal, it is perfectly okay to split your focus and watch how he creates the sound of breaking glass, doors opening, characters running and even ice cracking. I could honestly watch a show made up of these very special effects.

Also needing to be mentioned are Joe Doran’s lights, Maura Lynch Cravey’s costumes and Tom Width’s set. All are very effective in putting the audience smack in the middle of 1946.

This is one of those plays that will warm your heart and sooth your soul. Don’t let it get lost in the holiday shuffle, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

The Holiday Stops Starts the Holidays at Richmond Triangle

2011-11-24T02:15:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time the Richmond Triangle Players teamed up with playwright Eric Lane Barnes to present the world premiere of his play THE STOPS. The play was hysterical, one of those magic evenings of theatre in which just about every joked got a big laugh and the songs were catchy and fun. The actors were perfectly suited for their roles, and if I recall correctly, the show was extended a time or two to allow the overflow crowds to enjoy the show and come back with more of their friends. It was every playwright’s dream, but also a little bit of a nightmare when audiences started to demand a sequel. After all, how do you top a big hit?

One way you can try is to add a character and make it a holiday show, and that’s exactly what Barnes has done with his newest play, THE HOLIDAY STOPS, now playing at the Richmond Triangle Players. While the play has a great deal to recommend it, including the reteaming of the original cast and director, there seemed to be something just a little off with this production. The spark that worked so well on the original just wasn’t there for the sequel.

I can’t really blame the actors as the original trio of Todd Minnich, Steven Boschen, and Kirk Morton seem to have a great deal of fun sliding into their original roles as the all-female singing trio The Stops, and the newest member of the group played by Andrew Etheredge brings a new dimension to the ensemble. Both individually and as a group, their singing is divine with a couple of numbers being true standouts. For my money, I would love to have a recording of their versions of Midnight Clear and I Heard the Bells in my collection. Both songs are beautiful and the audience responded enthusiastically.

I think what has caused my dilemma is the changes in the characters and the way the story has evolved. When we first met the ladies of the North American Lady Organists Guild, they were not a real group – they were three women brought together by chance with different views on life, spirituality, and the role they played in the universe. They fought to find common ground and now that they have had several years to gell as a unit, the edges have stopped being so sharp and what seemed natural and exciting has become dulled by routine.

However, that being said, there is no denying that when everything clicks in the show, it is funny and the vocals are more than worth the price of admission.
On the technical side, D. Mark Souza’s wigs and costumes are delightful. Cross gendered performances – I don’t want to call these drag or camp for that implies a completely different approach – are difficult to pull off without parody, and these four actors are not parodying women, but are trying to deliver realistic explorations. Music direction by Tim Gillham is strong, and Timothy Brewster’s playing is excellent.

Director John Knapp has delivered a funny and touching holiday play, that even while being a trifle uneven, still delivers a fun evening of theatre.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Is It TORTURE at the Firehouse? Depends on Who You Ask

2011-11-23T06:07:00.000-08:00

If you are one of those people who starts to salivate anytime you see a play offered by Christopher Durang, then nothing I say would keep you from one of his shows. If you are one of those people who absolutely cannot stand anything written by Christopher Durang, then nothing I say can entice you to go see one of his shows. So this review is for neither group. Let me address that considerable portion of the American theatre going public that likes to consider each play on its own merit and make up his or her own mind.

The play in question is WHY TORTURE IS WRONG AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM and it is the current offering by the Firehouse Theatre Project. Among the many elements that make up this challenging play are a suspected terrorist, a smut loving street preacher, a confused mother, a concerned father, secret codes, a character who can only communicate through cartoon sounds, a shadow government, the American Theatre itself, and a woman’s gravitationally enhanced panties.

Intrigued yet? You should be.

The issue that many people seem to have with Durang in general and this play in particular is the difficulty to pigeonhole it with a nice neat label. There is a lot of humor in the play, but the violence and implied violence make it difficult to classify as a comedy. There is a lot of political intrigue, but the satirical approach makes it difficult to classify as a thriller, and in the end it just seems to come together as a strange and misguided love story.

As Felicity and Zamir, a couple that finds themselves married after one drunken night, Eva DeVirgilis and Arash Mokhtar bring a well-developed tension to their roles. It is one of the few plays I seen in recent years in which I had absolutely no idea what the characters were going to do or how they would react to the events of the play. They were acting without a safety net and while I enjoyed their performance, others in the audience were not as appreciative of their efforts.

Felicity’s parents are played by Irene Zeigler and Bill Patton. Zeigler’s character has numbed herself to the outside world, preferring instead to hide out in her memories of theatre, an artificial world that is warm and embracing and doesn’t force her to think about reality. Patton’s character however has gone in the opposite direction and he is hyper vigilant, he sees enemies everywhere, and his actions could spark another war.

The remaining supporting cast, Stephen Ryan, Lisa Kotula, and Steve Organ all create memorable characters and help drive the insanity forward.

Edwin Slipek, Jr.’s turntable set is a marvel making different segments of the world come to life quickly while compartmentalizing and isolating each segment. Considering the limitations of the space inside the Firehouse, this was a great way to give these different settings their proper due. Other strong technical designs include Roger Price’s sound and Virginia McConnell’s costumes.

Director Billy Christopher Maupin has made some bold choices for TORTURE and the violence and brief nudity puts this one squarely in the adults only category. The play will spark debate over the subject matter, the likeability of the characters, and perhaps even the nature of the world we inhabit. Not bad for a two hour investment of your time.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

FENCES at AART

2011-11-11T13:51:00.000-08:00

Poet, prophet, miner of truth, August Wilson’s impact on American drama will reverberate for many years to come. Wilson is best known for his “Pittsburgh Cycle” which consists of ten plays, one for each decade of the 20th Century chronicling the lives of African Americans. His work, while dealing with the specifics of everyday life opens up these experiences and offers them as art to the rest of the world. One of Wilson’s best, and best known plays, FENCES is the current offering by the African American Repertory Theatre of Virginia and is being presented at Pine Camp.

On the surface it is the story of Troy Maxon, a garbageman beaten by life, a former star in the Negro Baseball Leagues, a home run hitter who was too old to be a part of the major leagues after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947. It is the universal story of a man trying to do right for his family, to take care of his wife, to connect with his children, and to stay on the straight and narrow and not fall prey to the devil on his shoulder that wants him to seek excitement and ruin his life.

In actor J. Ron Fleming’s hands, Maxon is charismatic and likeable although not as physically imposing as a former home run slugger might be imagined. Fleming digs deep to mine Maxon’s pain and to vent his frustrations and his performance is vital and alive.

Delvin Young is his best friend Bono, his sidekick and audience and occasional conscience. I was impressed by Young’s understated approach which in turn made Fleming’s interpretation that much more flamboyant.

As Maxon’s wife, Rochelle Turnage provides the bedrock for the play. Her love and understanding offer the very foundation for all of the other characters to build upon. While her role seems underutilized during the first act, her approach in the second act provides much of the fireworks and Turnage gives a terrific performance.

In supporting roles, Justin Delaney offers a solid performance of son Corey, a boy on the threshold of becoming a man. Corey sees sports, specifically football as his way of bettering himself by earning a scholarship to college, while his father wants him to learn a trade instead. Also offering a good performance as Gabriel Maxon is Toney Cobb. Gabriel may have the ability to see into the other world and he heralds things to come.

The technical side is well done, especially Geno Brantley’s set – which is not easy to do with Pine Camp’s limitations, and Maura Lynch Cravey’s costumes. Cravey’s clothes subtly reinforce the time period and go a long way to set the mood.

Director dl Hopkins has gone a long ways to create a tight ensemble of actors and designers who have in turn created a powerful and touching production. FENCES is the kind of play that should have a longer run in order to have the time to find its audience, but unfortunately only has a short time to be seen. Put this one into your must see pile and don’t hesitate or like one of Troy Maxon’s home runs, it will be gone.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Home Fires Opens at CAT

2011-11-04T05:01:00.000-07:00

(Apologies, I forgot to post this when it aired. Got a little tangled up in the 24 Hour Theatre Festival which I'll write about a little more soon.)

Sometimes, when I get email responses about my reviews, one note that continues to pop us is that I am too critical of the script versus the actors and designers. Can’t help it folks, the script fashions the world of the play and if it rings false, then there is little good actors and designers can do to save it. While I don’t think Jack Heidner’s HOME FIRES, which is the current offering of Chamberlayne Actors Theatre is a complete mess, it does have some serious issues that are hard to overcome.

The Second World War is a deep well and many wonderful plays have been written with that as a background. HOME FIRES is set in a boarding house in Texas where a normal family is trying hard to stretch every nickel in order to keep their own home fires burning. The house is populated by decent hard working just plain folks, so you know they’ve got to have plenty of quirks to make the evening exciting.

Rebekah Spence is Nettie Morris, the matriarch single mother whose no-good husband ran off before the play got started. Spence is demanding, she tries to rent out every available space in the house, choosing to make a few dollars over her own family’s comfort. Spence has that bone weary approach to running the house and you know she has taken more than one shot to the chin trying to keep it all together. Her performance is very strong.

Also turning in good performances in supporting roles are Ashlyn Landrum and Amy Berlin as war relief workers who may or may not be just good friends. Their Boston Marriage becomes a small metaphor for the changing times as they try to weather out their stormy relationship and realize that some things just change without any real reason.

Emily Turner does well with her role of temptress. She has the moves that makes the audience just hate her – and that’s a good thing. You don’t want your villains bland, and Turner gives us one worth of a 10-year run on a soap opera.

Several newcomers round out the cast including Charles Belt, Heather Yarborough, Kate Vehrs, and Miranda Webster.

One of the things that truly delights me with CAT is their attention to the details on the technical side. Lin Heath has created a very good set that looks like it could actually house eight people and feed ‘em all to boot. Elizabeth Nguyen has pulled together some wonderful period clothes, including some scandalous vintage lingerie for Ms. Turner. She turns a seductive moment into a classic pin up moment and shows she has the chops to tackle just about any assignment. Gretta Daughtrey’s lights are good and Buddy Bishop does a fine job on sound.

Director Toni Cacioppo has taken a script that has a few too many holes and a couple of extra subplots and managed to wrangle out some good performances. I have a few minor quibbles, a couple of pacing moments and one lengthy blackout, but she has still made HOME FIRES a production worth seeing. If this production is any indication of what’s to come, CAT could have a mighty fine season.

FOR WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

24 Hour Theatre Experience - Be There

2011-10-27T04:14:00.000-07:00

Harlan Ellison is a fearless man. Aside from the fact that he is one of America’s greatest writers – don’t worry if you haven’t heard of him, Ellison works in the world of Speculative Fiction, commonly referred to as Science Fiction/Fantasy. Ellison has written more than a thousand short stories, novels, short novels, television shows and many more. His story “I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream,” is among the most honored, most translated, and most published stories of all time. His Star Trek episode, “City on the Edge of Forever,” is generally considered to be among the best of the original series.

Ellison has also done a number of writing exhibitions, creating stories in the windows of bookstores. This accomplishes a couple of things: 1) it brings people into the store to see what’s going on (and to buy more books!) and 2) it demystifies the art of writing.

What am I talking about? Doesn’t this blog deal primarily with theatre?

All I can say is stick with me for a few more minutes and I promise I’ll bring it all together. Pinky swear.

This weekend, the good folks at Sycamore Rouge are doing their version of one of Ellison’s demonstrations. They call it The 24-Hour Theatre Experience and it promises to be a blast.

Allow me to sketch out what will happen: Friday night, four – count ‘em – four playwrights will be locked in the theatre armed with nothing but computers and caffeine. Sounds like the beginning of a great horror movie, doesn’t it? Once those playwrights get to Sycamore Rouge, they will get their assignments.

See, none of these playwrights will know what their play is about. They will get some information, maybe a title, maybe characters, maybe a theme, maybe a snatch of dialogue, none of the four scribes will know ahead of time. That’s the fun. It’s going to be fast and furious with the writing aspect of the program. No time for polish, no time to clean up the dialogue, no time to put in a lot of little subtle touches. Just pound the keys and see what happens.

After 12 hours or so of writing and swilling caffeine, the exhausted writers will give way to four directors. The directors will choose or be assigned a play and will have some time to talk to the playwright (if they are still functioning at that point), and figure out how to approach the play.

Then actors show up and four groups of performers start interpreting four different plays. They rehearse, block, steal costumes, and generally get ready to perform with scripts all memorized, just like a regular play.

Think about it, most people go their entire lives without seeing a world premiere, and Sycamore Rouge is offering you four in one night! Not too shabby Sycamore Rouge…
Each of these plays is going to be about 15 minutes long, so you as an audience member won’t be investing an entire night in the festivities, but you could be in a worse spot. After all, Sycamore Rouge has comfortable chairs, a well stocked kitchen and bar, and the environment couldn’t be more friendly. If you’ve never been, you have missed a chance to really kick back in a charming spot with great people.

I hope someone will film the effort as it might make an interesting educational tool. Most people never get to see what goes on behind the scenes from the spark of creation through the polishing process to the final performance. Each is fascinating and the chance to glimpse behind the magician’s façade would be worth the price of admission – IF THERE WAS ONE…

That’s right, there is no cost to come and see the performances, so I don’t want to hear any complaining about not being able to afford it. Do what you can to reach out and bring your friends. We need to fill the audience with more folks than just curious theatre professionals.

And Harlan, if you’re in the area, I would love for you to drop by and see if we live up to your previous exploits. And thanks for all the great times you provided me in your books.

PS - Thank you gentle reader for sticking with me this far. This is blog post number 100 and I hope you've enjoyed my scribblings and will stick around for even more.

Kimberly Akimbo at Cadence Theatre Company

2011-10-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

It’s kind of strange to be writing this, but Irene Ziegler may have just turned in the best performance of a sixteen-year old in years. Ziegler, portraying the title character in David Lindsay-Abaire’s KIMBERLY AKIMBO, which is the current offering by the Cadence Theatre Company, is a veteran actress, writer, and well-seasoned theatre practitioner who is maybe a few years past that age. But since young Kimberly has a rare condition known as progeria that causes her to age four and a half times as fast as a normal person, the role affords Ziegler the chance to revisit her teen years and she jumps into the role with both sneakers.

Lindsay-Abaire is one of the latest group of playwrights that are eagerly trying to follow Sam Sheppard’s trailblazing work in the weird family genre. I must confess that his work, while well crafted, has never excited me too much. Still, I can appreciate his approach and enjoy his characters, even if I find myself not liking them too much.

Kimberly’s dad Buddy, is well played by Richard Koch. Koch is usually cast in manic over the top farces and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing him carry a drama. Buddy has issues with his family and his drinking. It’s impossible to say which will fuel his self-destruction faster, but you can tell that at some point in Buddy’s life, there will be an implosion that will leave him a smoldering cinder somewhere. Still, he tries to take care of Kimberly even if his instincts are more than slightly askew. Koch’s monologue at the top of Act Two is well played and brilliantly understated.

Kim’s mother, Pattie, is played by Debra Wagoner. Pattie is a world class hypochondriac and pregnant to boot. Her hands are tightly wrapped to protect her carpal tunnel and as a result she is totally dependent on everyone else to care for her needs. Wagoner finds Pattie’s pathetic streak and mines it for everything, including a lot of laughs.

Jill-Bari Steinberg is the bad apple aunt who finds a way to disrupt the family’s life to the nth degree. Steinberg is brassy, loud, demanding, and commands the stage. It is impossible not to watch her as she wrestles a mailbox across stage or enters and exits through the audience at Theatre Gym.

That only leaves Jeff, played by Matthew Mitchell, a classmate of Kim’s who has affection for her that grows through the play. The two outcasts find a way to bond as they look for a way to escape the crushing pressures of their lives. Mitchell is awkward and geeky on stage and totally believable.

Terrie Powers has done an outstanding job on the set, creating several believable spaces on a stage the size of a postage stamp. Without her efforts, it would have been difficult to ground the play in the harsh reality of its world. Many times in the past, her work has gone underappreciated, but in this case, it needs to be recognized for a quality performance under a tight budget.

Director Anna Johnson, the driving force behind Cadence Theatre Company has put together all the ingredients for a challenging, thoughtful, funny, and ultimately sweet play. I hope more people will make their way downtown to discover KIMBERLY AKIMBO.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Notes on the Awards and A Few Thoughts

2011-10-20T02:44:00.000-07:00

Back from RTCC land and getting ready to get back into critic mode. Thought I’d add my two cents about this year’s awards program before it all evaporates into the vapors to join other things I’ve forgotten, like high school geometry.

First, let me join those who have heaped praise on Mr. David Timberline. If you didn’t already know, Mr. Timberline was the producer of this year’s show, and he kept things together and never allowed anything to get too out of hand. When I had a good idea, he let me run with it, and when I had a bad idea, he gently steered me back towards solid ground.

Not an easy task and I thank him for his patience, as well as to his multiple contributions to the script. Many of the best bits grew out of his own underappreciated comedy writing. I had ideas of how I wanted the show to begin (with a bang – or a bear!) and end (with Anne Holton’s declaration, “thank God there are no queens here tonight”), but the middle was all kind of muddled. I got the chance to explore things in the banter between presenters and tried to tailor each segment to the folks doing the presenting.

To Amy Wright Kube, thank you for keeping things running smoothly even when there was no reason for them to do so. Amy had the unenviable task of keeping presenters, recipients, and volunteers running backstage as well as coordinating many many jobs during the preproduction phase. If I had mused out loud that a purple gorilla would really bring the second act together, there would be a selection of purple simians waiting for me within 24 hours. I don’t know how she does it, but it sure made my life easier.

To my fellow wizards, thank you for your hard work throughout the year and for your good humor whenever we are together. Thanks for going along with some of my stranger ideas, like a bear poop joke near the top of the show. Only one way to go if we start out in the gutter ladies and gentlemen…

Our presenters were amazing and ready to commit to things they normally wouldn’t do. I can’t believe how fast Susan Greenbaum (one of my favorite performers and she has a new CD coming out – make sure you add it to your collection) agreed to talk basketball with Coach Mooney from the University of Richmond. The two of them together created the greatest height differential since Davie and Goliath.

And Coach, you are indeed well-known everywhere in our fair city, including theatre folks.

Speaking of David and Goliath, let’s talk about the tie between Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and [title of show]. Both of these amazing shows had their supporters and we tried everything to resolve the dilemma, but the numbers did not lie. I, for one, was delighted with the tie as it reflected our feelings that both plays deserved recognition and it also made it clear that many of our decisions come down to just one vote.

Sometimes when you feel that your candidate got robbed, remember that sometimes it all comes down to just one vote. Dave has already quoted our hostess Heather Sullivan who summed up our philosophy in her opening remarks. “Any one of the nominees could go home with the Artsie tonight. And for every nominee there were several others that could just as easily been nominated.” It is a difficult task to narrow down all of the great performances we see into five nominations.

Speaking of Heather Sullivan, I believe she set the bar very high with her hosting. Beautiful, intelligent, an amazing sense of humor, she glided through her duties with grace and was welcoming and self deprecating at the same time. Her teleprompter joke, (which was a contribution from co-worker Andrew Freiden that I gleefully stole) grew into a running gag when other presenters didn’t advance the script. Somehow she managed to be both glamorous and down-to-earth. Thank you Heather for a tremendous job and I hope you picked up a few more fans that might actually wake up by noon in order to watch you on the news.

Now the moment I’ve been asked about since it happened, did I know about Puppet John Porter that was introduced by David Janeski during his presentation to Terry Snyder. The answer is no. David pulled that one out on his own. Was it funny? No, it was hysterical. I never thought of myself as being someone worth imitating, and to hear him nail my voice was quite a startling moment. To see everyone else enjoy it was just icing on the cake. There are a couple of videos floating around on facebook of Puppet John talks about his perception of the evening while sipping beer and demanding Manichevitz. My only regret is that the puppet has begun to take on a life of his own and is in big demand.

For example, I have a play that is getting a reading at the Richmond Triangle Players on November 20 and they have requested that the puppet deliver the curtain speech instead of me. David, if you’re reading this, please consider it.

(Speaking of that play, here’s my shameless plug. The play is IT’S A FABULOUS LIFE, a send up with love of the classic Frank Capra movie starring Jimmy Stewart. The date of the performance is Sunday, November 20 and curtain time is 2 p.m. The cast is still being set, but will include several of the area’s finest actors and possibly a puppet dressed up to look like me. Please come, and bring a dozen of your closest friends.)

Jason Roop and Jack Lauterback blew me away with their 80’s montage movie featuring so many of Richmond’s best theatre artists helping them prepare to be presenters. Thank goodness they’ve put it on YouTube for the whole world to see.

It was good to see so many dear friends in one place and to remind us that we all serve the world of theatre. It seemed like any old wounds were healed and for a few hours we were all together to have fun, raise money for a great cause, and to celebrate the passion that burns within all of us.

At least, that’s what the puppet said.

Coming soon, my review of Kimberly Akimbo.

Weekend Musings and the RTCC Awards

2011-10-14T04:34:00.000-07:00

A busy weekend going on in the city. First up, the thing that’s one everyone’s minds is the Richmond Theatre Critics Circle Awards being hosted by the lovely and talented Heather Sullivan from WWBT Channel 12. Everywhere I go, that’s all people are talking about. Of course I don’t get out much and the burning question I have about the awards is – how can I lose 70 pounds by Sunday night?

Then we’ve got the Folk Festival. The blues guy in me, (the legendary Professor Johnny P of Time For The Blues fame, heard Sunday Mornings at 1 a.m. on WCVE) would love to see acts like Magic Sam & The Teardrops with Big Time Sarah, Larry Chance & The Earls to get my doo wop fix, and Sheryl Warner & the Southside Homewreckers. I’ve been listening to some of Sheryl’s earlier recordings, and I find myself very impressed with her voice. We’ve got to have her on the show asap…

Oh yeah, Wicked is closing and once again I didn’t get out to see it. It always comes when I am slamed by work or by other situations. I’ll have to check and see if it is going to Norfolk or Washington sometime and try to catch it there.

If that wasn’t enough, one of my favorite performers and one of this year’s RTCC Presenters, Susan Greenbaum will out at Ashland Coffee and Tea. A nice intimate setting and a great place to enjoy som Greenbaumania.

Plus there’s great theatre opening. Kimberly Akimbo will be in the TheatreGym space at The Empire, and Stage B will present an evening and afternoon of monologues by Clay Chapman. If you know me, you know how much I admire Clay and his talent. Stage B was responsible for last summer’s production of Reasons To Be Pretty, which I saw and thoroughly enjoyed. Plus it’s no secret that I’m an admirer of the qualities in people that cause them to start their own companies and do good work. It worked for my friends Bruce and Phil among others, but it is no easy task. Keep your eye on Stage B, I’m looking for good things from them.

Keep on your radar Sycamore Rouge’s 24-Hour Theatre Festival coming up on Halloween weekend. Four writers will be given certain elements that must be included in a play and then locked up overnight where they will write said play. 10 hours or so later, directors will come in, read the scripts, and arm wrestle over who directs what. By that time a bunch of sleepy actors will show up, get cast and then spend the day rehearsing and memorizing lines. That night, four world premieres, back to back.

Yeah, I’m one of the writers.

Most of my editors and the great David Timberline will tell you, that while I can write fast,I usually move at a glacier-like pace. I’m very deliberate, but usually don’t have to do that many drafts. But when I only have a little bit of time to write, that’s when I do some of my best stuff. We’ll see. They say they’ll provide coffee, but since I don’t do coffee, maybe I can smuggle in something else.

I also had a chance recently to stretch my acting wings at a staged reading of Tennessee Williams’ Vieux Carre. It is one of Williams’ later plays and director Noreen Barnes put together such a fun group of actors to present it. I was on stage for most of the play and I must confess, thoroughly enjoyed it. I wonder if I’ll get an RTCC Nomination next year.

Simply Heavenly at Sycamore Rouge

2011-10-12T03:06:00.000-07:00

With all the good theatre that’s been presented in the greater Richmond area, it’s often easy to focus on those plays and not see some of the things being presented just outside the area. Both Colonial Heights and Petersburg seem like they are so far away, but both are actually close enough that they can be reached after a short drive. Recently I took that drive down to Petersburg in order to take in the latest Sycamore Rouge production of Langston Hughes’ SIMPLY HEAVENLY. While I ultimately found the production to be uneven, which I’ll address in a minute, there are a number of things to recommend the play.

Jesse B. Simple is an African-American Everyman whose adventures became the focus of a series of newspaper articles by Hughes, and eventually a trilogy of well-received books. Jesse is a normal man struggling to conquer his shortcomings while hanging out with his friends at the local bar. Roi Boyd is Jesse and he conveys his struggles to stay faithful to his girlfriend but that devil on his shoulder first leads him slightly astray, and then his luck totally bottoms out. Boyd faces these temptations head on and in his hands Jesse is a likeable character and he carries the bulk of the play.

Some of the actors in supporting roles that do a good job are Thomas Nowlin as Boyd, the thinly veiled Hughes, who observes the action while recording it for future posterity. He doesn’t just watch what’s going on, he joins in, and even tries to help Jesse out of a jam now and again.

Toney Q. Cobb and Kamau Akinwole are good as Bodiddly and Watermelon Joe respectively, a couple of friends who hang out at the bar. And Kamau, if I messed up your name, I apologize. Also Winter Bailey has a fine singing voice, and music director Keith Wallace’s piano playing adds a certain amount of spirit to the production.

However, Bailey’s acting is uneven, in some scenes she’s very good, in others she seems disconnected from the other actors. Several of the other performers also have difficulty engaging the audience and sometimes come off as heavy or wooden. While Sycamore Rouge is a well run professional company, they have a community based spirit and sometimes don’t have as deep of a talent pool to draw from. One has to wonder what they would be able to achieve if more of the actors from Richmond would take that trip down 95 and ply their trade in this lovely facility.

On the technical side, Keith Saine’s set is very good, utilizing four different levels and a staircase that makes the transitions between scenes economical. Gregory Horton’s costumes are okay, and Brittany Dilliberto’s lights work well to solidify the transitions.

Darryl C. Davis’ direction is solid and workmanlike. Most of his scenes play okay, and the party scene actually works very well, there are some pacing issues that make the play seem like it’s longer than it actually runs. The issues are not insurmountable and for much of the audience, the play was an enjoyable experience. It was enough to make me want to see their next productions and see how they progress through the season.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Keep On The Sunny Side Shines at Swift Creek

2011-10-12T03:02:00.000-07:00

Shortly after I left the parking lot of Swift Creek Mill Playhouse after watching their production of KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE, I realized I needed to get some gas. While I stopped at the local convenience store slash gas station, a large SUV drove up next to me, and the driver was kind enough to share his choice of music with most of the surrounding county. What was playing was not exactly Carter Family music, in fact it sounded more like the soundtrack to a demolition derby, but that’s the joy of living in a country that allows the freedom of choice.

Near the end of the second act, A.P. Carter, as played by Drew Perkins, is talking to his daughter Janette, played by Ali Thibodeau and he says, “Music has to change, I guess. But there still needs to be a place for our kind of music.” By this point in his life, country music has changed, it is no longer the subtle poetry that A.P. favors, but songs about trucks, fights, getting drunk, and more superficial things in everyday life.

Perkins has made a career out of playing solid country fathers with a great deal of musical talent. It’s interesting that while he serves as the musical director of the show, he rarely touches a musical instrument; instead, the other members of the original Carter Family, wife Sara and sister-in-law Maybelle, played by Jackie Frost and Emily Cole respectively carry the music via guitar and autoharp. The trio sings like angels and their close harmonies on old classics is a delight to hear.

Which brings me to my next point: Ms. Frost is not known for her acting ability. At times her delivery is heavy and not completely believable. However, her vocal abilities are very strong and if you think it’s easy to sing this style of country music, let me assure you, it isn’t. Given a choice between having a good actor who might not be able to sing these songs, and a great singer who really doesn’t act, I’ll take the singer every time.

The other actors are Lucas Hall and David Janeski who play multiple roles and a couple of instruments as well. Each gets several opportunities to create memorable characters in just a few minutes of stage time. But the play really belongs to Perkins, Frost, and Cole as the founders of country music.

On the technical side, Director Tom Width has created a multi-faceted set that creates the illusion of several locations, but always anchoring the actors in the mountains of Virginia. Helping to cement the effect is a backdrop created by Adam Dorland that is among the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. His deep focus mountains and trees recalls the words of novelist Lee Smith, who writes in Fair And Tender Ladies, that she “needs a mountain to rest my eye on from time to time.” Maura Lynch Cravey’s costumes are good and help ground the play in the various eras in which the play takes place. Joe Doran’s lights are good, even if he doesn’t get to work his usual magic too much.

Width says he’s been waiting eight years to bring KEEP ON THE SUNNY SIDE to Swift Creek, but the setting and the effect has made the wait worthwhile.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Suddenly, Last Summer at RTP

2011-10-05T12:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve got to tell you, I am really enjoying this Tennessee Williams centennial celebration. The Firehouse Theatre turned in a magnificent production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and sponsored a showing of the film version of A Streetcar Named Desire at the Byrd Theatre. Now it’s the Richmond Triangle Players’ turn, offering a staged reading of Vieux Carre, and film versions of some of Williams’ other plays and a remarkable production of SUDDENLY, LAST SUMMER. In the forty some years that I’ve been hanging around the theatre scene, it occurred to me that I have never seen a production of Summer mounted, and I was looking forward to finally checking it off my list of major shows to see.

Not only was I not disappointed by this production, I am excited by what they have accomplished. The play is driven by two women; Act One belongs to Lorri Lindberg as Violet Venable, the self-deluded mother of a young poet searching for beauty in the world. She has a couple of moments that are so electrifying that it is almost frightening to watch. Her recollection of their trip to the Ardens and seeing hundreds of baby turtles being attacked and eaten by birds is one of the rawest moments I’ve ever seen. The horrible poetry of the passage presages a moment at the end that suggests Euripides’ play The Bacchae.

Act Two belongs to Catherine Holly, played by Lauren Marie Hafner, the cousin of poet Sebastian who assumes his mother’s role of protector and procurer. Confined by her Aunt to a mental institution, Venable is threatening her with a lobotomy in order to keep her from telling the story of how Sebastian really died. Holly is a passionate young woman who finds herself fighting for her sanity and to preserve the truth in all of its ugly glory.

While either of these talented women would insure the production is worth seeing, the combination of the two elevates the play greatly.

Turing in good performances in supporting roles are Jacqueline O’Connor as Catherine’s mother and Charley Raintree as Dr. Cukrowicz, the young physician who might administer the lobotomy to Catherine. My one issue with Raintree is that his newly dyed hair is so blond he ends up looking like a cross between the young David Bowie and Julian Assange. The effect was distracting for a few minutes.

On the technical end, David Ballas’ set is simply sumptuous. It evokes old money New Orleans down to the lush greenery taking up a large part of the stage. The set is a lovely outdoor patio with artistic iron work and hot house variety plants. Maura Lynch Cravey’s costumes are very good and the sound design was by Dylan Adams. Adams’ work is very good as he blends sounds that create both mood and memory. I did have one quibble with the use of Philip Glass' music in certain key moments, the effect was slightly jarring and gave it a soap opera feeling. Effective lights have been designed by Rebecca Brooks.

Director Josh Chenard has managed to release the poetry of Tennessee Williams giving his actors enough room to bring the stories to life. It makes me wonder why we usually only see a couple of Williams’ plays whe gems like these are just waiting to be rediscovered.

Suddenly, Last Summer should be high on your must see list.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

BECKY'S NEW CAR at Hanover Tavern

2011-09-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

You know the way some people will go see any play or movie that features their favorite actor? That’s the way I am about playwrights. There are certain authors that I just respond to; poet playwrights like Sarah Ruhl or Frank Higgins, and strong solid punchers like Steven Dietz. I have been a fan of Dietz since I worked on a production of his adaptation of Dracula a few years ago and when I heard that Barksdale Hanover Tavern was going to produce his play BECKY’S NEW CAR, I was excited.

Fortunately director Billy Christopher Maupin is just as big a fan as I am and he has put together a terrific cast and designers to realize the play. Let’s start with Becky herself. Melissa Johnston Price is a scream as frustrated housewife Becky, trying to balance her demanding work life with caring for her down-to-earth husband Joe, played by David Bridgewater and their still at home graduate student son. Price is at her manic best in the first act as she sets up the world of the play – utilizing audience members to help get her work done.

Bridgewater, always a solid performer, portrays the blue collar roofer like he was born holding a hammer. He grounds the play with his common sense and the depth of his love for Becky is what gives the play its soul.

Gordon Bass virtually disappears into the role of Walter, the incredibly wealthy magnate who comes into Becky’s life and immediately turns it upside down. I have generally found Bass’ work to be good, although we don’t get many chances to see him perform. Seeing him work with Price and Bridgewater is a real treat.

Also turning in a fun performance is Daniel Moore as Becky’s co-worker, a granola loving tree hugger who is carrying around about 16 tons of pain. His first act meltdown keeps his character from becoming a one-note joke and Moore makes the most out of the opportunity.

On the technical side I was pleased with Terrie Powers’ set, which offered several levels for the actors to work. It was able to properly divide work from home and Walter’s estate is separated and slightly above all of the other levels. Lynne Hartman’s lights are deceptive. At first it looked like she was going to utilize simple washes, but instead she was able to isolate certain areas of the stage which helped create and identify the different locales. The costumes by Virginia McConnell were okay as was Carlos Collazo’s sound.

Director Billy Christopher Maupin has a good sense for the comedy in the production, but the play has a number of dramatic scenes that provide a certain counterbalance. Maupin is able to walk the tightrope, although he and his actors seem to be more at home with the lighter moments. Those are fun, and the near decimation of the fourth wall really connects the audience to the actors. Be careful if you sit on the front row. You may not want to make eye contact unless you want to end up on stage – or stapling papers.

Check out BECKY’S NEW CAR, it’s definitely not a lemon.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

MERCHANT OF VENICE at Henley Street

2011-09-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

I am not usually in favor of critics attending previews in order to write a review, but with a full plate of openings and a limited amount in which to see them, something had to give and this time it was my prejudice about openings. See preview performances generally come right after tech rehearsals, the actors tend to be tired, they are often working to a small house filled with other actors and family members, the adrenaline hasn’t clicked in yet, and as a result there are often issues to overcome. I prefer to wait until the official opening or even a little later in order to make sure I’m seeing a final product and not a work in progress. Add to that the fact that Henley Street is in the process of setting up in their new home in SPARC’s black box theatre, and there could be some serious problems.

So, it was with some trepidation that I agreed to see Henley Street Theatre’s latest offering, Shakespeare’s THE MERCHANT OF VENICE on its preview night. The evening started off rough, several actors were stiff and seemed to be fighting the language and I immediately began to run through my head for another date to come see the show.

Then, all of sudden, it seemed like somebody turned on a switch and energy began to flow into the actors. Instead of fighting the language, they seemed to embrace it. Movements that seemed stiff and artificial began to seem natural and unforced. Actors stopped putting on their characters like clothes and began to live them from the inside out.

Merchant is one of Shakespeare’s better known plays, a truly politically in correct time capsule that is often misquoted and more often misunderstood. It is a play about personal conquest – on one level it is purely Sun Tzu’s Art of War, on another it is about the triumph of passion over revenge, of light standing up to dark and going toe-to-toe.

The play rests squarely on the shoulders of Shylock, the money lender who cannot wait to extract his pound of flesh for favors rendered. Shylock is played by Jeff Clevenger, an underrated actor who often turns in solid characters. Clevenger is one of those chameleons actors; often overlooked but who nonetheless contributes quality work to just about every production. Here he walks the fine line of hatred – for Antonia played by Kim Jones Clark, and the ache in his soul for the loss of his daughter Jessica who has run eloped with a gentile.

Turning in strong performances are the previously mentioned Clark who must face Shylock’s trial, Greg Joubert as Bassanio, and Liz Blake White as his love interest Portia. White delivers one of the play’s best remembered passages, the “quality of mercy” speech in the second half. Kerry McGee as Nerissa also turns in a good performance and when she and White team up in the court room, they are a formidable pair.

While I wasn’t thrilled by the set designed by Clevenger and director James Ricks, it did offer up the requisite locations. Stephanie O’Brien’s costumes are okay, especially for a modern dress performance and Andrew Bonniwell’s lights are good.

Director James Ricks has assembled a good ensemble of cast and crew and Henley Street continues to challenge us with new interpretations of classics.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

LEND ME A TENOR Delivers Laughs at Barksdale

2011-09-23T03:19:00.000-07:00

Reviewing comedy is one of the hardest things a critic gets to do. Describing a comedic moment is like trying to catch smoke in your bare hands – it usually slips right through your fingers and you are often left with something like, “well you had to be there,” to sum up the event. So, while I will endeavor to succinctly relate my opinion of Barksdale Willow Lawn’s new production of LEND ME A TENOR, I’ll tell you now – you should be there to see for yourself.

The first thing you should know is that TENOR is a farce. Barksdale seems very proud of that fact, as they should be, and have even included a small history of some of the farces that have graced their stages over the years. Many academics turn up their noses to the thought of farce, that most lowbrow, slapstick, mistaken identity, door slamming, convoluted of plays. I’ve dealt with that for years, but farce is much more – and its descendants can be seen today on stage, screen, and television. Farce is that strange cousin that we like okay at the family dinners, but ignore if we meet on the street.

To sum up the play would not do it justice, and might possibly ruin it for you, so I’ll skimp on the details. Suffice to say, the play revolves around the Cleveland Opera Company who have imported the world’s greatest tenor for his debut performance in the United States. Through a series of comic mishaps and mistaken identities, the famous tenor is out and a new one must be secured for the evening.

Nick Ciavarella is Max, the company’s all around right hand man. Ciavarella starts out as a true nebbish, timid in his dealings with his boss played with over the top delight by Frank Creasy. Together the two concoct a scheme that no two sane men would ever hatch, and that’s the beauty of the show.

Joe Pabst’s Tito Merelli, the world’s greatest tenor, chews up the stage unashamedly and in doing so creates much of the comedy. Pabst is larger than life with an appetite for wine , women, and song…just not in that order.

Little Aly Wepplo is the ingénue Maggie, Creasy’s daughter, the girlfriend of Max and the would be paramour of Tito. Makes sense, right? Don’t worry, it will all get even more complicated. Wepplo runs back and forth and does what she can with the character. That is one problem with farce, some characters are more realized than others, and Maggie is one of those.

Supporting players that really stand out include Jan Guarino as the dowager head of the Opera Society. It is a role that Margaret Dumont would have relished and Guarino channels the society matron with relish. Nicole Oberleitner is Diana, the soprano with a certain reputation. Her series with Tito that leads to a case of mistaken identity is hysterical.

Susan Sanford is Tito’s wife Maria, who argues, cajoles, loves, and fights with him at the drop of a hat. This is Sanford’s second role in a role in a farce and once again she finds that right balance between seriousness and hilarity.

Christopher Stewart is an opera loving bellhop who serves the role of adding to the confusion while adoring Tito.

Brian Barker’s set is good – the requisite number of doors to slam and almost everything has a good view. With one notable exception. The bed is blocked for a good part of the house and he and the director might want to consider moving it to a more advantageous spot. Lynn Hartman’s lights are okay but nothing too difficult and Sue Griffin’s costumes – especially her Otello costumes are delightful.

As an actor, TENOR’s Director Scott Wichmann has impeccable comedic timing. That doesn’t always translate into being able to convey that pace to his actors, but in this case, it all works out. LEND ME A TENOR is fun evening, but if you’re looking for high brow snooty laughs, keep on looking. Just big belly laughs here tonight.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Scorches at the Firehouse

2011-09-21T13:06:00.000-07:00

(This review ran in a shortened form on WCVE Public Radio on Wednesday, September 21st. I generally only have about three minutes to discuss the plays I see, and as most of my friends will tell you, I like to talk and can't cover everything in that time. Therefore I've started expanding my reviews here on the ole blog. Thanks for dropping by.)

Ring the bells, bring in the birthday cake with a hundred lit candles and let the celebration begin. It is the one hundredth birthday of one of America’s greatest playwrights, Tennessee Williams. It’s hard to imagine what the theatrical landscape would look like if this towering figure were to be removed; his plays include The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, Summer and Smoke, The Rose Tattoo, Suddenly Last Sumer, The Night of the Iguana, and one of his most famous plays, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF is the current production being offered by the Firehouse Theatre Project.

Never one to shy away from infusing strong themes into his plays, Williams explores ideas of truth, friendship, infidelity, sudden unexpected death, lingering painful death, birthright, alcoholism, and alleged homosexuality. No wonder he needs three acts for CAT. Don’t worry though, the acting and the pacing moves the play swiftly to its conclusion.

The play is full of amazing characters, a few of whom that have become theatre icons. The social climbing Maggie The Cat is played by Laine Satterfield. Satterfield, embodies the spirit of Maggie, a woman born to nothing, who worked her way up, through marriage, to respectability, and who now wants to secure her future by holding onto an inheritance, despite her husband Brick’s seeming indifference. When we first see Maggie, she is changing clothes, shedding her skin, and applying makeup, creating a persona that deal with Brick’s sexual malaise and rapid descent into alcoholism.

Adrian Rieder is Brick, smoldering, distant, trying hard to numb himself by liberal doses of liquor. He is repulsed by mendacity, the lies that surround him; his family, his career, and his wife. Brick has injured his leg trying to jump hurdles while drunk and now must move around with a crutch. With only one leg to stand on, Brick is figuratively “half a man,” and when his wife questions his friendship with his late best friend Skipper, it becomes too much for him to carry. Violence is never far from Brick, he lashes out at Maggie, his family, and finally himself.

Big Daddy, the rich cotton baron who is entering the final stages of his life is played with verve by Alan Sader. Sader is larger than life, attacking his first scene with Brick with the ferociousness of an uncaged lion. Big Daddy is not too far removed from Sader’s amazing performance in this past summer’s King Lear. Both men lord over land and use that as a method of currying favor. The difference is, Big Daddy is not going to go gentle into that good night and intends to rage at his fate and the family that surrounds him.

Jacqueline Jones takes on the role of Big Mama, who has stood by Big Daddy’s side throughout all his battles. She wears her trophies in the form of jewelry and clearly favors her son Brick over her other son Gooper. Jones is a tremendous actress who always turns in a credible performance, and it is always a delight to see her on stage. Big Mama is an often misunderstood character – her family lies to her in order to protect her, but women have always been able to handle tough news and hard times when given the chance. As she says, she is “the iron fist inside a velvet glove.”

Other good performances are turned in by Larry Cook as Gooper, Laura Rikard as Mae, Dean Knight as Reverend Tooker and Andrew Boothby as Dr. Baugh. Speaking of the reverend and the doctor, for the first time I noticed in the scene where the family is discussing how to handle Big Daddy’s cancer, first the reverend leaves the room, then the doctor. Sort of Williams’ shorthand for the loss of faith and science when both are needed.

Phil Hayes has designed a good set, recreating the bed-sitting room of a southern plantation. Andrew Bonniwell’s lights are good, I’m not sure if he is responsible for the fireworks that explode just outside the window, but the soft glow of the lights on the actors’ faces was a nice touch. Heather Hogg’s costumes are good – especially Maggie’s first dress and both Big Mama and Big Daddy’s outfits. All in all, a very strong technical production.

Director Rusty Wilson demonstrates why he is in such demand. He handles Williams’ language and pacing very well and respects the violence that is always just under the veneer of civility. Wilson and company have truly brought CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF to life. Don’t miss it.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

More News Coming Soon

2011-09-21T04:38:00.001-07:00

Sorry Gang, i know I've been absent for a while. Blame hurricanes, work demands, sleep apnea, gout, and a new obsession with kettlebells.

Mostly blame my mile wide lazy streak.

I have been to see some theater and reviews will be resuming shortly. Look for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof and Lend Me A Tenor first and then the floodgates will open.

The RTCC Awards are coming up October 16th at the Empire Theatre. All signs point to a great show and we hope to see you there.

I may be participating in the 24 Hour Theatre Project at Sycamore Rouge at the end of October. Details will follow either way.

Make sure you mark November 20th on your calendar to come see a reading of one of my plays - IT'S A FABULOUS LIFE at the Richmond Triangle Players. Speaking of which, I will be directing this extravaganza and could use some good and even not so good actors for the presentation. If you are interested in taking part and having some fun, please drop me a line.

Check back later and see my thoughts on Cat.

Thanks for dropping by.

Comedy Goes BOEING-BOEING at Hanover Tavern

2011-07-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

The first clue is always the set. When you see six single doors and one giant double door center stage, you know the hinges are going to get a workout and there will be much slamming before the evening is over. That’s one of the great joys of farce, my favorite form of comedy. Farce is chaos, farce is the total upending of power and control, farce is the Marx Brothers destroying an opera or cramming a hundred people into a tiny stateroom. Farce is brutal, sophomoric, and damn funny.

The latest offering by Barksdale Hanover Tavern is an American version of a French farce, BOEING-BOEING. The play is considered to be a classic of the genre and Beverly Cross’ adaptation of Marc Camoletti’s script has been a hit worldwide. According to the Guiness Book of World Records, it is the most performed French play of all time. It ran for about seven years on the London stage and had a couple of runs on Broadway and has proven to be a big hit in Asia as well.

Now in the lovely bucolic setting of the Hanover Tavern, we are treated to the fast paced comedy that builds up a bachelor’s perfect fantasy life in order to spend most of the evening tearing it apart. Dennis Riva is Bernard, an expatriated American living in Paris, an architect who spends all his time juggling three fiancées. All are “air hostesses” of different nationalities who work for different airlines and who have different schedules. Bernard spends two days with each and, we assume, uses the seventh day to rest.

Riva is likeable, but really only comes across as slightly calculating and caddish. You actually find yourself rooting for him to pull off this perfect plan.

Joining him in the plan is an old friend from Wisconsin, Robert, played by Derek Phipps. While the script indicates that the two men haven’t seen each other in years, Robert is fascinated by his friend’s lifestyle and quickly becomes his willing accomplice. Phipps has elastic body movements and great physical skills. He is a perfect choice for this kind of play and causes much of the evening’s laughter.

The three beautiful air hostesses are played by Maura Burroughs, Caylyn Temple, and Donna Marie Miller. One is American, one Italian, and one German and all are stereotypes of the most decidedly un-PC kind. We are talking the heyday of the 1960’s here with big hair and short skirts. All had great timing and over-the-top histrionics to generate the comedy.

Rounding out the cast is Susan Sanford as the loyal maid who balances menus and makes sure the master bedroom is always perfectly made up for the different women. Sanford is hysterical as she deadpans her way through the chaos.

I already mentioned the set by Terrie Powers and David Powers that adds so much to the fun, but I also need to mention Marcia Miller Hailey’s costumes as well. They placed us so perfectly in the time.

Director Bruce Miller has his cast running almost from the first line. I was exhausted just watching them, and then when you add in the almost constant laughter, I won’t need to go to the gym for a week.

For a good time, call the Barksdale box office, you won’t be sorry.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Set Sail With Priates of the Chemotherapy

2011-07-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

Buckets of water were dropping all over Richmond. Not just a little light rain that raises the steam factor around town, but the kind of blinding torrential downpour that obliterates your vision and makes it impossible to see the road inches in front of you. The wife has an umbrella, but that can’t outwit this airborne flood, it just shifts, comes in sideways and blinds us from the front.

That’s how we inched our way to Chamberlayne Actors Theatre in order to catch an independent production of PIRATES OF THE CHEMOTHERAPY. By the time we got to the lobby it looked like we had been dunked in the ocean with all of our clothes on and they proceeded to stick to our skin. It was not a night conducive to good humor, but a promise to attend is a promise that cannot be broken.

Thank God for promises, for if I had missed PIRATES OF THE CHEMHERAPY (hereafter referred to as POTC) I would have missed out on great performances and an uplifting comedy about one of the most completely unfunny subjects on earth – cancer. Count yourself lucky if your life has never been touched by this dark scourge. I lost my father to lung and brain cancer about eight months ago and the wounds are still fresh.

There have been so many other friends and family that have left us too soon, and despite all of the accolades I had heard from attendees of POTC, I was still skeptical. How could a show featuring several women dealing with recovering from breast cancer have entertainment value? And those of you who know me, know I hate didactic theatre. I feel like I have been pounded over the head with a message and that makes me shut down. See, to me didactic theatre only reaches the people who already believe in the message being preached. You want converts; go after the people that need changing.

That is exactly what playwright Paul Schutte has done. He has created a Trojan Horse that comes into your life and teaches us that camaraderie and a lot of joie de vivre can triumph even if the patient’s battle end badly. Normally I would go on a little congratulatory rant since Schutte is a Virginia playwright and I love to promote homegrown talent. But the truth is, this script could have come from anywhere or go anywhere. It has far-reaching implications and despite the couple of very minor quibbles I have with the story arc, I hope that more productions of POTC will be mounted and seen across the country.

Let’s talk performances. The six women are broadly drawn from society – an over-organized mom, an uninhibited live to the fullest gal, a new age yoga instructor, an insulated practical minded business owner, a woman rejected by her philandering husband, and the hunter gatherer who brings them all together.

I personally know five of the six actresses involved with the production, and while I have enjoyed their work individually in the past, collectively they reached new heights and I was blown away by their performances.

Terry Menefee Gau is Judith the organizer. Her life is running errands and taking care of her family and is all written down in a nice neat little book. Nothing can penetrate her shell, until a mammogram reveals a lump which is quickly diagnosed, removed, and who starts on a course of chemo. The opening scenes with Gau, beautifully capture and crystalize her life and then subject her to the surreal circus her life becomes due to the diagnoses of cancer.

The rest of the play is a series of support meetings where we get to know the women, see through their defenses, laugh with their triumphs, cry at their setbacks, and celebrate each of their unique lives that have this one focal point in common.

Stacie Rearden Hall is Winnie, the store-owner recovering cocaine addict, and creator of the Pirates. It is she that realizes that they must somehow embrace what has been done to the group and to use it to fight back. Pirates live by their own rules outside of society, so should they. By using the “Pirate code” they are able to bond together like never before and to go out of their way to truly help each other. Hall really stretches here and turns in a truly wonderful performance.

Kathy Northrup Parker is great as Doris, the over the top, seize life gal who is masking great pain. If you are ever lucky enough to catch Parker in anything, go. If you are lucky enough to see her in this show, you are blessed. Parker has the rare ability to command your attention by doing nothing; her natural charisma extends to every role she plays. Here, she takes over her scenes without upstaging her fellow pirates – no mean feat. Thanks to her performance, I will never be able to hear the theme to Laverne and Shirley with a straight face again.

Marilyn Schappacher is the only actress I didn’t know prior to the show and she holds her own as the new age Pirate Peace. Peace seeks harmony in all her surroundings and her bizarre non-sequiters provide much of the humor. A young actress, she shows much promise for the future.

Kellita Wooten’s Karen shows the most growth through the arc of the play. She goes from downtrodden housewife who is chewed up by her philandering abusive husband, to confident pirate able to take on anything life can throw at her. Her soft voice may lose a few lines, but her body language and acting style draws you into her vulnerability with ease.

H. Lynn Smith is the one who brings them all together and who tries to protect the group. In the jungle she would be a lioness watching over her pack. It isn’t until some of the pack starts fighting against situations with the outside world that she pulls away from her more controlling behavior and the group really becomes a group, solid in its approach to life.

Director Becki Jones has a good eye for the material and has done well letting the actresses follow their instincts. It is very difficult to direct comedy, timing is delicate, and the six actresses have to know how to protect each other and not step on lines while making it all seem natural. Jones has let them loose while developing this ensemble into a beautiful cohesive unit.

I only wish that I had seen the play earlier in its run so that these words might have encouraged more people to go see it. PIRATES OF THE CHEMOTHERAPY should not be missed; it has been a highlight of the theatre season. It is my hope that another production will be mounted and that even more people will find their way to see it.

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS Cleans Up at the Empire

2011-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, movies used to look to Broadway to create product that could be sent around the world. It was a good deal, for those who couldn’t get to the theatre district of New York in order to see Marlon Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire could now go to their local Bijou, plunk down whatever the price of admission might be, sit in a dark theatre and see electrifying performances captured on celluloid for all time. Sure we ended up missing out on some great performances due to stunt casting – fewer people nowadays remember Julie Andrews’ turn as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady than who know Audrey Hepburn for the role – but by and large we did get a large percentage of great Broadway stars.

That was then. Now we are more likely to see Broadway adapt hit and cult movies to the stage in order to attract a larger audience from the tourists. As the costs of mounting a production climb, producers get more nervous and want a stronger guarantee of a return on their investment. That’s why we end up with adaptations of everything from Legally Blonde, The Lion King, Spider Man, and The Evil Dead. Okay, that last one hasn’t made it to Broadway yet, but it’s gotten quite a cult following around the country.

One of those movie to stage show translations is DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, the current production of Barksdale Theatre and running at the Empire Theatre. The film was a delightful romp between rival con artists played by Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Caine was delightfully British; suave and sophisticated while Martin was all American, impetuous and wild with a strong joie de vivre. The combination of the two was inspired and the movie was well received both critically and at the box office.

Now we flash forward a few years and see the version that is playing here in Richmond. For whatever reason, I generally find myself attracted to smaller, more intimate shows, but every so often I love to revel in a big ole honkin’ musical, and this one certainly hit the spot. The ingredients are all there – a great cast headed by Broadway veteran Jeff McCarthy, a versatile performer who has done everything from Kander and Ebb to Gilbert and Sullivan to providing the voice of the iconic Michigan J. Frog. McCarthy is a triple threat talent who handles acting, singing and dancing with aplomb. He moves from con to con with ease, until he meets up with Scott Wichmann who is running a series of short cons – jobs with small risks and small payoffs – and the two form a tandem to terrorize the French Riviera.

Wichmann’s talents are well known locally and they are on full display here. His physical humor is at its peak and he seems to be in perpetual motion. He and McCarthy have terrific chemistry as they become more rivals than partners.

The catalyst of the show is played by Rachel Abrams, the woman that draws each man’s attention. Abrams is extremely talented and a couple of the songs that feature her are standouts.

Rounding out the supporting cast are Joe Pabst and Robin Arthur as Andre and Muriel, essentially sidekicks who become lovers. At first their characters are drawn in a broad cartoonish style, but they mature and truly come to life in the second act. There are moments when their characters could derail the script as they become so likeable that the audience starts to root for them.

A show like this demands a large technical side. Brian Becker’s set is remarkable with turntables, large set pieces that fly in and out, and others that move off stage. His staircase becomes the focal point of several scenes and his ability to move the action along is outstanding. Lynne Hartman continues to show why she is one of the best lighting designers working. I continue to be delighted by her lights and shadows. Sue Griffin’s costumes are exquisite and wonderfully reflect the large money one associates with the Rivera. Derek Dumais sound is strong as is Sandy Dacus’ Musical Direction. Leslie Owens-Harrington has provided some excellent choreography.

Chase Kniffen has taken on a complicated show and added little touches of humor throughout. Look for royalty to make a cameo and a few jokes that will play well in Richmond but nowhere else. All in all, his production of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is delightful and should not be missed.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels - A Quick Note

2011-07-01T02:56:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank all of you who stop by this little blog from time to time to see what I'm scribbling about theatre and occasionally other things. I don’t make as much time as I should to write new things so it often becomes a repository for hard copies of my reviews that run on WCVE Public Radio. It’s hard to believe, but I’ve been roaming around the halls of WCVE for about 17 years now. I starting doing these reviews as a segment on Stephanie Pyle’s afternoon show and they’ve continued with only a few breaks since that time.

It’s strange how our positions define us. I started out to be a film director and ended up a theatre critic. While I had been a theatre major as an undergraduate at VCU, I took a fair number of film classes, enough to fuel my dreams of making my own movies. For some reason, my scripts were always more in demand than I was as a director. I remember one bank heist caper I wrote that became a final exam for a friend of mine. I ended up writing the script, playing a bank robber, and thanks to “borrowing” my father’s Buick, supplied the getaway car as well.

And it wasn’t even my grade…

After leaving the acting tract – another story for another time – I took as many classes in the comparative literature field as I possibly could. After all, I figured that’s where the big bucks were. I became a full fledged dramaturg and started a lifetime of explaining what I do.

Okay, I sense the blank looks. Don’t worry; even among theatre people there is confusion as to what is the true role of the dramaturg. We tend to work with authors to craft the script and to spot any inconsistencies in the script. Say for example your playwright wrote a script that takes place during the French Revolution and the hero pulls out a Glock 9 and starts shooting. Unless we’re talking about creating a farce, it would be up to the dramaturg to point out that the Glock 9 should be replaced.

We also work with directors to research the play and provide information to the director, designers and actors. We put together packets of information, which are often ignored, about anything that might touch on the world of the play. For example, I once served as the dramaturg to a production of Dracula. I researched everything from the actual phases of the moon for the designer, collected volumes of anecdotal information about vampires, wrote six lines of dialogue in the style of the playwright in order to give one of the actors an additional 30 seconds to get from one side of the stage to the other behind the scenery, as well as consulted on whether the tattoos on one of the actors would be historically inaccurate.

Of course, that was working with a director who knew how to use a dramaturg.

On another production, which shall remain nameless, I spent six weeks making coffee.

So, what’s all that got to do with today’s missive? Not much. It’s just a roundabout way of telling you that I’ll be posting my review of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels later today and it will be substantially different from the review you hear on the air. My on-air reviews are limited to three minutes plus or minus a few seconds. The play in a break that has a fixed amount of time and we have promos that need to be played as well. It would be unprofessional of me to ramble on, even though that’s exactly what I’m doing now.

I have a lot to say about Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and it occurs to me that his blog is the place to say them. As well as a few other things. Maybe it’s time to actually use this blog as I originally intended. So, in the future, you may see a few changes or expanded versions of reviews and who knows, maybe a few interviews.

Thanks for dropping by. Next time, bring your friends.

WAIT UNTIL DARK Thrills at Swift Creek Mill

2011-06-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Like a large percentage of Americans, I love settling down with a good mystery. The genre passed from guilty pleasure to obsession years ago and there are now always several books and DVDs waiting to be devoured at the first opportune time. That’s one reason I was excited when I saw WAIT UNTIL DARK listed on the Swift Creek schedule as the film version with Audrey Hepburn and Robert Duvall is a particular favorite of mine. Until opening night, I had never seen the stage version, so I knew it was going to be an exciting night.

Technically, WAIT UNTIL DARK is a thriller rather than a mystery. In a mystery, the game is to try to figure out who did what. There is no Colonel Mustard in the parlor with a candlestick here as we know who is doing the crime. The game here is figuring out how the heroine is going to figure out who is trying to harm her, and what she can do to fight back.

The heroine, aka Susy Hendrix, is played by the ever delightful Aly Wepplo. I’ve been watching Wepplo since she was a student up through her development to leading actress. Normally she plays the sweet and innocent girl next door, but here she gets to expand her horizons by playing a blind woman who has to match wits with three very evil men.

The most evil of the men is played by Wepplo’s real life husband David Janeski. I’ve been waiting years to see Janeski take on a role like this and he does not disappoint. He seethes evil, breathing life into this psychotic soul with frightening intensity.

Janeski’s henchmen are played by Barry Pruitt and David Zimmerman, and while they seem up to the task of robbing a blind woman, it is Janeski’s maniacal over the top performance that makes the evil boil over in the second act.

Tyler Weaver plays Wepplo’s husband, a decent upstanding man, who unfortunately does not have a whole lot of stage time and Tyandria Jackson is Gloria, a little girl who lives upstairs and who helps out as best she can.

You know, Swift Creek Mill’s designers are so good; you can almost cut and paste their accolades. Tom Width has created a fine set that allows plenty of room for the action to take place. Joe Doran’s lights, or lack thereof, are terrific, and Maura Lynch Cravey does a great job with the costumes.

Director Tom Width does well bringing together the various elements and fashions them into a top notch production. Many times when I extoll the virtues of Swift Creek Mill Playhouse, I hear people whine that it is so far to travel, but I have to disagree. It’s not that far to travel and when the reward is a great evening of theatre, it is more than worth it. And trust me; WAIT UNTIL DARK is a wonderful evening of theatre.

You do not want to miss the thrills and the performances from Wepplo and Janeski are worth the journey.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Triumphant KING LEAR for Richmond Shakespeare

2011-06-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

One of the most magical experiences that Richmond has to offer is a cool clear evening at Agecroft Hall when Richmond Shakespeare puts on a good performance of any play from the canon. Under a canopy of stars and serenaded by talkative amphibians and sweet sounding night birds, it is a delight to slip into the symphony of language and story that is uniquely Shakespeare. Good productions can take you away from the cares of the world, and their latest production KING LEAR is a great production – one that you may find to be transformative.

LEAR is one of my favorite plays of all time. It has so many different whirlpools and eddies in the plot that you find yourself quickly swept along. Even those audience members who don’t normally enjoy Shakespeare find the plot easy to follow and very effective. To that end, Master of the Verse Melissa Carroll-Jackson and director James Alexander Bond have worked with the actors so that the language rolls off their tongues and into our ears in a direct and understandable manner.

Alan Sader’s interpretation of Lear is nearly flawless. It is one of the most demanding roles in the long history of theatre, and Sader rails, laughs, cries, and questions his fate almost non-stop through the entire play. His energy is remarkable and his performance is one I will remember for a long time.

He is surrounded by several other great performers including Foster Solomon as Earl of Kent, Walter Schoen as Earl of Gloucester, Charley Raintree as Edgar, Adrian Rieder as Edmund, and the versatile Thomas Cunningham as the Fool. I have been fortunate enough to see Cunningham mature as an actor through his undergraduate years, into his Master’s work, and now his professional life.

The three daughters are played by Kerry McGee, Sarah Jamillah Johnson, and Jai Goodman and they add just the right spice to the proceedings. McGee and Johnson are deliciously conniving and Goodman is sweetness and light as the loving Cordelia.

On the technical side of the equation, Rebecca Cairns and Ann Hoskins have designed very beautiful and detailed costumes, Maja White has created a very solid light design, and the several fights designed by Ryan Bechard will take your breath away.

James Alexander Bond has once again put together a rare night of theatre where all of the pieces come together in a seamless fit. In the one conversation I’ve had with Mr. Bond, James Bond, we discussed our mutual love of great over the top comedies. And while that may seem incongruous to LEAR, I maintain that the approach works in the timing of the players and the pacing of the scenes.

In tragedies, it is often common to linger over each and every scene. In doing so, the audience is drained over trifles, but with Bond’s approach we go past some of the build-up, and linger on those truly powerful moments the script offers. I hope I haven’t given away any of his secrets, but you’ll see what I mean when you go see it for yourself.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

DOG SEES GOD at the Firehouse

2011-06-22T03:11:00.000-07:00

It happens to all the great mythological creatures of our childhood – they get old, the world changes, new artists come by and re-interpret these icons usually in an unflattering light. I’ve been guilty of the same thing, as anyone who has ever seen any of my plays will attest. With apologies to my vegetarian friends, I’ve come to believe that sacred cows make the tastiest hamburgers

That’s kind of how I feel about Bert Royal’s play DOG SEES GOD which is entering its final weekend at the Firehouse Theatre Project. Royal’s premise is simple, what would the Peanuts gang be like if they were teenagers facing the issues of today? Since the estate of Charles Schulz would not grant permission for Royal to use the actual names of his characters, they are only slightly disguised and part of the fun of the first five minutes is figuring out who is who.

One caveat for potential audience members, this is not the happiness is a warm puppy Peanuts gang. One has drug issues, one is a pyromaniac, at least one is gay, and more than one have issues with alcohol. These kids are for adults only, and that’s okay, since the same group is presenting YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN in rep with this play.

The ensemble cast does a great job delving into the psyche of these iconic characters. Kyle Cornell is CB, the linchpin of the group. Audra Honaker is delightful as CB’s goth sister, Jacob Pennington is Van – the Linus character, and Maggie Roop is his sister. Ben Hill is Matt, who used to be known as Pigpen, but who now bristles at the name. Lucian Restivo is great as Beethoven. Rounding out the cast are Liz Blake White as Tricia and Maggie McGrann as Marcy – spelled with a “y” so she could have the same name.

On the technical side, Adam Dorland’s multi-level set works well; especially given the intimate setting of the Firehouse. The fact that he was able to make it rain on stage was a very nice touch. Dangerous, but nice. Matthew Landwehr’s lights are solid and help move the action around. Carlos Collazo’s sound truly adds a lot to this production and it would be a real shame to overlook his contributions.

Director Billy-Christopher Maupin, who has really been making a name for himself both as an actor and director, has pulled together a top notch ensemble with a talented group of designers. He has inspired loyalty in both sets of artists; after all, this is a remount of a production presented earlier this year. That production was so popular this critic could never get two tickets to the show. I don’t always agree with Maupin’s choices, thank goodness or the theatre would be very dull, but I’m always interested to see what fireworks he will bring to the stage.

As popular as DOG SEES GOD has been, I’m pretty sure I don’t have to exhort you to see the show. You probably saw it before I did, but if you somehow missed it, do what you can to see it this weekend and catch up on what everyone else has been talking about.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Bloody Murder is Bloody Good Fun

2011-05-31T12:35:00.000-07:00

Two things I have always loved are mysteries and comedies. Over the years I have enjoyed unwinding with one or the other. Sometimes the two are combined and I’ve usually found the results mixed. It’s hard to get the chemistry right – after all, in a mystery the author generally withholds information from the audience and in a comedy the author withholds information from the characters.

Still, the combination can make for an entertaining evening, as playwright Ed Sala has done with BLOODY MURDER, now playing at Chamberlayne Actors Theatre. While I find the play to be a little uneven, there is plenty going for it to recommend it. For one thing it is intelligent and witty and the actors seem to delight in being able to overact shamelessly in order to carry out the wishes of the playwright.

Carrying out the wishes of the author is the crux of the play. See, the characters have become self aware and realize that they are in a work of fiction and are determined to hijack the author’s mind in order to not commit murders like they have done in previous works. While at first that seems a little farfetched, it actually becomes a fun device that propels the characters through their paces.

Speaking of the characters, the cast does an admirable job working with these drawing room archetypes. There’s the dowager aunt, Lady Somerset, played by Toni Cacioppo, the inebriated actor played by Jay Hart, the military man played by Jerry Long, the sweet young thing who is not what she seems played by Emma Mason, the ne’er do well nephew played by Bob Murphy and the snooping maid played by Bunny Smith. Stir them together; add in a few dead ancillary characters and you have a recipe for fun.

Hart, Long, and Mason may sound like a law firm, but they are the ones who drive the paper thin plot. Hart especially is wicked with his exasperated looks and he has a few moments near the end of the play that are hysterical. Bob Murphy as the flamboyant Charles Pomeroy chews up the scenery all night long and gets a large share of the laughs.

On the technical side, set designer Tony Turner has outdone himself. His drawing room looks so inviting that I could have climbed up onto the set and lived comfortably. Charlotte Scharff’s costumes are good and Andrew Bonniwell’s lights are solid – his blackouts become key plot points and he even delivers a vital visual pun near the end of the second act.

Director Andy Resnick has delivered the play with the necessary light touch. I have to wonder how much he had to prod the actors to go over the top, as instinct often dictates taking a more low-key approach. I can only imagine the rehearsal process as he prods his actors to stop being so subtle and to really play it big.

And finally, a special note about playwright Ed Sala, who hails from the Roanoke area. I am delighted to see more Virginia writers represented on stage. While we run a variety of programs such as the Acts of Faith Festival, I would love to see one that celebrates Virginia authors and a show such as this would make a great representative.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

[title of show] Rocks at Triangle Players

2011-05-27T02:47:00.000-07:00

If you do this job long enough you will stumble onto something so fresh, so unique, so much damn fun that it renews your faith in theatre as a whole. Bold statement? Simple fact. So, what is this fresh, unique and fun piece of theatre? It’s called [title of show] by Jeff Bowen and Hunter Bell and you can catch it between now and June 4 at the Richmond Triangle Players.

While there have been plenty of backstage musicals, I can’t recall one that was about the creation of the show that was being written, scored, and developed while we were watching. The lines between fiction and fact are not only blurred, they are mostly erased. At times your mind takes a moment to wonder if it is watching a behind the scenes documentary or the results of a beautifully crafted homage musical. Just relax and let it roll over you in all its glory.

The ensemble cast is comprised of Chris Hester, Daniel Cimo, Lanaya Burnette, Georgia Rogers Farmer, and includes Timothy Brewster as the orchestra and occasional sounding board. Brewster also serves as the musical director. Hester and Cimo play the actual creators of [title of show], and we get to look in at their creative process which includes marathon watching of old televisions shows, internet musings, and verbatim transcriptions of actual conversations. Burnette and Farmer are the two performer friends that they enlist to help them develop the show.

Let me pause for a moment to admire Georgia Rogers Farmer’s voice. What a set of pipes this lady has. She can belt ‘em out with the best of them, or switch gears and slide into a beautiful ballad. And she’s also a good sport, as her brief sex sells scene indicates. Hester also demonstrates his ability take a song and run with it. The others are certainly no slouches in the musical department, as everybody takes at least one turn in the spotlight.

David Allan Ballas has created a utilitarian set making use of multi-levels and four chairs to represent all of the various settings, including that of the stage itself, the most important setting. I know, it’s a little confusing, but trust me on this one, once you see it, it will all make sense. Jenna Ferree’s lights are also spot on for making transitions, which became very important during the second act.

Director Justin Amellio shows a steady hand in navigating these tricky waters. It takes a lot of rehearsal and technique to make the written word look spontaneous. Some directors have to lead by force of personality; others lead by getting out of the way. Without having attended his rehearsals, I’m not sure which method Amellio employed, but judging by the result, Amellio needs to get more work. I know he’s a full time MFA student, but seeing what he’s accomplished so far as an actor, choreographer, and director, Richmond needs to employ his talent.

If you haven’t made your way to Richmond Triangle Players yet, what are you waiting for? [title of show] is delightful, delicious, and roll on the floor funny. If you love the theatre, you owe it to yourself to see this play.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Temporary Musings

2011-05-26T02:57:00.000-07:00

First off, don’t miss [title of show] running at the Richmond Triangle Players. I’m still pounding out my review on it, but I have to tell you that I enjoyed the show very much and think you will as well. You don’t have to be a theatre geek to love the humor and energy the show brings to the stage, although it helps to have some understanding of the theatre world.

Anyway, my review should run on WCVE on Friday – but you can see a hard copy here very soon.

Secondly, congratulations to all the graduating class of 2011 at VCU, especially to my theatre family. Welcome new BFAs and MFAs! Job well done. Especially those of you who took Professor Porter’s Stand-Up Comedy Class – after all, it’s one of the more popular classes on campus.

Thirdly, I’d like to congratulate my colleague and good friend David Timberline for his upcoming NEA Fellowship. I’ve always enjoyed Dave’s writing, although I never get to read his stuff until after I’ve written my take on the same subject. I would be extremely surprised if you read this blog and haven’t read his yet, but if you haven’t read his erudite blog, go here and enjoy.

We’re getting ready to go into another hot Richmond summer and there will be a lot of theatre for everyone. If anyone has read some of my stories on the NBC 12 website (none are theatre related) you may remember when summer meant only a couple of plays by Richmond Shakespeare and Dogwood Dell. Now, there’s even more for us to enjoy. So, go enjoy already…

CICRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION Challenges at Barksdale

2011-04-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

Normally a play like CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION which is the current offering running at Barksdale Willow Lawn, would be the kind of play I would champion without hesitation. Yet, for some reason, I have had a difficult time wrapping my thoughts around the play. On the one hand, most of the script is exciting as it uses a beginning acting class as a canvas for five characters to explore themselves and their relationships. Hold on there, I said most of the script. The rest of the script is static and tells us the story instead of letting it unfold.

The acting is fine and the ensemble consisting of Ford Flannnagan, Maggie Horan, Kelly Kennedy, Daniel Moore, and Erin Thomas-Foley manage to wring some very poignant moments out of the abstract exercises the students go through. If you’ve never gone through beginning acting classes they are a bit different than you would imagine. While you may think the instructor would give you scripts from classic plays, the truth is, you spend a great deal of time learning how to communicate through gibberish or to physically recreate inanimate objects. In the play the word “goulash” is half of a conversation and one of the actors is asked to portray a baseball glove.

The artificiality of the studio allows the characters to dig a little deeper into their backgrounds. One of the exercises is for each of the characters to assume the persona of another. This allows us to get their backstories in a series of episodes spread out through the play. We view one relationship start and then unravel and another one spiral downward and see how the characters protect themselves and re-start their lives.

On the technical side, Chris Raintree’s set functions very well. It is completely believable as a multi-purpose room in a small town recreation center. Mathew Landwehr’s lights move from washes to blackouts in order to mark passing time. Sarah Grady continues to do excellent costumes.

Director Steve Perigard has given us an intelligent well-cast play that on paper should be one I enthusiastically endorse. However, having said that, CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION just doesn’t completely catch my fancy. I didn’t find much to laugh at, although there were several people in the audience who were laughing. I also found the length to be a problem. At nearly two hours I would have preferred to have an intermission instead of running the play straight through.

Even with the quibbles I have with the play, I still think it has more to recommend than not. It is also the kind of new play that showcases talented playwrights and explores the human condition through diverse approaches. Discerning theatregoers owe it to themselves to take a look – it just very well could be your cup of tea.

CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION runs through May 22 at the Barksdale Willow Lawn.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

ART Shines For Sycamore Rouge and Richmond Shakespeare

2011-04-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

The other evening I was one of the people in attendance at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, not to take in the Picasso exhibit, but to view the co-production between Sycamore Rouge and Richmond Shakespeare of ART by Yasmina Reza. I viewed the play through a kaleidoscope of memories and emotions as I returned to the place that was my home for two years. For those of you who are unaware, and there really is no reason for you to know, I took a couple of years off from my critic duties in order to serve TheatreVirginia as their Public Relations Manager and resident Dramaturg.

Those last two years were an amazing time in my life for a number of reasons and just walking into that space and seeing so many old friends was overwhelming. But, no one is interested in walking down memory lane, so let’s forget the déjà vu and examine the work at hand.

ART is the story of three best friends who hate each other as only best friends can do. One friend, Yvan, is getting married and has recently taken his first tenuous steps to adulthood by accepting a job selling stationery supplies. Yvan is the lovable goof of the friends – a good time Charlie who most likely will never grow up. Yvan is played by David White who shows the character’s juvenile tendencies by whining, and even by crawling around on the floor while throwing a fit.

Marc, played wonderfully by d.l. Hopkins, drips condescension and sarcasm. Marc is the pure intellectual of the bunch – the superego to Yvan’s id, and as we shall see in a minute, Serge’s ego. Hopkins is highly polished and a consummate performer.

J. Ron Fleming as Serge, starts the play in motion by purchasing a contemporary abstract painting, a field of white on a white canvas with subtle lines. Serge is delighted with his acquisition, but Marc cannot understand what he sees in the painting. This triggers a war of words between the friends threatens to end their relationship unless they can find a way to bridge their differences.

On the technical side, Lindy Bumgarner’s costumes work very well as to Brittany Diliberto’s lights. However, having said that, there were a few times when actors delivered lines in the darkness but I wasn’t sure if they missed their marks or there was a light malfunction.

I really enjoyed Keith Saine’s set – comfortable chairs with a functional bar with narrowing walls that offers the painting a predetermined focal point. It was a nice framing device, offering each of the men a different style chair to reflect their personality.

Director kb saine has crafted a witty production that would be deserving of a viewing simply because it is the first play to be presented in the Leslie Cheek Theatre at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in something like eight years. But even if you strip away the nostalgia factor, you have a well done play that will make you laugh and think – sometimes at the same time. If you missed ART at the museum it is moving to Sycamore Rouge in Petersburg. Regardless of wherever you see it, I believe you will enjoy it.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Waiting for Godot - and waiting and waiting...

2011-04-20T04:31:00.000-07:00

Over the years there’s been a lot of ink spilled in describing Samuel Beckett’s WAITING FOR GODOT, now playing at Henley Street Theatre. I’ve read a lot of them – the play ushered in new approaches in playwriting and the show has baffled audiences since the 1950’s. Anybody that has gone through theatre grad school has read about the French premiere and the first productions done in prisons. For some reason the prisoners immediately and viscerally understood a play about waiting for someone or something that just never shows up.

A quick note on the pronunciation. Americans have always pronounced the name “GA-doh” while the playwright insisted it be pronounced “GOD-oh.” I’m not really invested in either way, but if Henley Street Theatre is going to call it “GOD-oh,” then for the purposes of this review, so will I.

There’s probably little need to re-hash what happens or doesn’t happen during the course of the evening. Two vaudeville style hobos, Estragon and Vladimir, played by Bob Jones and Bob Nelson respectively, meet near a tree to wait for someone. While they pass the time, they discuss the mundane and the philosophical, the low-brow and the high falutin’. Jones and Nelson are a lot of fun as they perform in a music hall style, think Laurel and Hardy or Chaplin and Chester Conklin.

They are joined by Pozzo and Lucky, played by Foster Solomon and Jerome Weiss. Pozzo is a wealthy giant of a man who orders his slave around with gusto and relishes his conversation with Estragon in the first act. Solomon is great in an over the top role while Weiss is heartbreaking as the old slave trying to hang on by a very slender thread.

Rounding out the cast is David Millman as Godot’s messenger boy. I believe this is the young man’s second notable role, and I think his career is off to a great start.

The set by Jeff Clevenger and James Ricks is sufficiently desolate, Andrew Bonniwell’s lights are good, and Sarah Jarrell’s costumes are elegant and run down at the same time. Director James Ricks has found a variety of nuances that keeps the audience in the story. The everyman characters remind us of our own lives as we search for and ultimately wait for our own Godot.

Normally at this point I might warn you about putting too much faith in the so-called masterpieces of theatre. In many cases these plays have become tired and people go to see them just because they know the name of the play and therefore feel they must like the play because it’s a classic. In my opinion, that’s generally a reason to be suspicious and to use caution when approaching the pay. In the case of this production of Waiting for Godot, the play weathers the test of time very well and you would be lucky to sit with Estragon and Vladimir awhile and wait to see who comes down the lane to join them.

Maybe this time, he’ll show up.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Quilters Arrives at Swift Creek Mill

2011-04-15T02:43:00.000-07:00

There are certain plays that just seem like, well, Richmond somehow. I think of A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline certainly, and Pump Boys and Dinettes, the Smoke on the Mountain trilogy, and maybe the most Richmond of all would be QUILTERS, which is now showing at Swift Creek Mill Theatre. It’s the story of facing life, perseverance, work, survival, and the preservation of memories on pieces of 12 by 12 cloth. While QUILTERS has a few speeches about life on the prairie, but it could have just as easily taken place in the Appalachian Mountains or anywhere in a rural environment.

QUILTERS centers around the lives of mother Sarah McKendree Bonham played by Jacqueline Jones and daughters played by Ali Thibodeau, Emily Cole, Katy Burke, T’Arah Craig, Audra Honaker, and Brittany Simmons. Of course the ensemble doubles as fathers, boyfriends, and husbands, but rarely in an overly campy way – more in a playful way, a nod and a wink kind of way.

The play is also about creation and art. If you’ve never looked at a quilt up close, you’ve missed the intricacies of the stitching; some so tight you wonder how the quilter was able to get so many into so small a space. You’ve also missed the way the artist takes fabric – new as well as recycled, and used that to create a pattern that evokes mood as well as shape. The recycled fabric triggers stories of the original garment and the circumstances that surround it.

On a side track – what else is new – that’s what theatre and theatre artists do on a nightly basis, they take their emotions and their stories and recycle them for us, taking us along their journeys, amazing us, thrilling us, and helping us connect with our deeper selves. Thank God for artists – they bring so much life into this world.

Speaking of artists, Joe Doran is one of the people who makes this show come to life. His stages are always impeccably lit and QUILTERS is no exception. He offers up danger through fire, and despair for one of the daughters, and joy just with subtle shades of light. Maura Lynch Craveys’ costumes are delightful and capture the simple dresss very well. Paul Deiss continues to prove that he is an excellent musical director, making his ensemble sound like a spirited hoedown. It’s no easy task in the intimate confines of Swift Creek to produce great music without overpowering the singers and Deiss walks the tightrope with nary a slip.

Set Designer and Director Tom Width has woven together several different stories into one almost seamless production. Just as the individual panels are assembled to create a new, larger quilt, Width has taken each separate element and combined it to tell a broader and deeper story. QUILTERS is one of those plays that I am always delighted to revisit, and somehow in the frontier feeling Swift Creek Mill, it seems to be even more poignant and touching. I’m already waiting for the next version to see what changes may come down the pike.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Delightful Devil Boys From Beyond at RTP

2011-04-12T14:07:00.000-07:00

Oh, those poor folks of Lizard Lick, Florida. Aside from the questionable logic behind living in a town called Lizard Lick, there’s been a whole host of strange behavior going on at night. When one of them new fangled flying spaceships crashes into a local garage spewing terra cotta tiles in all directions, it sets into motion Matilda van Buren and Lucinda Marsh, two of the most famous reporters of the times along with the alcoholic photographer ex-husband of van Buren.

These are the events that kick off DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND, the delightful recent off-Broadway comedy now playing at the Richmond Triangle Players. DEVIL BOYS is a scream, a pastiche of many of the great 1950’s sci-fi flicks mixed with some of the techniques developed by the late great Charles Ludlum for his Ridiculous Theatre Company. Using the back drop of the 1950’s it’s easy to add in disparate elements like gender roles, approaches to social issues, good looking men in very tight shorts, pop culture references, and others in order to create a rollicking laugh a minute farce.

The two reporters, Matilda van Buren and Lucinda Marsh are played by Tommy Callan and Thomas Cunningham respectively, and each has had a recent previous run in a cross gendered role. Callan played Chicklet in Charles Busch’s Psycho Beach Party, and Cunningham played Juliet’s Nurse in Romeo and Juliet. It can be a great acting challenge to portray a member of the opposite sex – one must learn how to move differently, gesture, talk without terrible affectations, and in Callan’s case sing and dance in a nice pair of pumps.

Also turning in fun cross gendered performances are Timothy Goad as Florence Wexler and Steve Moore as Dottie Primrose. These two eighty-year young “ladies” have become the vessels for the Devil Boy’s offspring. Goad has made a career in drag, while Moore, a well-known performer around town has assured me this is the first time he has ever performed as a woman.

Other good performances were turned in by Ryan Bechard as the alcoholic photographer, Bill Brock as the newspaper publisher, and the tandem of Kevin Cisek and Trey Harrison as the titular DEVIL BOYS.

These kinds of shows are often performed in East Village nightspots – small spaces where a backdrop becomes a set and all your props can be packed in a small trunk. The costumes are often the most elaborate part of the show and here, Rebecca Cairns and Ann Hoskins have assembled some wonderful costumes. Johnny Kernisky’s lights are great, John Knapp and Daniel Jason’s props and set work well, and the backdrop designed by B.T. Whitehill sets the mood of the play nicely.

Director James Alexander Bond has taken a little time in between stints with Richmond Shakespeare to mix up these ingredients into a crazy evening that will have you laughing from the opening moments to well past the curtain call. It has been awhile since I flat out laughed so hard at a production. The little slice of delicious wickedness known as DEVIL BOYS FROM BEYOND is highly recommended.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Something Intangible Plays at Firehouse

2011-04-11T13:36:00.000-07:00

What is it about movies and plays that take a look at the behind the scenes goings on of movies and theatre that make them so fascinating – even to people who don’t normally inhabit that world? Maybe it’s a chance to peek behind the curtain of illusion, to look through the smoke and mirrors and see how the magician accomplishes his trick. For me, it’s because these works celebrate the thing that most interests me – the spark of creation.

In many cases, creation needs a midwife to help deliver it and often the result is a bumpy co-existence between the artist and the person who keeps the project running even when everyone else has abandoned it. That’s the case of brothers Tony and Dale Winston – based on real life siblings Walt and Roy Disney; one handled the art, the other the finances, and who were constantly at war with one another.

SOMETHING INTANGIBLE, now playing at the Firehouse Theatre Project is a fictionalized account exploring the two brothers at their best – and worst – as they came together to create what Walt Disney anticipated being his masterpiece – Fantasia. Tony Winston, as played by Adrian Rieder, is brash, driven, completely over the top, and the fantasy world he has created to surround himself with is more delicate than he would like to admit. This Winston Brother is insecure – he counts the number of times Bob Hope does a joke about him – and wants to be known as an artist, not the creator of the children’s animation, Petey Pup.

But the trick is, this is Tony Winston as seen by his brother Dale, played by Billy Christopher Maupin. Dale tells us the story as a series of sessions with his psychiatrist Sonia, played by Lauren Leinhaas-Cook. I like the fact that she stays on stage the entire time, reminding us that the play takes place entirely within the confines of her office. Dale is free to explore feelings and thoughts about his brother, the rest of his family, and his lot in life in a safe and embracing nature.
Rounding out the cast is Jay Welch as Leo, a young animator who has bears the brunt of Tony Winston’s ire, and Frank Creasy playing both the banker Bartelli and the music maestro Meyerhoff. Creasy proves that he is one of the best character actors working today in these two 180-degree roles.

Ed Slipek Jr’s set mixes styles, giving us the feel of the Hollywood pioneers mixed with the cool neutrality of the psychiatrist’s office. He’s also included some very well-written notes about his process, and as an avid theatre goer, I’d like to go on record to request more designers and dramaturgs to do likewise. I appreciate the Firehouse’s notes on the playwright as well. Geno Brantley’s lights are good as are Rebecca Cairns’ costumes. Trevor Wright’s subtle sound design offers us the bridge between reality and the sounds that live in Tony’s mind.

SOMETHING INTANGIBLE is another sold offering for director Bill Patton and the Firehouse Theatre Project. An intelligent study on the power of family, destiny, and the price one pays for the spark of creation.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Almost Maine a Fun Show For Chamberlayne Actors Theatre

2011-04-05T13:40:00.000-07:00

ALMOST MAINE, now playing at the Chamberlayne Actors Theatre, is one of those quirky plays in the tradition of works like Greater Tuna, in which a small ensemble brings to life an entire town in a series of vignettes. While Tuna relies on theatrical acrobatics and a farce like frenetic pace to drive it forward, ALMOST MAINE takes a more leisurely pace and it’s collection of cuckoos show us what’s happening at 9:00 one winter’s evening all over town.

There are lovers, current and ex, wedding celebrants, grieving widows seeking redemption from the Northern Lights, best friends and fighting couples among the townspeople who in each scene struggle to find ways to connect with one another under a clear sky peppered with stars. While the play is contemporary, it has that small town Norman Rockwelll feel and somehow makes the logic of the further away you get from a person, the closer you become actually make sense.

The ensemble cast consisting of Tara Callahan, Abigail Davis-Hess, Trevor Kimball, Gregg Rogerson, and Art Trotter turns in a great combined effort, each person finding one or more characters that will make you laugh or tug on your heart. The trick with this kind of play is to find some memorable way to make each character distinct and then be able to change into the next character while slipping into a new costume and make it all fit in a matter of scant seconds. It’s no easy feat.

Lin Heath’s set is strong and Alan Armstrong’s lights add a great deal to the production. His collection of stars reminded me of a thousand eyes watching over the denizens of this small hamlet tucked away in the northernmost spot on the east coast. Charlotte Scharff’s costumes are functional – much of it reminiscent of an LL Bean catalog. Buddy Bishop’s sound design is solid and for once I would like to single out a stage manager, Christy Hudson, for the job she had field marshaling all of the different elements that went into making up this production.

Director Amy Berlin has managed to find ways of delivering humor with poignancy. In her hands the material becomes layered and her actors have found subtleties that add greatly to the evening’s experience. Anyone who thinks directing comedy is easy should try it some time; so many things can go wrong and bring the whole kit and caboodle crashing down.

I like to think of ALMOST MAINE like an old fashioned record album. Each story is like a song, some up tempo, others a ballad. Some striving for a light touch, others a little heavier. And like in the old days when you had to get up and turn the record over, a strong opening song that actually made you care about the second half.

ALMOST MAINE is a welcome addition to the local theatre scene and is as delightful as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold evening. On a beautiful Richmond spring evening, you’ll swear you hear ice crunch beneath your boots and see your breath make little clouds in front of your face. It may be a cold winter’s evening, but it’ll warm your heart.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

A Thousand Clowns Hits Hanover Tavern

2011-03-19T16:28:00.000-07:00

I know it’s been 30 years or more since I caught the movie version of A Thousand Clowns starring Jason Robards, probably at the old Biograph Theatre, and even longer since I read the play. So when Barksdale Hanover Tavern announced it as part of their season, I really had no attachment to the play except to vaguely remember it and knowing I had liked it but wasn’t all that bowled over by it. All I can say is what a difference 30 years make, because I am completely head over heels in love with this production.

Let’s start with a playwright, Herb Gardner, who should be far better known than he is. After all, the guy also wrote I’m Not Rappaport which has gathered up its share of awards over the years. He also wrote Theives, Conversations With My Father, and the movie Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? Gardner managed to capture not only the manic, never grow up Peter Pan side of his main character Murray Burns, but the darker painful side of having to surrender a piece of one’s self for the greater good. Once that landslide starts, can Burns maintain his sanity?

Murray is a loveable schlub played with gusto by Scott Wichmann. This is another vehicle for Wichmann to let loose, but he is also able to reign in the madness when Murray gets too close to the edge. He’s forced to find a job and to show some signs of stability or he’ll lose his nephew Nick, played delightfully by newcomer Eric Brenner, to New York’s Social System.

The rigid Social System is embodied by the perfectly uptight David Janeski who looks like he would rather die than crack a smile. He becomes the perfect target for Manic Murray, and Janeski more than holds his own with Wichmann. His partner is newly graduated with a shiny doctorate Sandra Markowitz played by the wide-eyed Ally Wepplo, who in the space of one home visit manages to fall out of love, into love, lose a job, and gain a wider understanding of the world of relationships.

Rounding out the cast is John Moon as agent brother Arnold Burns who keeps pitching Murray to every television show out there. Back in the day when most television was live and had not yet been infested with reality shows, the comedy writer was in great demand. Last, but certainly not least, is Jeff Clevenger as Leo Herman, the host of a kiddie show and the antithesis of what Murray wants to do. Clevenger is a scream with his insecurities mixed with bravado, yet he is Burns’ best chance of growing up in time to keep his nephew out of the system.

Terrie Powers’ set is remarkable – chock full of those little things that makes a boys room a boys room, no matter what the age is. When the time comes for Murray’s apartment to disappear and transform into a high rise office building, it happens in a snap. Marcia Hailey’s costumes put us right in the early sixties, pre Beatlemania.

Director Steve Perigard has put together the kind of show you might want to watch twice, just so you can kick back and enjoy.

A Thousand Clowns – yes sir, that’s my baby.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

2011-03-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

I am not even sure where to start in order to describe The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, a co-production of Henley Street Theatre and the Richmond Triangle Players, and presented as an entry into the Acts of Faith Festival. Like the play itself, there are so many swirling thoughts and ideas running through my head and I’m not sure if any single thought should take precedence over another.

The central premise of the play is simple, but ultimately electrifying in its purity – does God’s love extend to all creatures, even the most pitiable? In other words, does heaven’s embrace hold in its arms one Judas Iscariot, the disciple who betrayed Christ? After all, Judas has been vilified by most theologians and writers – in fact – hey spoiler alert here – in Dante’s Inferno, the lowest part of hell was reserved for Judas as the man who turned his back on Christ.

Playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis has created the opportunity for debate – not by scholars, but by the actual individuals by setting the play inside a courtroom on Purgatory where the damned and the almost damned come to plead their respective cases, all in the hopes of leaving and going to heaven. It takes a special writ to start the play and there is a snag, the defendant doesn’t want to take part in his own defense.

Last Days has some amazing acting throughout the play, starting with Jill-Bari Steinberg who starts the play as Judas’ mother. Her monologue is heart wrenching and immediately sets the tone. David Clark completely disappears into his character, the prosecuting attorney Yusef El-Fayoumy, Christopher Dunn, who is fine as the Judge, also delivers an outstanding performance as Caiaphas The Elder. Ronnie Brown as Pontius Pilate owns the stage and Vinnie Gonzalez as Satan also turns in a top performance.

Some other noteworthy performances include Doug Jones as Sigmund Freud, Kristen Swanson as Mother Teresa, and Jennie Meharg as defense attorney Fabiana Aziza Cunningham, who brings her very difficult background into the courtroom.

But the acting boils down to a few moments between Jesus and Judas, as played by Jesse Mattes and Logaan Bennett respectively. The final scene in the play, the culmination of this intellectual argument is settled in a non-verbal plateau that left this critic breathless. It was a bold moment and one that will live a long time in my memory.

Kudos to Lighting Director Andrew Bonniwell for framing these beautiful moments – illuminating some things in harsh light while giving other moments the soft caresses that memory deserves. Brian Barker’s set is a jumbled collection, sort of Night Court of the Damned with few places to escape the chaos. James Ricks’ sound is good and the costumes by Shannon Bohn McCallister successfully mix Biblical attire with modern day clothing.

Director Bo Wilson has once again chosen a challenging and ultimately satisfying project to bring to life. Already an accomplished director, he demonstrates a true command of the stage and creates a magical experience. The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a wonderful evening of theatre that is guaranteed to start many arguments – just the kind of play the Acts of Faith hopes to attract every year.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Legacy of Light Shines at Barksdale

2011-02-12T01:36:00.000-08:00

(This is how my review ran on WCVE Public Radio. I'm going to have more to say about this play than I could squeeze in to three minutes. It's coming soon, just bear with me, please.)

I’ve been sitting in front of my keyboard trying to write a coherent review of the Barksdale Willow Lawn’s production of Karen Zacharias’, LEGACY OF LIGHT, for the last few days. Everything I’ve written just sounds hollow and hackneyed when I compare it to the beauty of this amazing play. The simple truth is this is a wonderful play – one of those rare delights that entertains you, enlightens you, and has the potential to transform you for the better.

The story revolves around two brilliant women separated by two and half centuries and the crises they faced while trying to balance the demands of family with those of science. The scientist from the past is real – her name is Emilie du Chatelet – and some of her writings are still in vogue in her native France. Her translation of Newton is THE definitive translation and it was not published until ten years after her death. Her mentor and lover Voltaire once wrote that du Chatelet was “a great man whose only fault was being a woman.”

As a woman she was not allowed to publish under her own name and so only Voltaire and a select few actually knew about her genius during her lifetime. Jump ahead a couple of centuries and we find another brilliant scientist who may have discovered the earliest recorded evidence of a planet being formed. Of course it will take about a million years or so to see if she’s right, but that’s a small price to pay.
Either of these stories provides enough raw material for the play, but when Zacharias collides these two worlds with the force of solar winds, we get an extraordinary work that is incredibly moving as it examines childbirth from different perspectives, one when science makes it possible and one where it could wind up a death sentence. So the play becomes a meditation on motherhood, family, love vs sex, science, immortality and one’s place in history.

Tamara Johnson is superb as du Chatelet, balancing a new lover with her previous lover and obvious soul mate Voltaire, played wonderfully by Larry Cook. It is often difficult for contemporary actors to capture the mannerisms and stylistic movements of previous centuries, but Cook does so flawlessly while taking his already top notch acting to a new level. Johnson and Cook have amazing chemistry and they act as if they’ve been together for years.

Patricia Duran is outstanding as Olivia, the brilliant scientist who after discovering a mass that may one day become a planet AND surviving Stage 4 ovarian cancer, decides to start a family with her down to earth husband, Peter, played by Ricardo Melendez.

Betsy Muller’s set is nothing short of amazing as she incorporates a silhouette of the tree of life, sun dial markings, a bed that disappears and a couple of small hiding spots into a brilliant collection of beauty and functionality. When coupled with Lynn Hartman’s gorgeous lights that take us from twinkling starlight to the brilliance of day and you have a one-two triumph. Theresa Bush’s impeccable costumes and Derek Dumais’ sound complete the technical side.

Director Bruce Miller has put together one of the finest productions of the season. It would be a shame to miss this exquisite work of art.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Once On This Island Light Up Swift Creek Mill

2011-02-03T05:07:00.000-08:00

It’s difficult to imagine a more delightful evening of theatre than Swift Creek Mill’s presentation of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty’s ONCE ON THIS ISLAND. Director Tom Width told the audience he’s been waiting a long time to bring this play to life, and the wait was definitely worth it as he has assembled a wonderful cast, led by Kris Roberts as TiMoune, Durron Tyre as Daniel Beauxhomme, and Karla Brown as Mama Euralie.

From the moment you step into the theatre, you are transported to this magical isle, “the jewel of the Anntilles,” where the play takes place. Width, who doubles as the set designer has created the island by simply opening up his entire stage, allowing Scenic Painting Designer Mercedes Schaum to add colors that bring the Caribbean world to life, and has Lighting wizard Joe Doran use gorgeous colors to make the world shimmer in the daylight and drop off to deep shadows at night. Add in Maura Lynch Cravey’s impeccable costumes and you have most of the ingredients for a great show.

The play, which is based on the novel My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy, tells a Romeo and Juliet style love story, mixed in with the magic of islands. When TiMoune asks for a good man to love, the Gods who watch over her life laugh, but grant her wish. But when the Gods grant your wish, it’s never a simple gift, and a great deal of heartache follows.

If you are unfamiliar with storytelling from this part of the world, trust me when I tell you it is a rich and cherished tradition and it is well represented in this play.

The music is amazing, sweeping rhythms that pull you in and mesmerize you with their sensuousness. Musical Director Paul Deiss has assembled a six-piece orchestra that sounds much larger, and the music fills every square inch of the theatre and makes even the most sedate want to get up and move. But leave the moving to the actors utilizing Leslie Owens-Harrington’s inspired choreography. Any musical in her hands is going to have more than a fighting chance to achieve greatness.

ONCE ON THIS ISLAND is a great addition to the rich tradition of excellent Richmond productions. I cannot think of any major faults associated with this production. If you are a regular theatre-goer, this production is probably already on your radar. If you are not a regular theatre attendee, then this is the kind of production that you should definitely go see. Swift Creek Mill has even added a collection of art work in its dining area to get you in the mood for a trip to the sunny Caribbean.

See it to put a little sunshine in your life in the middle of a dreary winter. See it because you love good musical theatre. See it because you want a night out and want to do something different. Whatever reason you can come up with is good enough for me. Just get out and see it, you won’t be disappointed.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

The Fiddler's House at Chamberlayne Actors Theatre

2011-01-27T12:41:00.000-08:00

Anybody who thinks that a theatre critics’ life is all champagne openings, truffles, and rubbing elbows with elegant sophisticated people should see how I’ve agonized over writing the review for THE FIDDLER’S HOUSE, the Acts of Faith Festival offering for the Chamberlayne Actors Theatre. Over the last couple of years I’ve not been a big supporter of the festival as I consider every act of theatre an act of faith. But this year I’ve re-evaluated my thoughts and realized that the festival brings a large number of people to the theatre who wouldn’t normally attend, and they discuss thoughts and feelings in a rational and non-threatening manner. And I’m all for rational discussions.

You see, I didn’t care much for THE FIDDLER’S HOUSE. I found the script to be predictable and the acting to be below the level to which I’ve become accustomed to at Chamberlayne. But despite my misgivings about the piece, the fact that a locally written piece got produced with the playwright serving as director is to be greatly appreciated. There are very few places where a playwright can realize her dreams of being produced, let alone be presented with the opportunity to direct the play – thus making it more likely to achieve the vision that took shape when the play was created.

To me, the words are sacred. That’s why I am often tougher on the playwright than my colleagues. I am not familiar with Sheryle Criswell, who wrote the play, but according to her notes, she wrote this in a three week period. I’ve seen fast writers who get into a groove and the work sort of takes on a life of its own. Many writers whom I admire have said that they often feel like they are merely reporters, watching their characters unfold and putting their lives down on paper. That’s mostly at the beginning of the process. After that initial stage comes the incredibly difficult work, shaping and polishing the work until it stands complete.

But you’re not listening to this (or reading it on my blog) in order to get my thoughts on Playwriting 101. You want to know whether the play is worth going to see. The answer to that, at least from me, will always be yes. I would like for you to go see this play. I would like for you to go see every play. The more plays you visit as an audience member, the more things we will have to discuss when we meet at intermission. You may very well disagree with my assessment of THE FIDDLER’S HOUSE, and we can respectfully discuss what each of us saw. That’s kind of the point behind the Acts of Faith.

Chamberlayne has made its own Act of Faith this year, choosing to produce all Richmond premieres for its season. That’s an extremely brave leap to do that. None of the plays they’ve chosen has that marquis appeal that is going to guarantee big box office. They need people to take a chance that they are going to deliver the goods, and I for one, am pulling for them to do so.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

This Beautiful City Shines at Triangle Players

2011-01-21T02:40:00.000-08:00

It’s taken me a longer time to write a review of THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY, the Acts of Faith entry now playing at the Richmond Triangle Players. I always like to have a few days to think about a piece, formulate my thoughts, and then prepare what I hope will be a well-reasoned story celebrating the magic of theatre; but this piece has taken a week to scribble down, and I’m still nowhere near exhausting my thoughts on this powerful story.

Created by a group called The Civilians much in the manner of The Laramie Project, this group spent time interviewing the citizens of Colorado Springs, Colorado; which has been call “The Evangelical Capital of the World.” The group was examining what it meant to be evangelical and exploring the growth of mega-churches created by James Dobson and Ted Haggard. Yes, that Ted Haggard who was caught in a drug and sex scandal and then tried to lie his way out of it.

This Beautiful City managed to do something that is pretty rare these days – if fooled me with a change of direction as I thought the second act would be dogpile on Ted time, but the playwrights, while touching on the subject, actually developed a parallel story about a pastor who faced a similar crises, admitted he was homosexual, was banished from his church, and who rose again as a more powerful voice within the Christian community.

The ensemble that makes up the cast – each person playing several different roles, is very tight. Each person has more than one standout role, and they are able to create these characters with subtle changes in clothing and props. Andrew Hamm truly makes an impact with his different characters, moving chameleon-like through a Jewish Air Force officer, a balladeer, a writer trying to bring down the evangelicals, and others. Scott Melton is an eerie Ted Haggard, Tarnee Kendell Hudson does fantastic street girls, an Emmanuel Choir Member and Ben Reynolds. Christy Mullins and Lanaya Burnette show up in a variety of roles, and Jason Campbell gives the play its heart and soul in the space of one monologue.

Philip Milone’s set is all space and platforms – elevating positions while still allowing space for movement. K. Jenna Ferree’s lights are dead on – keeping her actors lit for emphasis, Ashley Davis’ costumes serve well as character definers, and Kim Fox does a great job serving as Musical Director and playing the piano during the show.

John Knapp’s direction is crisp, there is little if any lag time between scenes. The pace builds and takes you along on this journey of discovery. Notice too, the way he presents his performers – those that favor one political side enter on the right, others on the left, with some crossing the stage playing both sides. It’s a nice, subtle touch to help further reveal his characters.

THIS BEAUTIFUL CITY is one of those rare plays that are entertaining and still make you think and explore your own feelings. It is a testament to the power of theatre that will cause more debates than solve. The play has a short run, so do not wait to catch it – make the time to see this one.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

The Winter's Tale Wins At Gottwald Playhouse

2010-12-18T05:31:00.000-08:00

“A sad tale is best for winter,” says young prince Mamillius as he prepares to entertain his pregnant mother with a story. One of Shakespeare’s later plays, The Winter’s Tale is a story of obsession that leads to tragedy, softened by a pastoral interlude, and redemption. It’s a romance and a comedy, and the current production, offered up by the joint talents of Richmond Shakespeare and Henley Street Theatre Companies is a good way to spend a cold winter’s night.

The title alone is a clue to the evening. “A winter’s tale,” was slang for an old wive’s tale, or a story not to be taken too seriously. Director James Ricks has focused on much of the fun and allowed the music and dancing to take center stage for a couple of extended scenes. The first three acts set up the tragedy as Leontes, played by Adrian Rieder, suspects his wife of adultery and charges her with treason.
Rieder is an intense actor and his rage fuels much of the play. While he is easy to believe in the role, his over-the-top delivery sometimes masks some of his lines and it becomes difficult to follow his language. Still, with his body language and vocal intonations, it is impossible to miss his pain. Laura Rocklyn as Queen Hermione goes from happy to accused to condemned faster than just about anyone in classical literature and she manages to pull off the roller coaster run very well.

In supporting roles, the tandem of Jamie Rees and Freddy Kauffman alone are worth the price of admission. Rees plays a couple of different characters including the peddler and he plays them with real verve. I was delighted by his comedic timing and by his fine singing voice. Kauffman also plays a variety of characters, and his performance in the role of Time is a real standout, and his encounter with a bear is a highlight.

Zoe Speas as Perdita shows real promise in her Richmond debut. She has a good pedigree from Williamsburg and hopefully will get a chance to take on some more roles here. Also making his local debut is David Millman who does well in the role of Mamillius.

Dennis Williams II’s set design offers the appearance of multiple locations with only a few changes of set pieces. Stairs, levels, and drapery offer the illusion of court, a shepard’s house, a tavern, among other locations. Sarah Grady’s costumes are contemporary in feel and Andrew Bonniwell’s lights are solid as ever, and a couple of moments his lights give the actors an otherworldly glow.

Special Mention goes to Terry Snyder’s puppet design, and when you see the puppet, you’ll understand why everybody is talking about it.

Ricks and companies have turned in a fine production, and since Winter’s Tale is one of those Shakespeare plays that are not often offered, you should take advantage of the situation and see the show.

One last note, the show is worth seeing as it is Jamie Rees’ farewell to Richmond show. After this, he plans on pulling up stakes and heading for New York. Rees has proven himself to be a fine character actor and good director. Anytime we lose someone of his talent is a shame, but I wish him the best.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Nunsense at Barksdale Hanover Tavern

2010-12-18T05:27:00.000-08:00

One of the problems associated with revisiting popular plays every so often is that people tend to compare the shows and therefore one will always be perceived as superior to the other. As a critic I’ve always tried to judge each play on its own merits and not compare one production against another – however. In the case of NUNSENSE, now playing at Barksdale Hanover Tavern, that is a difficult task. But I will try to judge this version solely on its merits and not on its lineage.

NUNSENSE is designed as a show about a fundraiser, but in reality, it’s an excuse to meet and get to know the nuns and learn a little something about their background and hear a few upbeat songs. In that regard it bears a striking resemblance to the recently completed Smoke On The Mountain trilogy. The power of NUNSENSE lies in the execution of the actors and their ability to connect with the audience on different levels. For example, as I made my way back to my seat at intermission, I found a couple of the actresses milling about and answering questions tossed at them by audience members. It was a nice touch.

This version of NUNSENSE seemed to take longer to get going. I wasn’t really drawn in until the second act. While I laughed at a few lines, I felt that the first act just spun its wheels trying to set up the tragedy at St. Helen’s which forced this fundraiser to take place.

The five actress ensemble works well together, with each getting one or more opportunities to shine. Doe-eyed Debra Wagner stands out as Sister Mary Amnesia who has absolutely no memory and the ability to try the patience of Mother Superior Mary Regina. Speaking of the Reverend Mother, Catherine Shaffner gives her all in the role and has one or two great comedic bits to offer. Shalimar Hickman-Fields is the long-suffering second in command Sister Mary Hubert. Ms. Hickman-Fields has an expressive face and a strong voice and she grounds the role in reality in order to let the others take a more farcical approach.

That would include Jan Guarino, the streetwise Sister Robert Anne who uses humor and her own background to reach her seventh graders. Guarino uses her strong comic abilities to bring this most complicated character to life.

Rounding out the cast is Brittany Simmons who gets a chance to show off some dance moves in her role as novitiate Sister Mary Leo.

On the technical side, I enjoyed the set designed by Terrie Powers and David Powers. The play is supposed to take place in a “gymatorium” set up for a middle school production of Grease, so the colors are bright, which helps with the stark black and white costumes designed by Lynn West.

Matthew Landwehr’s lights are okay – nothing too fancy, basically washes and spotlights, but they work well. Anthony Smith’s music is solid and Jan Guarino’s choreography is simple in keeping with the spirit of the play.

John Moon has pulled together a good group and his comedic timing is strong. NUNSENSE is a definite crowd pleaser and maybe that’s why it has been resurrected one more time.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

White Cristmas at The Empire

2010-12-18T05:23:00.000-08:00

Ah, those big splashy musicals. It always seems to bring everybody out in their finery as we settle back to enjoy a nostalgic look at a theatrical time capsule. I’ll admit that many times I will find myself swept up in the proceedings, enjoy myself, and then quickly forget much of the play I just saw. Then there are those Christmas chestnuts that are not roasting on an open fire – those that get trotted out every so often to appeal to our sentimental side.

Barksdale Theatre is giving us both of those types of shows at once with their latest production, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, which is playing at the Empire Theatre downtown. That in itself is kind of a nostalgic Richmond kick in the pants, trying to revive the experience of going downtown to see the city lit up with excitement. And it comes this close to succeeding…

Let me say right off the top that the audience sitting with me at the Empire loved this play. I am very distinctly in the minority with my opinion of the show. I have long found the book to this show, written by David Ives and Paul Blake, to be creaky and contrived. There are just too many coincidences, too many cutesy moments, too much treacle for my tastes. Some of the songs are among my favorites, so maybe there is some sort of balance there.

One thing shows like this need is chemistry. When a couple of actors have that spark of electricity, then it’s easier to get past some of the rough spots. As talented as leads Kevin Earley and Freddie Tyson Kimmel are, they just didn’t click for me. They do have good voices so their songs are fun and Kimmel is a heck of a dancer, but they never completely pulled me in. Their counterparts, Andrea Rivette and Michelle Lookadoo come off little better. Again both are terrific singers, and Lookadoo is a very good dancer, but the clichéd script reduces their believability.

I did find some nice performances in some of the supporting characters. I’ve been a fan of Kathy Halenda’s for years and her big brassy approach is a delight. Michael Hawke turns in a good performance as Ed Sullivan’s producer. Steve Moore chews up a great deal of scenery in his role as the ancient curtain man Ezekiel Foster. And little Taylor Richardson even manages to steal a few scenes.

Good technicals, with Ron Keller’s sets providing a great background, moving us from stages, trains, and barns with ease. Sue Griffin’s costumes are a lot of fun, especially when she gets a chance to create show-biz glitz. Lynne Hartman’s lights do a decent job. Derek Dumais’ sound design is strong, and Leilani Mork’s Musical direction is very strong.

Director and choreographer Pattie D’Beck is extremely talented and she has proven that she can handle these big splashy musicals with ease. I always look forward to them, even though I have reservations. I applaud the effort and the talent that went into the show, but other than a couple of performances and some better than average musical numbers, I’ve already forgotten it.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Comfort and Joy at Richmond Triangle

2010-12-18T05:18:00.000-08:00

They say that the holidays are the times when miracles occur, when magic is in the air and anything can happen. It’s also a statistical fact that the holidays are the time when people feel bitter disappointments and reach the bottom of depression. As you can see, the holidays are a double edged sword, and that in a nutshell sums up my feelings toward the Triangle Players latest production, COMFORT AND JOY.

It’s not that the play itself is bad, although it takes a little while to get cooking. Even though there is some very witty dialogue in the first act, the play sort of lumbers along. It’s not the actors’ fault; in fact I rather enjoyed Ford Flannagan as The Fairy. Flannagan once again shows his versatility as he assumes several roles throughout the play, allowing the audience to see those important scenes that were just outside the scope of the play.

I especially enjoyed Starlet Knight in her role of Doris Dobson, a straight-talking no-nonsense gal from Texas who wants the finest heterosexual life for her gay son. See, she’s never really cottoned to that phase he’s been going through for the past 28 years or so. And now she’s meeting her son’s partner for the first time, and it’s her first Christmas as a widow. Knight has impeccable comic timing and is a fearless performer.

The other actors are good – T. Ross Aitken is the depressed Victor whose marriage is breaking up, Trevor Kimball is the gay son trying desperately to climb the business ladder, be true to his partner, and make his mother happy. Keith Fitzgerald as the love interest, and Hilary Beard as Gina Pirelli, the long-lost sister with a little secret.

They’re all okay – but just okay. The energy just didn’t seem to come together at the level I was expecting.

On the technical side, David Allan Ballas has fashioned a terrific set, especially given the intimate setting that is the Triangle Players. Charlotte Scharf’s costumes are functional, although Flannagan’s costume is terrific, and one of the dresses that Knight wears is absolutely stunning. Jenna Ferree’s lights are solid, and even Constance Sisk’s sound is crisp and well-chosen.

Director Amy Berlin has fashioned a workable play, but somehow to me it just came up a little short. It’s almost as if playwright Jack Heifner thought to himself “what kind of stereotypes can I throw together at Christmas in order to wring out a few laughs and a little sentimentality.” Heifner is normally a very strong writer and I’ve enjoyed several of his plays over the years, but this one ends up feeling a little forced and clichéd.

Still, COMFORT AND JOY wrangles a recommendation for Flannagan and Knight. Flannagan works a crowd like few others can, and his earthy fairy grounds the play and makes us believe that some wishes can come true. Knight, on the other hand, is the protective dragon, trying hard to do right by her son while holding onto the dreams she’s carried with her for so long. I look forward to seeing what’s next for this talented performer.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Dixie Swim Club at Chamberlayne Actors Theatre

2010-10-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

For the last couple of years I have had the privilege of extoling the virtues of Chamberlayne Actors Theatre as they have presented a collection of entertaining and thought provoking fare. I really looked forward to each production with a certain amount of anticipation and rarely felt disappointed by their efforts. However, their current production, The Dixie Swim Club, fails to build on this momentum and instead ends up under utilizing the talents of cast and crew.

My first clue should have been the fact that three playwrights, Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, are given credit for writing the play. While many great plays have been written by two person teams – I can’t think of a single non-musical that has been written by a three person team. With three people, it is incredibly difficult to focus your attention in the right direction. And before you start throwing out stunt theatre like Oh, Calcutta, remember each playwright only contributed a solitary vignette, not the play’s throughline – its backbone if you will.

So how weak is the script? It reads like the playwrights spent most of their formative years watching sitcoms as they seem more interested in delivering punch lines than developing their characters. The story revolves around the yearly get together of a group of five women who at one time were all members of a school’s championship swim team. With a timespan of over 50 years, one would think there would be more exploration of the relationship and more growth. Instead, we are treated to two dimensional characters that spout occasionally funny lines but who miss the chance to make us care about the people behind the lines.

The five women ensemble is made up of some very talented actresses. Crystal Oakley, whom I’ve felt is one of the most underused character actresses in town, gets a rare run in a lead role. As the obsessive compulsive former captain of the titular, swim team, she organizes the get togethers , creates schedules, makes healthy snacks and demands punctuality and adheres to rules.

Leila Pendleton plays the plastic surgery obsessed Dinah, who is desperate to stay young at any cost. Each of her marriages last about three years and her comic self absorption serves as more than one punchline. As her polar opposite, the career driven Lexie, as played by Carolyn Hayes, gives these two a couple of good sparring sessions and one attempt at a dramatic scene.

The remaining characters, Sandra Clayton’s Jeri Neal, a former nun and Jacqueline Jones’ Vernadette, a down on her luck, other side of the tracks gal are basically there to add a little spice and throw in the occasional zinger. Both do their best to overcome the script’s limitations.

On the technical side, the beach cabin envisioned by Lin Heath and RoseMarie Mitchell is very good. I can almost feel the crunch of the sand that never seems to be completely swept up., Charlotte Scharff and Betty Williams contribute some decent costumes. Alan Armstrong’s lights and Joey Tran’s sound are okay but nothing spectacular.

Director Laurie Follmer has assembled a decent cast and crew, but was given a very weak script with which to work. I’ll be curious to see her next project as I think she showed some talent.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Who’s Afraid of Beebo Brinker When You’re Shipwrecked With A Foreigner?

2010-09-29T18:04:00.000-07:00

As I write this it’s a quiet night. The rain that’s been active all day is still dropping on the roof along with the occasional acorn that pings its way into my consciousness only to disappear back into the darkness. Once again I find myself over analyzing the theatre that’s being presented around town and I’ve hit upon an interesting connection between four of the current offerings.

Truth versus Illusion.

It’s that simple. It’s kind of like a little mini festival; a miniature version of the Acts of Faith. An Acts of Truth if you will. And that’s really how it should be.

You see, theatre is all about the truth – about recreating the truth and reenacting it on a nightly basis. It’s about finding the truth in a playwright’s words or an actor’s choices. It’s easy for those of us on the other side of the lights to point out that somebody missed a mark, but it’s truly bold and daring for an artist to open herself up to scrutiny by an audience over and over.

I have a lot of admiration for those artists and sometimes feel a little overwhelmed when I have to write about their journeys.

But I digress. Let’s look at some of the characteristics of the plays currently in town. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a searing and uncompromising look into the lives of four adults – two at the beginning of a career, two past the mid-way mark and heading to the finish line. The play is all about truth and masks – George and Martha deal with George’s position at the college, one that he freely attributes to his marriage to Martha, their constant drinking, and most deeply with their games, especially the game about the baby. (Interesting that Albee later named one of his plays, The Play About The Baby.) The rules of the game apply only to George and Martha and when Martha breaks the biggest rule, George is free to bring the game to a crashing halt. Martha’s destruction is total at the end of the play and we, the audience is left wondering what is the reality of the play and what is illusion?

The Beebo Brinker Chronicles also offers us a look into a real world wrapped in illusion. Those that live under the LGBT Rainbow are used to living with illusion. For how many years have the population been forced to look, act, and dress like the straight world in order to be treated as an equal? TBBC offers us a partial look at a world in which homosexuals are part of the landscape, maybe not a dominant part, but at least visible. Even within this world there are masks and illusions happening. In an early scene, Jack sneaks into the bar early to warn butch bartender Beebo not to “out” him to his friends. Jack has to tell Laura that he knows she is gay and that he is too. Laura at first fights the information until Jack persists and wins her trust.

TBBC is all about what people have to do in order to find their way in the world. Jack and Laura hatch a plan that allows them to take a position in the regular world while maintaining their identities in private. It could be a shaky alliance, but each knows how to be discreet without being false and they manage to make their mark in a world that would otherwise turn its back on them.

Most of my fellow Wizards have not responded to TBBC as favorably as I have. Each of us views a play through our own prism of experiences and will come to our own conclusions. While I feel that there are certain limitations with TBBC, I feel that it has a lot to offer in terms of acceptance and as a historical look at the LGBT community prior to the civil rights movement.

Then there is Shipwrecked! which is one giant examination of truth and illusion. In the world of Louis de Rougemont, there is nothing wrong with a tall tale as long as it brightens the world in which we live. If de Rougemont had written his tale as a novel, he might have been discussed in the same breath as Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, or even L. Frank Baum. But the world needs heroes, not necessarily fictional ones, so he cast himself in this amazing tale. Shipwrecked! collides the worlds of truth and illusion together and despite the world’s displeasure with de Rougemont, we can judge him less harshly and see him as a great storyteller who was cheered by the world and then consumed and forgotten.

Today, de Rougemont might produce Reality television shows (again deliberately blurring the line between truth and entertainment) or host a radio talk show. His ability to make illusion sound so much like the truth we want to hear is so great that he would no doubt find an extremely wide audience.

Finally, there is The Foreigner. It is the story of an English gentleman, a man who makes his living by using the English language, pretending not to speak any English so that he may disappear into the background. Like many farces, the playwright has to take his time creating the world of the play in the First Act in order to destroy it in the Second. Charley’s illusion is carefully built and as he acquires a personality, he finds his old inhibitions slipping away and they are replaced by self confidence and he is surrounded by people who genuinely love him.

I realize that this is a longer than usual missive and no, you didn’t hear it on my usual forum of discussion, WCVE Public Radio. Too many people would have switched their radio to another station by now and I thank you for the time we’ve had together. All four of these plays, plus Smoke On The Mountain Homecoming are running only for a limited time. Hopefully you’ll take the opportunity to see them, and then the next time we run into each other, tell me what you thought. I’d be interested to hear your take.

Smoke On The Mountain Homecoming at Hanover Tavern

2010-09-29T12:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Mom;

I’m sorry it’s been so long since I wrote to you, but things have been kind of crazy here in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina. And not just at the pickle factory either. See, since you and dad moved to Miami Beach to play shuffleboard all day, the Second World War ended (but you probably already knew that) and all the boys have come home. Do you remember that nice young Pastor Oglethorpe? He and his lovely bride June – she’s from the singing Sanders family – well they’re expecting their first bundle of joy any time now…

The latest production of Barksdale Hanover Tavern, Smoke On The Mountain Homecoming is so homey, it makes me feel like I’m back in one of my relative’s houses in the Blue Ridge Mountains sitting on the porch and listening to great bluegrass music served up on a background of chirping insects. The story brings us up to the end of World War II and all of the main characters have returned to their sleepy little town, but big changes are a-brewing.

Aside from the previously mentioned impending birth for the Oglethorpes, played winningly by Billy Christopher Maupin and Aly Wepplo, they are moving out of North Carolina and heading to Texas to take over the reins of a brand new church. Pastor Oglethorpe is having a little difficulty letting go of his long-time home, although he is truly excited about his new call.

The Sanders’, who have long run the local store and auto mechanics shop, have purchased the farm that Burl and Stanley grew up on, and now have become farmers. Burl is played by Drew Perkins, whose open sincere face works so well as the patriarch of the family. Not to mention his amazing ability to play just about any musical instrument put in front of him. Kelly Kennedy is Burl’s wife Vera, just as talented a performer and musician, Kennedy engages in a delightful scripture battle with Maupin during the first act.

The twins, Emily Cole and David Janeski have gone through big changes as well. Cole’s character, Denise has married “the cutest 4-F you ever saw,” and become the mother of twins herself. Janeski’s Dennis, has returned from the Pacific Theatre where he served in the Marines and will now become the next preacher of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. Janeski’s testimony is one of the most moving of the night and he continues to show great growth as an actor.

Eric Williams, as Stanley Sanders is the Prodigal Son, the man who left the family for bright lights and greener pastures, but found no satisfaction among them. Williams is truly an underrated actor and his monologue is the strongest of the evening and it resonated the longest in my memory.

The set by Terrie Powers and David Powers is good, with a subtle sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains giving us the sense of home. Marcia Miller Hailey’s costumes reflect the time and place very well, nothing out of place and Kenny Mullens’ lights – especially his stars – help reinforce the mood very well.

Director Bruce Miller has often said the Smoke On The Mountain trilogy is very personal with him, and he has brought it to a successful close.

Smoke On The Mountain Homecoming is highly recommended.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Swift Creek Mill Presents The Foreigner

2010-09-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

I think it’s safe to say that The Foreigner by Larry Shue is one of my all-time guilty pleasures. I know critics are supposed to be all hoity toity about what they like and never recommend something that is just plain fun. But the truth is, fun theatre is one of my favorite things to watch and if I’m having a good time, I really want the audience to have a good time as well. And The Foreigner, which is the current production of Swift Creek Mill Playhouse, is a ton of fun.

In the tradition of great farces, the plot is a little farfetched but somehow comes off as plausible in the world of the play. Sure, it’s a real common thing when a shy Englishman pretends to be from a foreign country who can’t speak any English. And all this would happen in a backwoods Georgia lodge populated by strange people. Sure, happens all the time.

Richard Koch is a master of hyperkinetic roles and he is in rare form throughout the play as Charlie Baker the too shy Englishman who wants to hide behind a wall of silence and ends up becoming everyone’s confessor. Along the way he encourages a dim witted young man who begins to gain confidence and come out of his shell.

The aforementioned dim witted young man is played by Jay Welch who has recently secured several strong supporting roles. He does a very credible job and even manages to steal several scenes and delight the audience while doing so.

The supporting cast really makes this show come to life. Bill Brock, normally a happy go lucky kind of guy, hysterically chews up the scenery right and left as a local klansman determined to rid his county of all things foreign – especially Charlie. Sarah Legere does a fine job as the ingénue who sees her life fall apart, but who manages to begin to rebuild it by the end of the play.

Jonathan Hardison is perfectly slimy as the Reverend David Lee, Legere’s fiancée and Brock’s partner in crime. Here Hardison gets a chance to show off his comedy chops. James Rees also turns in a fun performance as “Froggy” LeSeuer, Charlie’s good friend who dragged him into the wilds of rural Georgia.

Betty Meeks is funny as the aged owner of the lodge although she sometimes falls into the trap of continuing a scene while the audience is busy howling over a previous line. I know it’s tricky when laughter messes up an actor’s rhythm, but The Foreigner is so funny we want to hear every line.

On the technical side, Tom Width’s set is remarkable. The lobby of the lodge shows real depth and adds just a hint of mystery to the proceedings. Maura Lynch Cravey does a good job on the costumes and Joe Doran puts up a credible lighting design. Director Tom Width manages to keep the actors moving in constant motion throughout the play.

The Foreigner is a lot of fun, definitely worth the trip to Swift Creek. Recommended for anybody with a sense of humor.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Shipwrecked! Lands at Barksdale Willow Lawn

2010-09-22T05:50:00.000-07:00

Based on one of the strangest true stories I’ve ever encountered, Shipwrecked! The Amazing Adventures of Louis de Rougemont (As Told By Himself), now playing at Barksdale Willow Lawn, is a pure delight. Framed as an evening’s entertainment at a lecture hall, this is the story of a man who claims to have been shipwrecked on a desert island for 30 years where he learned how to ride sea turtles like a cowboy, and was taken in by a tribe of aborigines and worshipped as a Sea God – their words not his. Oh yes, along the way he saw a giant octopus pull a stray fishing boat under the ocean, have the ship he was sailing on get sucked into a whirlpool, learn an aboriginal language and save his people from destruction by putting warriors on stilts.

It is a marvelous night of storytelling with Joe Inscoe in rare ham-esque form in the title role. Inscoe takes on the role of de Rougemont and swallows it whole completely disappearing in the process. For the entire evening’s entertainment – which runs about 1 hour and 45 minutes, Inscoe gallivants, poses, pontificates, and spins an amazing yarn that transports the audience into another world.

Helping Inscoe are Carolyn Meade and Scott Wichmann assuming a variety of roles. Ship Captains, dogs, aboriginal tribesmen, Australian prospectors, magazine editors, moms and children are just some of the roles they take on. Shipwrecked would be worth it just because this is the first time that Inscoe and Wichmann have appeared in a play together. Two Richmond stalwarts and they’re finally together? It’s about time…

Brian Barker’s set is deceptive. The blank canvas allows the actors to move about a variety of spaces, from crowded London streets to lush tropical rainforests and everything in between. Helping the illusion along are videos provided by Randall Graves. Sue Griffin’s costumes add so much to the fun and Lynne Hartman’s lights move us from place to place with ease. Other mentions should go to Terry Snyder’s puppets, Terrie Powers’ puppets and props, and Amanda Durst’s vocal coaching.

Director John Moon has put together a winning team that can successfully blend a declamatory style of acting with some modern technical aspects.

But the night really belongs to Inscoe. If you’ve ever been fortunate enough to have to prepare a one-minute monologue as an audition piece and remember the amount of work you had to put in for that, imagine what Inscoe had to do to put together this evening. Aside from having to utilize his prodigious memory, he had to add in all of the physical aspects of the performance. For a guy that plays a lot of old codgers, Inscoe shows a lot of spirit and amazing stamina.

Add to that Wichmann at his finest. One of the best things about Wichmann is his versatility. He has an uncanny ability to move in and out of characters with the blink of an eye. His version of the faithful dog Bruno is heartwarming and many of his lesser characters still manage to wring emotions out of a few minutes on stage.

Shipwrecked! is a great evening of entertainment and well worth checking out.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

The Beebo Brinker Chronicles at Richmond Triangle Players

2010-09-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

The world of theatre is created from a variety of sources – real life, historical events, classic fiction; something you made up on the spot. In the case of The Beebo Brinker Chronicles, playwrights Kate Moira Ryan and Linda S. Chapman sculpted their play from three pulp novels by Ann Bannon. These novels were written for discriminating women who enhanced their lives through a little bit of fantasy. These books were popular in the fifties and as the culture changed during the sixties, these books faded, but their memories helped formed the experiences for a fair number of the GLBT community.

The problem with pulp literature is much of it was written as disposable works. These were written on a per hire basis with word counts and tight deadlines and most of the writers had no pretensions of creating art. Still, every once in a great while somebody would create a short story or a novel, or create a character that stands the test of time. Conan the Barbarian was created for pulp magazines, as was Doc Savage, Tarzan, and even Sherlock Holmes made his first appearance in a pulp magazine.

Is Beebo Brinker in that league? I guess it depends on your perspective. I have no connection to any of the source material so I can only judge the play in its present form.

Now playing at Richmond Triangle Players, The Beebo Brinker Chronicles tells the story of two women who part after college but remain connected through painful memories. Each wonders “what if” while going through other relationships. Neither can find the happiness they long for and each settles for less than they feel they deserve.

Kerry McGee does a solid job as Laura, the woman starting over in Greenwich Village – having been rejected by Beth, played by Heather Falks. Beth has repressed her true feelings and settled into a marriage with a man. Those repressed feelings grow and crystallize and before she knows it, she is leaving her husband and children and heading across the country to find what she once had.

The linking pin in the play is bartender Beebo Brinker, a woman who “knows everyone below 14th Street” and who ends up connected to both Laura and Beth. Beebo is played with verve by Emma Mason. At the beginning of the play, Beebo is assured, dominant, a towering figure that controls any situation. As the play progresses she softens, becomes more vulnerable – and shows real growth.

The men of the play, Justin Amellio as the flamboyant Jack is wonderfully over the top as he first acts as Laura’s protector and then finds a way for the two of them to join mainstream society. Amellio is a lot of fun. Matt Hackman turns in a strong performance as Beth’s confused husband who tries to be supportive even when he doesn’t understand the circumstances.

In three supporting roles, Melissa Carroll-Jackson creates very separate characters – each firmly rooted in the world of pulp. Sometimes pulp characters are a little more broadly drawn than those characters pulled from real life. She adds spice to the mix.

The set by John Knapp makes good use of every inch of the small stage and Derin White’s costumes help evoke the play’s time period. Director Noreen Barnes has pulled together a good cast to work with an uneven script and together they create a fun evening.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Ignites the Firehouse

2010-09-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

There are certain plays in the American canon that are just plain overdone. For whatever reason various companies just trot the same few plays out over and over and every critic has a list of those plays that they just don’t want to sit through ever again. Then there is the flip side – those plays that excite you about seeing because you know that what you are experiencing is a rare and delightful treat. The current production of the Firehouse Theatre Project is one of the latter plays.

I must confess that when I saw they were planning to open with Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? I was a little worried. Albee’s powerful play is a delicate balancing act – without a top notch cast and strong director, the battles between George and Martha and their much younger counterparts Nick and Honey will seem like a reality television show spat. One slip and the whole shebang will come tumbling down and one of the most brilliant plays of the 20th Century will lie groaning on the floor.

I am happy to say that this production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is among the finest pieces of theatre that I’ve seen. Larry Cook is amazing as the put upon George – the target of his shrewish wife’s barbs. On the surface he is an embittered failure, a perennial associate professor who can thank his marriage to the College President’s daughter for keeping his job. He is a gray man who fills his day with books and alcohol – not necessarily in that order. Cook runs, leaps, fetches drinks, and has a hair trigger temper that explodes and possesses a caustic tongue that drives much of the play.

Laine Satterfield, a normally fine actress, elevates her game as the obnoxious braying Martha. I wasn’t sure that such a refined individual as Satterfield would be able to plumb the depths of Martha and I’m happy to say that the actress completely disappears into the part. Her viciousness goes deep below the surface and her ability to emasculate men – especially George – is frightening and fascinating to watch.

Jonathan Conyers as Nick has the tricky role of playing the young man at the beginning of his career who can’t find a way to stand on his own two feet. He is full of bravado - again fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol, but is unable to be a real man when it counts. His mask is yanked off and he is exposed as little more than a charade.

Amy Sproul is Honey, the disillusioned young wife well on her way to self destruction. She is trapped in this world and can’t find an acceptable way to cope. All four actors light up the stage from the opening moment to the final bows.

Phil Hayes’ set is well made, it looks exactly like the suburban tract houses for university faculty and the reality that it creates truly grounds the play. Rebecca Cairns’ costumes and Geno Brantley’s lights are solid and Rusty Wilson’s direction is impeccable. But the night belongs to the four actors.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a truly remarkable production and runs at the Firehouse through October 2. If you love theatre, do not miss this play.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

RTCC Awards - My 2 Cents

2010-09-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ah, it’s that time of year again, the summer is coming to an end, the leaves will be changing soon, and in a few weeks, all of the theatre artists in town will dust off their finery, mousse up their hair, and plant themselves in the Empire’s seats for an evening of the RTCC Awards. From the moment the nominees were announced, the grumblings and head scratching began. “How come…Why didn’t…Are they insane?” You can almost hear the thoughts as they tumble out and make their presence known.

Me? I can’t blame anyone. Hell, all art is subjective so it’s only natural that people wonder what criterion was employed to come up with the list. I really wish we could tape one of our meetings when we debate – at length – who belongs where. Even the eight of us, the paragons on theatrical gold, or as I refer to the group, “the Wizards,” (that comes from The Wizard of Oz when the wiz himself tells the admiring crowd that he is off to “hobnob with my fellow wizards”) don’t see every show the same way.

Strike that, we don’t see ANY show the same way. Then it becomes a matter of votes, impassioned pleas, more votes, compromise, and then some more votes. It’s not uncommon that great works get passed over because they don’t garner enough support. As my fellow wizard, David Timberline says, “my favorite choices do not always get nominated and my favorite nominees do not always win.” It won’t lessen my appreciation for your work – in fact, isn’t it the work itself that’s the true award? I doubt that anyone will remember what I thought of a play. Ever since my mother stopped taping my writing to the front of the refrigerator for company to see, my critical work lives for a few days and then is quickly forgotten.

The audience will remember the good performances forever. The roles that affected me live on in my memory, a few for over 40 years. Speaking of my mother, she can tell me nearly every moment of the time she saw Brando do Streetcar on Broadway. Not too shabby for a woman so young…

So come to the awards, applaud everyone’s efforts – if you’re nominated, good luck and I hope you win. I really mean that. If you are not nominated, then come and help us raise money for the Actor’s Fund. Feel the tension of the moment, feel good for your friends, and then later at the bar make sure to raise a toast to next year.

Upcoming Movie Auditions - Paid Roles!

2010-08-29T19:29:00.000-07:00

Hello Actor Friends!

I hope that you will check out the information below and audition for the movie. I know several of the people connected with it and can personally vouch for them. What are you waiting for? Send that email now!

Uphill Battle Productions is announcing upcoming auditions for a short horror film being shot in the Richmond, Virginia area. Uphill Battle Productions is a professional New York City based entertainment company that has previously shot videos and films for Fangoria Entertainment, A & E, MTV, and many others. This film will be shot over five days during September and October 2010. It will be shown at several well-known nationwide film festivals and conventions during 2011.

ALL ROLES ARE PAID and include meals and IMDB credits. Some scenes take place near the water, so we ask that all actors be capable swimmers.

Auditions will take on September 13th and 14th.
Please email the address below for more information or to set up your audition slot.
Horror35mm@yahoo.com

Thanks!
Uphill Battle Productions

Opens roles-
Sarah- Female, 18-30
Alex- Male, 18-30
Bret- Male, 18-30
Marie- Female, 18-30
Danny- Male, 18-30
Kevin- Male, 18-30
Neighbor Bob- Male, 20- 40
Neighbor Bill- Male, 20-40
Amy- Female, 20-40
Emily- Female, 20-40

The Fantasticks presented by Cadence Theatre Company

2010-08-23T18:50:00.000-07:00

While I am not a big fan of sports – I know, big surprise – I am a fan of some of the concepts that have come out of sports. One in particular is known as the “impact player.” The impact player is that member of the team that drives the action, who makes the big play. It’s the person who you want to take the last shot when the game is on the line. In the world of theatre, it’s the person you know is capable of an electric performance, the person who can deliver the big song that can make you cry then leap to your feet.

So imagine a play that has several of these impact players all working in harmony with each other, sharing stage time and space unselfishly and taking turns delighting the audience with songs and hilarious action. If you can imagine all that, you have a good idea of the fun that awaits you if you hurry and get tickets to see the Cadence Theatre Company’s presentation of The Fantasticks now playing at the Richmond Triangle Players.

Let’s start off with the lovers, played by Billy-Christopher Maupin and Aly Wepplo. Starry eyed and completely twitterpated, they spend their time dreaming of how wonderful things will be once their fathers let them be together. You do realize that the course of true love, especially in musical theatre, never runs smoothly, and there are lots of bumps on the road for the lovers.

Speaking of the fathers, they are well played by Michael Hawke and Gayle Turner. These two, both extremely talented performers have had exactly opposite seasons. Hawke has had roles in several high profile shows and Turner is making his first foray onto a stage in 18 years. I would have expected Turner to be a little rusty, but he moves with grace and assuredness. Hawke is solid, consistent, and together they are both funny.

If you want to talk funny, the thieves played by Steve Moore and Stephen Ryan are flat out over the top hysterical. While Moore delivers mash ups of Shakespearean soliloquies, Ryan specializes in spectacular deaths. Both know how to play with the audience, working up big belly laughs with every scene.

Then there is El Gallo, played by Russell Rowland, who possesses a fine voice and an even better swagger. Rowland commands the stage, acting as the de facto narrator when necessary and the seducer by nature. It is a role he was born to play.

Kevin Johnson’s set allows the audience’s imagination to see the fathers’ gardens and the dividing wall – all with the help of The Mute and the Handyman, played by Taylor Daniels and Kyle Raiche respectively. Matthew Landwehr’s lights are good, and the music direction by Kim Fox is very good. Amy Farland’s choreography is tight, especially given the limited stage size afforded by the Triangle Players.

Director Anna Johnson continues to show that her fledgling company is determined to produce works that appeal to critics, at least this one, and a mass audience as well. The Fantasticks has a short run, only through this weekend, and it would be a shame to miss it.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Stand Up vs Improv - What a Night!

2010-07-24T22:54:00.001-07:00

It’s about a quarter after one in the morning and since Time For the Blues is on CD tonight, I can unwind from an amazing experience while Ocean’s Twelve plays in the background. Just a few hours ago Jared Cullum, Mandy Butler, and John Sexton joined me in a Stand Up vs Improv show at the Richmond Triangle Players. The concept was simple, first the stand-ups would do a 15-20 minute set and then the improvisers would do a 15-20 minute set based on the material done by the stand-ups. It gave the stand-ups opportunities to write and develop new material, as we didn’t want the improvisers to have a head’s up on our subjects. It gave the improvisers a new audience to showcase their amazing talents, and it gave a chance for a lot of folks to discover the Richmond Triangle Players.

I wish I could thank the 40-plus people who came out on a hot wet Richmond July night. Without these delightful people, all of whom seemed to be in laughing moods, it would have been a long dreary night. Instead, they made it electric. For a first time audience they did pretty good. A little more practice and they will be so ready…

Phil Crosby and his staff at the theatre couldn’t have been nicer or more accommodating. Sometimes you go into a club or theatre and there’s nothing but serious attitude, but not so with the Triangle Players. Everybody was just as nice as they could be and if I get a chance to come back and perform again, you better believe I’m grabbing it.

I will write more later after the buzz wears off. Suffice to say I am blessed with friends who share my delight in the sound of laughter. It is one of the most glorious sounds in the universe and I encourage you to seek it out as much as you can.

I have finally realized that I am a Comedy Pilgrim on a quest for laughter. I have much to learn from those who bring the funny and hope to share what I learn with my friends, students, and future audiences.

Thanks to all for sharing this electric experience.

Perfect Summer On Golden Pond

2010-07-23T18:29:00.000-07:00

For a relatively young fellow, Joe Inscoe sure does play a lot of old coots. The coot in question this time is Norman Thayer, Jr. an eighty year old professor emeritus from an Eastern University spending what he tells us, “his last summer on Golden Pond.” We discover that may not be the truth as Thayer loves to talk about dying, and has been doing so for many years.

On Golden Pond is the latest offering by Barksdale Hanover Tavern and it is a very strong production all the way around. Aside from the previously mentioned Inscoe, who once again proves that he is one of the best actors working, Kelly Kennedy more than holds her own as his long suffering wife Ethel. Kennedy manages to walk the tightrope of the proper New England lady of leisure and the wild free spirit that lives just below the surface. She seems to be the only one who is able to parry Inscoe’s verbal barbs and not to take them too seriously.

Certainly those barbs have gotten deep into the soul of daughter Chelsea, played wonderfully by Jill Bari Steinberg. One can sense her trepidation of returning, albeit briefly, to the family’s summer home, as she feels that she has never lived up to her father’s ideal and has somehow failed at her life. It is an all too common feeling, but one that no child should have to carry.

The last character in the mix is Billy, the son of Chelsea’s boyfriend. Billy is played by Eric Pastore, who was just seen in The Sound of Music, and this role is a complete 180 as he plays a precocious teen – all braggadocio and possessing a colorful R-rated vocabulary. For some reason, he and Thayer form a deep and lasting bond over the summer as each discovers something in the other that brings out their best. Billy finds that adult figure who will give him time, and Thayer finds that joy in living that the young seem to posses in abundance.

Supporting characters Andrew Boothby as Bill Senior, young Billy’s father has one of the best scenes as he and Inscoe do battle over the sleeping arrangements in the cabin. It is almost perfectly played and will leave you holding onto your seat to keep from doubling over with laughter. Frank Creasy is Charlie, the local handyman and mailman who grew up with Chelsea and still harbors feelings for her. Creasy is at the top of his game as the dim affable local.

The set by Terrie Powers and David Powers is delightful – a full out rustic cabin with a gorgeous view out the back windows. Lynn Hartmann’s lights are once again in top form. She handles the subtleties of dawn over the lake with deep rich colors. Hartmann continues to turn in some of the best work of her life in this show. Sue Griffin’s costumes are a mix of LL Bean and skateboard punk.

Director Bruce Miller has put together a terrific show to cap off a great season – both on the boards of Richmond, and on Golden Pond.

On Golden Pond runs at Barksdale Hanover Tavern until August 29. See it.

For WCVE Public Radio HD, I’m John Porter.

(Photo by Jay Paul, courtesy of Barksdale, Hanover Tavern.)

As You Like It at Virginia Shakespeare Festival

2010-07-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

There are few places I would rather be on a soft summer night than Williamsburg, Virginia. I’m not talking about the usual tourist destinations, although they have their own reasons for visiting. I have a couple of favorite restaurants, a delightful bookstore and the Virginia Shakespeare Festival. Okay, that last one is a recent addition to reasons to go to Williamsburg, but it’s a good one.

Recently the Virginia Shakespeare Festival opened As You Like It, one of my favorite of the comedies. And since I have not taken the opportunity to visit this well-known company, I was looking forward to spending some time with a new experience. I’m glad to took the opportunity even if the evening rewarded me with mixed results.

On the plus side, the technical aspects of the Virginia Shakespeare Festival were top notch. Matt Allar designed a set that moved quickly from city to country, Jennifer Tiranti’s costumes were absolutely sumptuous, and David Doersch contributed some of the best choreography I’ve seen this year.

However on the negative side, and this is something I’ve encountered with Shakespeare before, is the fact that I find some of the supporting characters more compelling than the leads. I’ve wondered about this often, and attribute it to the difficulty even good actors have maintaining the power that the leads need. Supporting characters get to come in, play a scene and get out of there. Much easier without the pressure to carry an entire play.

For example, Joe Brack as Touchstone steals several scenes and I found myself waiting for him to return once he left the stage. His sparring with Joseph Dellinger was a delight and one of those scenes where Shakespeare let a common man get the better of a court educated person. The Groundlings probably loved it, and frankly so did I.

But on the negative side, I wasn’t really thrilled by Amaree Cluff’s Rosalind. Playing the cross dressed roles is always tricky – and remember in Shakespeare’s time you had the added interest as you would watch a male actor portraying a woman disguised as a man. Cluff just never gets the hang of Rosalind’s masculine masquerade.

Rob Arbaugh, as Orlando is fine when he is playing the man of action. His wrestling scene with Chad Murla is tense and the tension it creates with the usurper Duke Frederick is palpable. However once Arbaugh moves into the lover phase of his role he starts to act twitterpated and quickly loses focus.

Director Karl Kippola has made some interesting choices. I don’t agree with all of them, but somehow I doubt that he’s losing much sleep over that. I don’t usually mind it when director’s move Shakespeare out of his world and re-set the play in another space or time. Occasionally this helps me find a fresh approach to the classics, but in this case, setting it in the 1930’s, it made me wonder why these courtiers were living in such a pastoral setting.

As You Like It runs through July 18 at the Phi Beta Kappa hall on the campus of William and Mary.

For WCVE Public Radio HD, I’m John Porter.

Moon Over Buffalo at Swift Creek

2010-07-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Nobody really wants me to revert to my professorial self and explain that the theatrical event known as farce contains the following elements: unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humor of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include sexual innuendo and word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases, culminating in an ending which often involves an elaborate chase scene. Farce is also characterized by physical humour, the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense, and broadly stylized performances.

Playwright Ken Ludwig uses the elements of farce to create his shows but while they are usually very popular, I have never been a big fan. It’s like he knows the ingredients of a great meal, but is not really sure how to prepare it. MOON OVER BUFFALO, one of Ludwigs’ best known plays as it was the vehicle Carol Burnett used to return to Broadway after a 30-year absence, is the current offering of Swift Creek Mill Playhouse. It is a pleasant enough effort with some good performances, but it’s still not one of my favorite plays.

John Hagadorn and Joy Williams are the married actors trying to eke out a living busing from small venue to small venue losing money on every stage. Their repertory company is currently offering a cut-down version of Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives in tandem in the thriving metropolis of Buffalo New York in 1953. Hagadorn is way over the top in his portrayal of George Hay who is content to continue treading the boards in out of the way places. He gets the chance to engage in sword play, wrestle with a tv weatherman, and fall down dead drunk on more than one occasion.

Williams is Charlotte Hay, past the ingénue stage of her career but who can’t let go of the best roles. She jumps into her role with verve – attacking her husband verbally and physically at nearly every chance. This is the role that was created for Carol Burnett and you can see how that influenced the physical humor. Williams is very talented and pulls off the demands of the role very well.

The next generation is represented by Audra Honaker and Brett Ambler. Star-crossed lovers who pull together when a big Hollywood director announces he is thinking of George for his new movie, Twilight of the Scarlet Pimpernel, they do the best they can with the little that the script offers them. Aly Wepplo and Paul Deiss do likewise, trying hard to rise above the limitations allowed them.

Technically, the Mill is solid as ever with Director Tom Width designing a fine set that takes us deep into the green room for the decrepit company. Fortunately there are many doors to slam. Maura Lynch Cravey’s costumes work very well – especially her version of Cyrano’s clothes and the costumes for Private Lives. Joe Doran turns in good lights, even though he doesn’t get as much opportunity to work his usual magic.

Width’s pacing is good – sometimes it teeters on the frenetic, but that’s good with farce, you want it to build faster and faster. The audience seemed to appreciate everyone’s work; I still have issues with the script.

MOON OVER BUFFALO runs at Swift Creek Mill Playhouse through July 31.

For WCVE Public Radio HD, I’m John Porter

RENT Lights up the Firehouse

2010-06-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

The last couple of summers the Firehouse Theatre Project has put on an extra work that appeals to a different audience – the kind of play that brings in college students and younger adults. These plays have escalated in their intensity and their latest offering RENT, by Jonathan Larson may be the penultimate offering that sets the bar for all their future productions.

RENT is one of those plays that has almost everything working for it – a solid book, after all the story is based on Puccini’s La Boheme, the music and lyrics are by Jonathan Larson, a brilliant theatre artist who died the night before his play opened off-Broadway. Briefly, the story revolves around a group of artists who are living and trying to thrive and create in Alphabet City while under the shadow of the early days of AIDS.

I’ve been watching director Jase Smith since he was in college. While his student works were interesting, it really wasn’t until he turned professional that he really began to grow. He has gotten bolder with his choices, and RENT shows a maturity and assuredness that belies his young age,

Smith has put together a terrific cast that includes Nick Aliff as Mark; the narrator of the show who helps gives us a face and voice for these creative castaways. Aliff has a good voice and presence and he brings his Everyman character to life with ease.

Other outstanding members of the cast include Antonio Tillman as Angel the cross-dressed heart of the group. While Angel is dying from AIDS, ze manages to be one of the forces that unites the group. It is a tricky role and Tillman does an admirable job. Durron Tyre is Tom Collins, Angel’s lover – a disenchanted philosopher who finds his direction while caring for Angel during the last stages. Tyre is another underrated actor who gets a chance to sink his teeth into a great role.

Joy Newsome as JoAnn, turns in yet another magnificent performance. Newsome is a force of nature that has all the tools to become a well-known performer and you might want to catch her here while you have the chance. Her lover in this play is played by Jacquelynn Camden who is one actress that knows how to make an entrance. Camden is deliciously over the top and her performance is electrifying.

These two together are mesmerizing.

On the technical side, Musical Director Leilani Mork has assembled a terrific band and worked with her singers very well. RENT is driven by the music, if you find the dialogue lacking for any reason; wait a couple of minutes and you’ll be treated to another great song. Maggie Marlin’s choreography is crisp given the intimate confines of the Firehouse. David McLain’s set is very good – moving us from the street to the squatted apartment with ease, but I found his lights to be too dark. They were probably extremely close to what a realistic situation may be, but I found it hard to see at times.

If you are familiar with RENT, you’ve probably already made reservations. If not, you should consider getting tickets early, it’s going to be a big seller.

RENT runs at the Firehouse Theatre through August 1.

For WCVE – HD Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

(The word “ze” is not a misspelling; the word is one of many that are being used to refer to a person of indeterminate or deliberately crossed gender. This can include transgendered people, or to people who live as a member of the opposite gender. There are a number of these words that are currently in use, and while the characters in RENT refer to Angel as both “he” and “she,” the non-gendered pronouns were not used at the time the play was written.)

Time For The Blues

2010-06-09T20:28:00.000-07:00

So every once in a while I’m delighted to actually meet somebody who has heard the little radio show that I do with Henry Cook called Time For The Blues. The reason why I’m so delighted is that it airs at 1 a.m. on Sunday mornings – basically very late on Saturday nights when most folks have gone to bed. Many of the people I meet that recognize me – or more specifically my voice – admit they stumbled on the show while driving home after partying late into the night.

I hope they were using a designated driver – I am a big believer in everybody being safe on the roads.

If you’ve never listened to us, I understand. It’s late, many people are not fans of the blues and there’s very little advertising done for the show. So that’s why I always delighted and surprised when I hear somebody acknowledge the show. I love doing the show. I love digging through old CDs looking for little gems to play for you. I love trying to find ways to connect music that might not have many connections.

Mostly I love hanging with my good friend and radio partner Henry “The Man of A Thousand Nicknames” Cook.

Okay, what’s with the nickname shtick? Well. I’m the Professor because I really am a Professor – well, a part-time one teaching in the Theatre Department at Virginia Commonwealth University. I don’t teach every semester, but often enough for me to co-opt the title. When we first started Time For The Blues, almost four years ago, we were looking to find Henry a cool Blues name and couldn’t settle on just one. So we started to stick a different name on him for every show and it just took off from there.

Henry Cook, by the way, is an amazing radio producer. One of the absolute best. We share the title “co-producer” but the reality is Henry does 99% of the producing work. I don’t think I’ve touched the radio board since we started the program. The picture here shows us in our normal positions, I’m off camera and Henry is busy setting up the board. That big Death Star looking thing on the right is my microphone getting all shiny in the camera flash.

Hopefully I’ll soon be able to post a few more pictures of us at work. Unfortunately, they’ll never be able to capture the fun that goes into the making of Time For The Blues. We have divergent styles when it comes to creating an episode. Henry comes to the studio armed with sheets of paper; he knows the life story of every artist we feature along with every band member and stories about most of the songs.

I show up empty handed.

If we practiced truth in nickname advertising, Henry Cook would be called “The Professor.”

Henry leaves nothing to chance and I like to improvise. Somehow we manage to combine our talents into a fun, fast-paced hour of good old fashioned butt-kickin’ blues music. If you haven’t sampled the great music and bad jokes that make up our show, why don’t you give us a listen? If you’re in the Richmond area, tune in WCVE Public Radio at 88.9 fm, or point your browser to www.ideastations.org/radio this weekend, late Saturday, early Sunday beginning at 1 a.m.

We’ll save a seat for you.

Kitchen Witches Cackle at Chamberlayne

2010-06-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

There is a particular sub-genre of theatre that I refer to as “television plays.” Usually entertaining, these plays, often comedies, are good for a light evening and don’t tax the audience to connect too many loose ends. These plays rarely make it to the big leagues of theatre, but have a good life playing in rep and making the rounds of theatre companies for a few years before disappearing. They are often written by playwrights who watched a lot of television rather than a lot of theatre.

The Kitchen Witches, currently playing at Chamberlayne Actors Theatre is a prime example of one of these “television plays.” It’s fun, light, and makes for a pleasant evening of theatre. There are plenty of laughs to go around for everybody and just enough twists and turns along the way to keep it interesting.

The ensemble of four women offer us up a performance that is part Julia Child and part Jerry Springer. Much of the drama that drives the show is revealed during the broadcast of a cable access show. It would be impossible to describe the action without giving away all the fun, so I’m going to jump ahead to describe the performers.

At its heart, Kitchen Witches is a play about relationships between women – mother/daughter, best friend/worst enemy and the split between public and private lives. Even though this show has an audience that is numbed in the dozens – there are people watching and questioning.

Amy Berlin and Carroll Andrews are the title witches sparring on their television show while dishing out the occasional recipe. The show is more confrontation than cooking and people tune it to watch the spontaneous battles that erupt with clocklike regularity. Both exhibit good comic timing and play off of each other extremely well.

Brandi Busset is Stephanie Biddle, the producer supposedly in charge of the show, and the daughter of Berlin’s character Dolly Biddle. Busset shows promise, although her role only gets one moment to shine, and that’s fairly late in the second act. Otherwise the play gives her little chance to do anything but appear stressed and reluctant to stand in the spotlight.

Rounding out the ensemble is Corrie Barton as Rob the Camera Girl – a sort of koken, or character/stagehand who represents the audience. While she is a participant, she is mostly there as a witness.

Lin Heath’s set is good – a solid working kitchen and Buddy Bishop’s sound is strong as ever. I can’t find a listing for Costume Designer, but some of Berlin’s more outrageous costumes should be mentioned. Director H. Lynn Smith has a nice light touch with bringing together the ingredients to make this comedy soufflé come together.

The one sad note to come from Kitchen Witches is that Mike Randell, the dapper and congenial Brit whom many of you will remember as the face and voice of Richmond crime stoppers is making this is last show at Chamberlayne. For years Mike has been the host and greeter at the theatre, making everyone feel welcome and at home. Now he and his lovely bride are relocating to Florida where they will no doubt find new theatrical challenges. Mike, you and Sandy will be missed.

In the meantime, Kitchen Witches is running at Chamberlayne Actors Theatre through June 19.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Back to Comedy - Again

2010-05-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

The sound of laughter is one of the most glorious sounds that God placed on this earth. It is a holy sound and if you have ever successfully stood on a stage or the front of a room with people giving you their rapt attention, and you in turn move them to laugh; I don’t have to explain myself any further. If you have never had that experience, please take my word that it is addictive and the kind of rush you never forget.

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience that rush on many occasions, but no matter how many times you’ve done it, you’re always looking for that next time. I’m lucky, that next time is coming up very soon for me, and I’ve even booked a couple of other performances this summer and fall.

Why? Good question. I really was through with performing. I didn’t crave all the politics and travelling and more-than-occasional ass kissing that are all a part of comedy. Plus, my style has changed so much. I’m tired of set-up punchline material and can’t stand the idea of doing jokey jokey stuff ever again.

Yet here I am, once again twisting words and ideas around trying to find my way to the end of a joke that will elicit that ever-elusive sound: laughter.

The journey back started with my agreeing to teach a class on stand-up comedy for VCU. I had a number of very talented young performers in the class and they quickly grasped the basics and moved from telling jokes to shaping personal stories into material. They developed attitude and most of them seemed very focused on their tasks.

The second piece of the puzzle happened a couple of thousand miles from home when a long-ago comedy friend created a documentary and began to talk about it on Facebook. Jordan Brady was one of those kids you loved to hate. Fresh-faced with an over the top personality that you knew was going to take him places fast – you just hoped he would move on so you could get back to playing the occasional smoker at the Moose Lodge.

Brady did move on and quickly became in-demand on the road and eventually became the host for MTV’s game show Remote Control. If I remember correctly he eventually won a Cable Ace Award and he likened it to “being named the best chef at Denny’s.”

By the time Brady started his ascent, I was ducking out the side door. Tired of the politics and frustrated by my inability to get consistent work, I started writing for other people. Some you’ve heard of, many that you haven’t, and made a decent second income writing topical jokes for disc jockeys.

Excuse me, morning drive time radio producers.

Anyway, long story short, I will give big odds that Jordan Brady couldn’t have picked me out of a police lineup when we started talking about his movie I Am Comic. Still, it’s to his credit as a marketer to answer my questions and eventually bring the movie to the James River Film Festival. (BTW, if you haven’t seen the movie yet, grab your chance when it comes on Showtime. If you have any interest in comedy, behind-the-scenes exposes, or flat out obsession, you’re in for a real treat.)

A great deal of the movie focuses on comedian Ritch Shydner making a comeback. Without a doubt, Shydner is one of the funniest people I’ve ever seen. He was one of the first comics I ever saw live at the old Richmond Comedy Club, and I had followed his career from a distance for some time. I know you’ve seen his work, either on the Tonight Show where he appeared with both Carson and Leno, his HBO Specials, Married With Children, or even movies like Roxanne and the cult classic C.H.U.D. II – Bud the Chud.

My horror friends just shrieked – they all love Bud the Chud.

Shydner gives the movie its heart. Sometimes it is hard for comedians to open themselves up without reaching for a joke, but Shydner is not afraid of his vulnerability. There is a moment in a diner that is pure Death of a Salesman powerful. Shydner offers us his life as he makes his first tentative steps back into this now alien world.

Putting these two elements together, the class and the movie, created a compound with gravity strong enough to pull me back to comedy. Now I know what was missing from my life – concentrated doses of laughter. It has become an obsession again and I feel like I’m doing the best material of my life.

What am I talking about? Why don’t you come and see? Current shows are listed below and I hope to see you there.

June 19 – Gay Community Center of Richmond (appearing with Joe Hafeky, Karen Kasey, the Undergrads – John Reaves and Omari Brown, Santa DeHaven, and Patrick Vickers.)
July 24 – Richmond Triangle Players (appearing with stand up comedian Jared Cullum and the great improv team – Fusebox featuring Mandy Butler and John Sexton.)
September 18 – Gay Community Center of Richmond (appearing with comedians to be named later.)

The Sound of Music at the Empire

2010-05-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

During his opening curtain speech, Barksdale/Theatre IV’s Managing Director Phil Whiteway mentioned that The Sound of Music has been on their theatrical bucket list for about 20 to 25 years, but that they had been unable to obtain the rights to this very popular play. I think that perhaps whatever deity looks out for theatre just wanted them to wait until they could get an amazing cast and artisans together at one time in order to create an unforgettable evening of theatre.

Yeah, it’s going to be a rave. But as a preface, you should understand that The Sound of Music has never been one of my favorite shows. Even though it is based on an uplifting true story, it has never been one that has affected me. But seeing this production makes even a crusty old cynic fall hopelessly under its spell.

Let’s look at some of the highlights about the show. First of all, Stacey Cabaj in the lead role of Maria is an absolute wonder. Her voice doesn’t seem to come from her throat, but appears to fill the room from some other worldly place. Her high notes manage to bounce off the architecture of the Empire Theatre and embrace the audience from all directions. Her acting is solid and what little dancing is required of her, she manages to charm her way through. Her delightful performance alone would be worth the price of admission.

Jody Ashworth is Captain Georg von Trapp, the widower with seven children. He plays the tortured soul well – he is unable to be there for his children as he sees in them their late mother which causes him great pain. Ashworth’s voice is very good and his solo on “Edelweiss” is particularly moving.

Speaking of the children, they are all delightful, but Ali Thibodeau as Liesel is tremendous. I predict that one day the ever youthful Thibodeau will be in her sixties and will be playing roles for twenty year olds. The other children: Eric Pastore, McKelvey Harrison, Cooper Timberline, Meghan Rose Cordner, Sydney Hall, and Ellie Wilson turn in strong performances, and little Ellie Wilson’s smile could light up the darkest night.

Other great performances include Kara Harman as The Mother Abbess, Susan Sanford as Elsa Schrader, and Michael Hawke steals almost every scene he’s in as the scheming Max Detwiler.

Brian Barker’s set is remarkable. The Monastery flies in, the house spins and fabulous staircases appear out of nowhere and always the mountains keep watch over the family. Sarah Grady’s costumes are meticulous and Lynne Hartman’s lights create the darkness of the Abbey and the bright world of riches with ease. Sandy Dacus handles the Music Direction and with a show with 24 musical numbers, that is no small task. Consider too, how familiar most of that music is to the audience and you realize just how difficult her work really was.

Director Chase Kniffen has put together a wonderful cast and crew with a moving play and created a piece of theatre that will delight any audience.

The Sound of Music runs at the Empire Theatre until July 4. Climb every mountain if you have to, but don’t miss it.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Henley Street Presents A Doll's House

2010-05-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

Ask any theatre major who made it past freshman year how many times they’ve read Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, and the answer could be ten to twenty times. The work is in every collection of major plays ever published and inevitably gets trotted out when the discussion turns to the first modern plays and the rise of realism. Sometimes, if you’re lucky enough to be the one lecturing, you can watch your students’ brains start to wander and you wonder if they’re coming back by the time the bell rings.

Henley Street Theatre has chosen this chestnut to close their season and for my kroner it’s a mixed bag. One the one hand, it’s delightful to look at, much like a museum piece, but on the other hand, like many museum pieces, it just never comes to life.

There are parts of the play I enjoyed very much, including Jennie Meharg in the role of Nora, always skittering around the stage trying desperately to keep her secrets hidden. These secrets, if exposed, could ruin her family’s reputation and she is constantly reminded of her husband’s job and position within the community.

I was also impressed with Freddy Kaufman as Doctor Rank; a man carrying a disease – syphilis – inherited from his father. Kaufman moves in a belabored manner as he visits Nora and her husband Torvald on a nightly basis.

Speaking of Torvald, this new translation really makes him seem even more two-dimensional than normal. Andrew Boothby does his best to make the man come to life, but instead appears overly stiff and formal. Yes, that’s part of his character, he is supposed to be controlling but in this version he has few if any redeemable qualities.

The technical side for A Doll’s House is nearly flawless. David Clark’s set is amazing, Andrew Bonniwell continues to show that he is fast becoming a top lighting designer, and Brett Zwerdling’s music and sound design adds a great deal to the mood of the piece. Patricia Morris’ costumes are sumptuous and firmly establish the time period of the play.

Where I have the most issue with A Doll’s House is in this new translation. Easily ten to fifteen minutes could have been trimmed from the repetitive nature of the script. Contemporary audiences don’t need to be told every few minutes that Nora is a child and Torvald needs to take care of her. We tend to pick up on those ideas faster than audiences did over a hundred years ago. The shocks that the play caused when it was first produced don’t reverberate the same way anymore. We now see things through the prism of the women’s movement and other advancements.

I’ve been down this path with Henley Street Theatre Company before. They love to do the classics, sometimes they jazz them up, sometimes they play it straight. A Doll’s House is played very straight and offers the audience to experience one of the classics of world literature. Me, I’m more in the Artaud camp of no more masterpieces, but I am solidly in the minority.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Take Me Out at Richmond Triangle Players

2010-05-10T18:26:00.000-07:00

Baseball is one of the signposts in American culture. No matter that other sports have passed it in popularity, no sport will ever take its place in the mythology and stories of the nation. Baseball has been a touchstone in the advancement of labor and in the implementation of civil rights. Some of us were put to bed with stories with heroes with colorful names like Babe, Catfish, Dizzy, and Satchel.

Baseball also provides the backdrop for the latest play offered by the Richmond Triangle Players, Take Me Out. Briefly, it is a look at what might happen if one of the superstars of the game were to reveal he was gay. While the reality of the situation would most certainly cause ripples throughout the sports world, to Darren Lemming, played by Ronnie Brown, it’s just another day at the ballpark.

Brown is very believable as the matter of fact star, he can’t understand why anyone would make a fuss about his lifestyle – especially after some things start to fall apart for him. His commercials run at 2 a.m. and only in certain select markets.

Matt Hackman, who continues his run of very good roles this season, is Kippy Sunderstrom, Brown’s best friend on the team. He is the voice of reason, often narrating the play and also commenting on the events taking place.

Kirk Morton is Mason Marzac, Brown’s financial adviser, a gay man who never cared about baseball until he was thrust into a position of working with the star. Morton gives Brown a glimpse into the gay world and his is a sensitive portrayal.

Jimmy Glidden as Shane Mungitt is our antagonist. An uneducated troubled young man; he spews hatred in a nationally televised interview and brings a dark cloud to the team. Glidden plays the confused young man well, it would be easy to make the character two-dimensional, but in his hand we sense a vulnerability behind the hate.

Also turning in good performances were Thomas E. Nowlin as Brown’s oldest friend, an upright family man and Elliot Lau as a slightly dim-witted teammate.

John Knapp’s set comprises a fully functioning shower and locker room, and yes, the shower is used at various times – this is an adult themed play. Jenna Ferree’s lights work well to isolate the action in the play, moving us from the locker room to the playing field fairly easily, and Julie Fulcher-Davis’ sound adds a great deal to the atmosphere.

Director Scott Wichmann is normally known as one of the area’s best actors, but I’m not sure that anyone else in town could bring such a passion to the subject of baseball. He has managed to get credible performances from his actors and strong designs from his technical staff. Take Me Out may be the play that establishes him more seriously as a director.

Not everyone may share my love for the sport of baseball, but everyone should be able to identify with being an outsider of some sort. In doing so, the audience can go along the journey of these characters as they discover their own places in society.

I recommend Take Me Out for a mature adult audience.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Theatre VCU Presents The Who's Tommy

2010-04-20T22:22:00.000-07:00

I don’t get to see enough theatre from our local universities and that is a real crime in my opinion. We have such fine theatre departments in short distances and I don’t take advantage of them nearly enough. I just caught a performance from Theatre VCU of The Who’s Tommy and the polished professionalism that the cast and crew showed makes me wish it wasn’t closing this weekend so I could see it a few more times.

Pete Townsend’s story of a deaf, dumb, blind boy who achieves fame as a pinball savant and then becomes a messianic figure has been well documented over the years, so forgive me if I don’t waste time on a plot summary and get right into the meat of the matter.

Several of the actors in this production stand out, and in an ensemble of 31 that can be difficult to do. The Walkers – Tommy’s parents are played my Caylyn Temple and Nicholas Aliff who do a good job playing above their ages. The two are torn between their murder complicity and their devotion – through guilt perhaps – to raising the son they psychically destroy.

Jeremy Hilgert is an unctuous, oily Uncle Ernie, but man can this guy sing. He has the ability to switch from good guy uncle – the kind who brings you food and dresses up as Father Christmas to evil incarnate waiting for his chance to attack the unprotected boy.

Likewise Daniel Cimo is delightful as the self-proclaimed “school bully” Cousin Kevin whose great joy in life is torturing the weak.

Jacquelynn Camden has become one of my favorite actresses to watch over the last few years and her turn as the Gypsy / Acid Queen is electrifying. She’s onstage for about 5 minutes and completely tears the stage apart.

The two performers who play Tommy, Eric Stallings and Cooper Timberline manage to combine their efforts into a spellbinding performance. Timberline, who is already a thorough professional at the ripe old age of 9 has the difficult task of establishing Tommy and must stay focused and not react to the goings on around him. Think that’s easy for a 9-year old?

Stallings runs, bounces, sings, and dances his way through the show with abandon. Previously I had been impressed by his work in Altar Boyz and Putnam Spelling Bee, but now he takes his work to a higher level. One problem though is his tendency to under enunciate while singing, so some of the lyrics get lost.

I would pay to see the show again just to see Tennessee Dixon’s set and Projections. Her set is pure urban bars with multiple layers and television sets showing the performance as well as other projections that set the mood or comment on it. It is amazing and shows what can be accomplished with new technology.

Director Barry Bell continues to do some of the best work in town. It’s almost a shame that he is so busy at VCU, I’d like to see him tackle some work at the professional theatres in town. But then again, his work training the next generation is stellar.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Elizabeth Rex Reigns at Richmond Shakespeare

2010-04-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

If one of the purposes of theatre is to start conversations, then Elizabeth Rex, the current offering by Richmond Shakespeare is bound to start some very interesting dialogues. It’s the kind of play that I find intriguing, one that strips away at human emotion, pulling the audience deeper into the world of the characters and offering you the opportunity to examine your own beliefs. By putting these discussions and arguments into the mouths of historic figures brings the debate alive and elevates the stakes to a much higher level.

There is much to recommend about Elizabeth Rex, and time is short, so allow me to hurry. First off, the performance of Cynde Liffick as Elizabeth is truly remarkable. Liffick usually is in the background, or if she does take a role, it is a smaller one – she seems to prefer to be more out of the limelight. Here she commands center stage as a regent should and makes this world her own. It is a bravura performance and it makes me hope that we will see more of her onstage. Elizabeth is facing the darkest night of her life – if she wavers and follows her heart, her England will forever be compromised – but if she does nothing, her heart will be forever broken.

Likewise Brandon Crowder as Ned, the foremost actor of women’s roles serves as her foil for much of the play and their jousting drives much of the fireworks. Crowder more than holds his own in the exchange and shows that he is ready to climb to the next level and become one of those actors that causes an audience to seek him out.

Several supporting actors, including Andrew Frenkel, Collin Chute, Jerome Weiss, and Thomas Cunningham turn in excellent performances. It is often difficult to stand out in a large ensemble, but each makes the most of their time. A wonderful surprise was Todd Schall-Vess, normally one of the areas best behind the scenes artists taking a turn as Luddy, and he manages to bring a lot of laughter to his role.

Technically, Rebecca Cairns costumes are amazing. These are the kinds of costumes you hope to see set on display for future productions as a reminder of their genius. Dennis Williams’ set is also very strong – a rough hewn barn with gaps between the boards – a barn made out of memory with missing timbers. Kenny Mullens’ lights are very good and create a fairly realistic interpretation of a night lit by stars and lanterns. Jamie Rees’ sound adds much to the production.

There are a few moments that do cause some worry however. Trevor Kimball as William Shakespeare really did not engage me as I thought he would. In various duels of wit with both Elizabeth and Ned, his Shakespeare comes off weaker and ill equipped for the task.

Director James Alexander Bond has shown once again that he is a director of some serious talent. He has taken a delicious play and delivered a marvelous production. Elizabeth Rex is one of those plays whose reverberations will be felt long after it closes. I hope you’ll make the opportunity to see it at your earliest convenience.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Butterflies Are Free at Hanover Tavern

2010-04-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

I’ve never been a big fan of the script to Butterflies Are Free, the production now being offered at Barksdale Hanover Tavern. And to show you how much the world agrees with my assessment of this play, let me remind you that it ran for over 1100 performances on Broadway and was translated into an Academy Award-winning film. Boy, I sure can pick ‘em can’t I?

This is the story of a young blind man who is living on his own for the very first time. While he comes from a well-to-do family, he is currently living in a run down apartment and is having a great time learning how to be independent from his domineering mother. Enter a beautiful, flighty actress who lives next door, shake, and voila you have an instant play.

That’s pretty much the play in a nutshell, as long as you forget the fine performances that are showcased. Matthew Bloch is Don Baker, the young sightless man who is out on his own. The character is based loosely on the life of attorney Harold Krentz, whom if I am not mistaken was the first blind man ever to pass the bar and practice law. Bloch does a good job of convincing us he is truly blind without going overboard. It can be a tricky tightrope to walk, and he underplays it very well.

His kooky, sexy neighbor is played by Jennifer Martin. Again, this is a role that could be easily overplayed. After all, how many years of ditzy but beautiful women have we seen on television and in the movies? They are practically an archetype, but in Martin’s hands, there is a softer side revealed and her joi de vivre is refreshing and contagious.

Tamara Johnson is Florence Baker, the hovering mom, who while she loves her child, can’t help but swoop down to protect him from any danger. Her entrance at the end of Act One is particularly unnerving and her comedic timing coupled with her serpent sharp tongue drives much of the play’s second act.

Jonathan Conyers has a small but pivotal role as the director of an off-Broadway play for which Martin is auditioning. He doesn’t have a lot to do, but he does manage to deliver a good performance.

The set design by Terrie Powers and David Powers capture that run down Greenwich Apartment feeling complete with really awful colors on the wall and strange posters adorning them. I imagine the set is larger than the apartment it is meant to portray, but that’s the magic of theatre. Sue Griffin’s costumes capture the feel of the anything goes ‘60’s – and in fact she has somehow managed to turn the sound of a zipper into an important punchline.

Chase Kniffen’s lights are decent if not overly challenging.

Apparently, director Billy Christopher Maupin wants to be a dual force in Richmond Theatre; directing as well as acting. He was already had a fairly busy year and has several more projects lined up as well. More power to you BCM, keep it coming.

I still find the script a little too pat and sit-comy but the audience reaction can’t be denied. Butterflies Are Free is a good, solid, funny show.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Radium Girls at Chamberlayne Actors Theatre

2010-03-28T21:52:00.000-07:00

When I first heard the title Radium Girls, the current offering of the Chamberlayne Actors Theatre, I thought it might be some sort of homage to 1950’s atomic scare movies, maybe some sort of mutation perhaps. Thankfully I was wrong, as the play turns out to be a thought provoking, stimulating look at the factory workers who were exposed to large doses of radium in the 1920’s and whose subsequent illnesses and early deaths inspired a nation to enact stricter labor laws.

This almost forgotten chapter in American history is beautifully brought to life by playwright D.W. Gregory’s words and a terrific ensemble of performers lead by Bill Brock and Michele Morris.

Morris portrays Grace, a young factory worker who has been painting with radium paste for a number of years. She has seen several of her friends get sick and die young and when she starts exhibiting similar symptoms, seeks help from her employer. When help is refused, she attracts the attention of crusaders who put her on the front page of every newspaper in the country. We know it’s every paper, because she receives love letters and fan mail in a very touching and funny scene.

Brock is the President of the company who is trying desperately to hold on to his position and to continue to run the company the best way he knows how. It would be very easy to paint both of these characters with very broad – two dimensional strokes. Instead we are treated to subtly nuanced performances and find out that Brock’s character is not a monster, but a man with a strong moral center that has let ambition carry him away.

The rest of the ensemble turns in very strong performances and include Tara Callahan, Sarah Legere, Alexandra Martin, Lisa Kotula, Jim Barbour, Jonathan Hardison, and Jeff Clevenger. Clevenger is usually the funniest man in the room, but here he turns in a stellar dramatic performance.

Lin Heath’s set is a real departure for Chamberlayne Actors Theatre, as they usually rely on hyper real detailed sets. Heath’s set is stunning in its sparseness, using levels to shift scenes, with walls that are decaying at the edges suggesting the failing health of the workers. Expressionistic archways lead on and off and we are able to quickly move from factory to home to boardroom with only a subtle shift of position and lights.

Sheryle Criswell’s costumes are extremely good as they capture the period nicely and even are used to make the factory girls look like they are wasting away. Alan Armstrong’s lights are mostly stark black and whites, but that works to enhance the mood. Jim Scott designed slides that were projected on the back wall that really enhanced the production.

Director Amy Berlin has put together a great collection of artists both on stage and behind the scenes. I was greatly impressed by the production and see it as a real leap forward for Chamberlayne Actors Theatre. The last couple of seasons they have mixed in some newer edgier plays with their usual fare, and the results are paying off great dividends. Radium Girls is a great find.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Full Plate Collection at Theatre Gym

2010-03-23T21:17:00.000-07:00

If this were New York, recognition for the Tony Awards would fall mostly to the new plays presented every year. There would be great anticipation for a new play by a major playwright and savvy theatergoers would line up to get their tickets early.

Such is not usually the case in Richmond, although the last few years have given us plays by such talented writers as Doug Jones, Bo Wilson, and now a new work by Irene Ziegler. Full Plate Collection, which is playing in the Theatre Gym of Theatre IV is a wonderful new work exploring the roles and lives of iconic American women who never lived.

These symbols, easily recognizable even under their assumed names, speak volumes about America through their stories. In addition, they speak to the universal condition, and the efforts women have used to effectively change society for the better.

The event that trigger the stories is one of those televised shopping networks – you know the ones who sell knives designed to cut through rubber hoses and luggage that folds up to the size of a clutch purse. Tonight only they are selling a collection of plates in the images of these iconic women. Melissa Johnston-Price and Debbie Walton are our hosts and chief salespeople and they are extremely funny as they introduce each participant in tonight’s festivities.

The five women who make up this iconic ensemble; Kimberly Jones-Clark, Lauren Leinhass-Cook, Laine Satterfield, Courtney McCotter, and Shalandis Wheeler-Smith throw themselves into the project with abandon. They deal with themes of feeling limited by the constraints of their world. Rosemary the Riveter wants to fly planes, not just build them, Betsy Crockpot wants to continue nurturing the family they way she always has, Boopsie wants to be redrawn to her specifications, Auntie JJ wants to become an executive in the company she represents. Only Babs, the Grown Up Doll with it all seems content with her place in life – after all, she’s popular and attractive and has already had 147 careers.

The rest of the ensemble is made up of four talented and funny women including Bridget Gethins, Stacie Rearden Hall, Elyse Thaler, and Hanna Clinton.

Director Keri Wormald, whom I openly admit is one of my favorite directors, has assembled a strong design team who just happen to be all women. Did I mention that this play is part of the Minds Wide Open – Women in the Arts celebration? Terrie Powers has put together a great set that lets the actors exist in both the world of the shopping network and in the world their characters would inhabit. Heather Hogg’s costumes are dead on, capturing the spirit of each icon, and Lynn Hartman’s Lights are solid.

One of the few non-women to work on the play is Musical Director and Composer Paul Deiss who uses his music to drive the play forward. He and Ziegler have composed a funny number that I think was called “Full Rack” or something like that that celebrates the world’s obsession with breasts.

It’s times like these when you realize just how much talent lives in this city. Richmond is truly blessed to have all of these wonderful artists practicing their craft and sharing it with us.

For WCVE – Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Last Summer At Bluefish Cove at Richmond Triangle Players

2010-03-22T11:04:00.000-07:00

This has been quite the year for the Richmond Triangle Players. Their first two offerings were fun diversions, the kinds of plays that make you laugh, have a good time, and still think a little bit; but their last couple of offerings have been solid as a punch serious efforts. Their latest offering, Last Summer at Bluefish Cove is a rare play that combines a serious subject matter with side splitting laughs. Its near flawless execution leaves the audience spent emotionally and yet cautiously optimistic about what the next summer will bring.

I have been a big fan of the playwright, Jane Chambers, ever since I stumbled on to a copy of her early play A Late Snow. Bluefish Cove became a landmark work in the lesbian community, but I was more than a little curious to see how the play, written in 1980, would play to today’s audience. Well, my curiosity is sated and the crowd hung on every word.

Give some of the credit to the amazing cast. After all, they are the ones that breathe life into this world and the people who inhabit Bluefish Cove. This little oasis, a private beach where discriminating ladies gather every summer to escape the trials of the outside world that might frown on their lifestyle.

In supporting roles, Rebecca Hinkle, Rebecca Bernard and Linda Berringer provide strong resilient characters, the kind who can work through just about any crisis with the proper mix of respect and humor. Kirsten Riiber is a delight as a tall drink of water living as a kept woman.

Donna Coghill as Annie, the long time best friend gets to mine a wealth of emotional territory. Coghill is a terrific actress and this is one of her finest performances. Jeanie Rule as the closeted Kitty, a famous author who is fearful that the world will discover she is lesbian and turn against her work is a scream. She manages to walk a tightrope between deep concern for her dear friend and her own need to be the center of attention. Her exchange with the much taller Riiber in Act One is hysterical to watch.

But no matter how good the rest of the cast is – and they are very good – the night belongs to Kathy Northrop Parker as Lil, and Emma Mason as Eva. Parker’s Lil is a boisterous live life as large as possible, love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of a gal. Mason’s Eva is a woman at a crossroads, having left her husband and wound up in a cache of lesbians by accident. They are the oddest of couples – at first. These two make a great team and they have genuine electricity.

David A. McLain’s set is very good, offering us a couple of worlds – the beach and the cabin nearby. Karl Green and Derin White did a great job on the costumes and K. Jenna Ferree’s lights add a lot to the mood of the play.

Director Noreen Barnes has given us two amazing shows this year – All That I Will Ever Be at VCU, and Last Summer at Bluefish Cove. It’s a remarkable evening and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Putting a Big Toe in the Comedy Swimming Pool

2010-03-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

It’s kind of late as I write this, about 1.15 in the morning and most of the people that make up my little part of the world have long slid off to bed. I’m still running on some fumes after performing in a show at Café Diem earlier tonight. Even though I was fortunate enough to take part in a staged reading of Taming of the Shrew for Richmond Shakespeare about a week or so ago, my medium is perhaps strongest when I’m performing stand-up.

Stand-up is a completely different world, with completely different rules. When I do stage or film work, I am relying on someone else’s words, someone else’s direction, and I feel a distance from the audience as a result. Even in a brilliantly written play (which Shrew certainly is), I’m a pawn in someone else’s game of chess. Maybe my character comes in late, dies early, or needs to dance the cha-cha-cha; whatever it is, it is not something I created out of whole cloth. I still very much enjoy the process of performing in a live piece of theatre; it’s just that my first love is still making drunks laugh.

If you have never experienced the rush of laughter, then there is no way to describe it well. When it is your words, your body language, your concepts that entertains people and they laugh and have a good time – there is nothing like it in the entire world. Do a play, maybe get a laugh, but the audience will withhold its applause until the end of a show. Do stand-up and you know every step of the way how you are doing. If you’re not funny, you will hear silence – or worse. If you are funny, you hear two magic sounds: laughter, and the sound of dollar bills being pressed into your open palm. Okay, it may take awhile before you hear those dollar bills being pressed into your hand, but once it does happen, you never forget it – because you are validated. You are no longer just an open mic’er, but you are a professional comedian.

So tonight was a first little baby step back into a world I once walked. One of the few places I’ve ever felt confident and secure was on stage while telling jokes. When I was offstage, anything could happen, but while I was onstage, I was Tarzan, king of all these frikkin’ monkeys! (Okay, that line was originally delivered by a hypnotist I once worked with. He said I could have it…)

So thanks to Café Diem and Joe Hafkey for convincing me to come out and play, and also to the friends who ventured out to see the show. From my longtime friend Steve G. who told me he always wanted to try this but would fall apart if he failed, Jake Mosholder and his lovely wife (Jake is an amazing cameraman if any video people are reading this and need a top-notch eye behind the camera), Katie Holcomb and David Pijor from the Richmond Comedy Coalition (great folks who put on regular shows at Gallery 5 – check ‘em out) and of course my long-suffering wife Holly who takes these shows in stride and never gives me that pity smile that some wives use when describing their husband’s antics. There were a lot of folks out tonight, both performers and audience members. I wish I could have stayed and seen all 30 or so performers, but I needed to get home and get ready for work.

I was resolved to get back into the swing of things slowly and cautiously, but really, what do I have to lose? Dignity? Lost that a long time ago. Money? Don’t have any. So, I’m going to negotiate some time at one of the local theatres for this summer. Maybe a week or so – where I can workshop some new ideas in a more relaxed environment and maybe bring along some new performers to make me work harder. I’ll keep you posted.

Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story Now On DVD

2010-03-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have spent countless hours either watching or writing and performing stand-up comedy. I’ve had the chance to watch many of the greats close up and seen plenty of hacks who should never have been allowed to get near a stage, let alone ON one. I’ve seen more crap than diamonds, but every once in a while – maybe once a generation if you’re lucky, someone comes along who redefines the art. This generation’s great voice belongs to a driven British comic named Eddie Izzard. If you haven’t seen his work – you have a lot of catching up to do, but if you know his work, you’re probably already smiling over your own personal favorite routine.

Izzard’s latest DVD, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story, is not a concert film per se, but it is a portrait not only of the man himself, but of his creative process as well. That alone is worth the price of the movie. Rarely are we treated to such a complete study of an artist’s entire career. Early home footage brings us into Eddie’s world, from his first home in Yemen where his father was an accountant with British Petroleum, to the family’s move to Northern Ireland where things were less violent, to the loss of his mother, and an extended look at his boarding school and university days.

Izzard goes into great detail, albeit good naturedly, about his many failures to convince school people that he was an actor. He also relives his days working with groups trying to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He takes his act to the streets – literally – and takes lessons from each performance.

Anybody else would have chucked the career after so many disappointments. Any sane person that is, but genius is often not sane, and Izzard is definitely a genius.

But from tragedy, Izzard emerges stronger and more indomitable than ever. If he were a boxer, he’d be the guy who takes a beating for most of the fight, waiting for his opponent to tire and then he would throw well-timed punches in order to win the battle. Instead of punches though, Izzard throws punchlines.

Okay, maybe that was a little clever clever, but what the hell…

Director Sarah Townsend has an unprecedented place behind the scenes, but of course she is Izzard’s ex-girlfriend and has collaborated with him on previous videos. Townsend paces the collections of interviews with moments of performing very well and uses each to enhance the other.

Izzard even pulls the curtain away from his formula for creating his bits. He was used to writing sketches – two people back and forth scenes. Once he went solo, he took the material and stripped it down to being performed by a single person. These sketches find their way into his own skewed view of the world and he moves between these areas seamlessly. This may have been partially because Izzard is dyslexic and he pokes fun at that as well.

Andre Vincent, one of Izzard’s contemporaries says it almost as a throwaway, “Eddie was out there taking risks. Comedians don’t usually do that, they want to only do what they know will please an audience.” Trust me, few comics are real risk takers. Most lack the commitment to the material to push the art form.

Izzard also deals with his transvestism and there is footage of his very first performance where he was cross dressed. Izzard turns that into a few minutes of his act, but doesn’t beat the audience over the head with his “bloke in a dress” approach. Izzard isn’t about drag; drag is an approach where one gender is parodied by the other. Izzard actually approaches his cross dressing as more of an androgyny, these are just clothes – clothes that the performer feels comfortable in.

Believe: The Eddie Story is an uplifting story of determination, setbacks and success. It is the story of one man’s journey through the peaks and valleys and his willingness to take risks in order to find personal and artistic satisfaction. Izzard is a driven man, determined, and very very funny.

Ricmond Shakespeare and African American Repertory Join Forces on Othello

2010-03-05T15:34:00.000-08:00

The story of Othello is one of the great epics of the human condition. It is at its soul a story of obsession, jealousy, and rage, and the ability to be manipulated when one doesn’t listen to one’s heart. It is the story of pain that only a person in love can experience.

Richmond Shakespeare and the African American Repertory Theatre have joined forces to bring this monumental play to life. As with many productions that I have enjoyed over the years, this version of Shakespeare’s classic is a mixed bag of some very good moments with some others less so. One of the characteristics of Richmond Shakespeare that I applaud is their effort to hire and train young actors who have not a great deal of experience. But with youth and inexperience comes an unevenness of performance that will occasionally through the viewer out of the world of the play.

Fortunately there are a lot of good things to recommend in Othello; Iman Shabazz in the title role does a good job as the Moor who is lead astray by someone he thinks is watching out for his best interest. Iago was played by Jeff Cole, a young actor who has been making a big splash over the last couple of years. This gives him both Hamlet and Iago, now he only needs Lear to complete the hat trick of Shakespeare.

Rebecca Muhleman handles Desdemona fairly well – she is delightful as a creature in love and her reactions to Othello’s descent into jealousy are heart rending. Katrinah Lewis has a few moments of real fire as Emilia, protecting Desdemona as best she can without understanding what role she plays in the conspiracy.

In supporting roles, ‘Rick Gray does a good job in a dual role and Kerry McGee is a lot of fun as Bianca. Jonathan Conyers as Cassio is good as is Andrew Boothby in the role of Montano.

On the technical side, Phillip Milone’s set is okay, but looks very much like the set from Much Ado About Nothing. Rebecca Cairns’ costumes are good – a mixture of modern military and classical dress. The military look is one usually associated with elite forces and it is a subtle reminder of the caliber of Othello’s men.

Kenny Mullins’ lights are okay, but nothing outstanding, Molly Hood’s work with the language is very strong as is the Fight Choreography of Slade Billew. Master of the Play – otherwise known as the Director James Rees has turned in a solid performance for directing his first play. It takes a lot of backbone to tackle one of the greatest plays in the English language as your first time out.

All in all, the play is a good solid performance by Richmond Shakespeare and the African American Repertory Theatre. Unfortunately the night I was in the audience, I was only joined by about 30 people or so. I don’t usually report on attendance figures, but Othello is well done and should have a larger audience enjoying it. All the theatres in town are turning in good work and we need to turn out to support them.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Crumble (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake) at the Firehouse Theatre Project

2010-03-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

The other night one of my friends and I were discussing what we liked about independent film. We could do that because we are both dangerously overeducated and have a lot of time on our hands. Still, we came to the conclusion that one of the best things about independent film was that it is able to take a full story and distill it down to its essence. To take a large event and narrow it down until you are left with all of the best parts of the story and not a lot of filler.

Very few plays have ever affected me the way that Crumble (Lay Me Down, Justin Timberlake) has. The latest offering by the Firehouse Theatre Project is a deceptive piece, on the one hand a simple domestic drama, but on the other a wry commentary on the decay that life brings with it as a natural course of evolution. It is a play about the dynamics of relationships between mothers and daughters and sisters. It is a play about the power of fantasy and the consequences of actions.

Crumble, as we shall call it for the purposes of this review, is a powerful play that manages to find some laughs along the way in this condensed event.

The supporting performances are good all the way around, with Matt Hackman adding three more roles to his already impressive resume from this season. Lisa Kotula does a fine job as the third point of the familial triangle, and Frank Creasy portrays one of the most surreal roles I’ve seen in ages – he plays the apartment. I know it sounds strange, but just go with it.

The two leads, Christina Billew and Jen Meharg make a dynamic team as daughter and mother going through a terrible transition without having the strength to deal with the issues, choosing instead to escape into worlds of fantasy. Both Harrison Ford and Justin Timberlake take turns brightening up their lives, if just for a moment.

The ensemble with this script creates lightning. For me, it was like stumbling onto early Sheppard; confusing, confounding, stimulating, intriguing – not every moment crackles, but so many of them do.

Phil Hayes has created a fascinating set, combining a small apartment with an actor and tucking another apartment into a tiny space way upstage. Looked like all the New York apartments my friends rented after college. Cheryl Williams’ lights give us those bright washes and shadows that add to the fantasy sequences. Steve Organ provides live music, always a nice touch and Don Warren’s costumes are functional.

Director Bill Patton has added yet another strong production to his resume, reaffirming the Firehouse Theatre Project’s place among those theatres who continue to take risks. Risks should come with rewards, and most theatres across the Commonwealth are facing a severe economic crisis. Now is the time when our theatres need us – the audience to band together – and show up at their doors.

There are a number of good plays on the stages around town. Do yourself a favor and go see some – and take your friends. We need the arts in our lives, and the arts need us.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

HATTheatre Presents Awaken The Spirit

2010-03-01T18:08:00.000-08:00

Over this past weekend I finally got the chance to catch one of the local theatres whose work was not really known to me. I had been inside the HATTheatre in order to see a production by the Richmond Triangle Players, and I had recently seen a production by Random Acts, one of the area’s best improv groups – but I had yet to see one of the productions done by the theatre itself. I was laboring under the delusion that the HATTheatre was either some sort of community theatre or children’s theatre and I am glad to say that it is a wonderful professional company that has showcased some of the finest talent the city has to offer.

Their current production, Awaken the Spirit, is a reimagining of songs composed by Stephen Schwartz, a guy who has scored a few minor hits. You might have heard of some of them – Pippin, Godspell, Wicked, Children of Eden, not to mention The Baker’s Wife among others. Songs from each of these shows, plus a tune from Geppetto and a couple from the album Uncharted Territory make up this presentation – great songs that have been moved from their original spot to create a brand new theatrical experience.

These kinds of compilation shows are hit and miss with me. Sometimes I’m too attached to the songs in their original presentation and don’t want to see them turned into a best-of cabaret; but in the case of Awaken the Spirit, an actual story has been constructed out of the material, making it seem fresh and new.

The story reolves around three groups of two – relationships in various positions – just starting out, ending, and stalled somewhere waiting to happen. The cast includes Deborah D. Lynch, Scott Melton, Lucas Hall, Haley Roberts, and Ryan Lynch – all fairly talented singers and performers. Each has a good moment or two, with Lynch and Melton lending their talents to the most songs. The real find for me in this production was a young lady named Sarah Crane – whose work I have never encountered before, but who possesses a wonderful voice. She is still tentative in her acting, but once she conquers that, I am predicting that she will start getting the roles that really make people stand up and notice. Her version of Defying Gravity and For Good are two standouts.

Director Julie Fulcher-Davis may have become the first director to have two shows running simultaneously during the Acts of Faith Festival. I’m not sure of that, but even if she is not, it is no small feat. Once again she demonstrates not only a great ear for the rhythm of the music, but a deft touch with getting her actors to deliver solid performances. Music direction is by Deborah Lynch and the sets and lights are handled by Todd Shall-Vess. Working in an intimate space can be a tricky affair, but they manage to pull it off nicely.

It may be a well guarded secret that I’m letting out, but I recommend that if you are unaware of HATTHeatre, or have just never seen much in the way of publicity regarding their work, make it a point to head out to the West End and enjoy Awaken The Spirit. I did, and I am glad of it.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

First Baptist of Ivy Gap at Hanover Tavern

2010-02-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

During this time of year, the Acts of Faith Festival takes over just about every stage in the area. Some of these choices can be great studies of the human condition, the kind of play that takes you deep within your own soul on a search for the divine, but most of the time we get plays that only have the outer trappings of faith. First Baptist of Ivy Gap, the current offering at Barksdale Hanover Tavern is one of those latter types of play – set against two wars and a tiny church; on paper it seems like it can’t miss, but plays are brought to life on stages more than pages, and anything can happen.

Actually that last statement is a bit too clever, because it is precisely with the pages – the script of the play where I have my problem. We are presented with six different types of women – the preacher’s wife, the cute ingénue who can’t wait to escape the confines of the small town, the struggling artist, the desperate mother, the innocent young thing, and the rich wife – all brought together by a common task and we observe how they interact.

The problem that I have is these women are drawn in two dimensions when they should be realized as real flesh and blood. There are a lot of male playwrights who have troubles creating realistic women, and this play is a prime example.

That’s not to say that some of the fine actresses who grace Hanover Tavern’s historic stage don’t rise above the material. Joy Williams as Luby, the grief stricken mother digs deep to pull out the anxiety and pain that she faces while looking for forgiveness and not knowing how to ask for it. Maggie Roop pulls out several fine moments as Mae Ellen, the church organist with a slightly wild streak, Ali Thibodeau once again gives a fine performance as the sweet girl done wrong, and Jan Guarino provides much of the comedy as the preacher’s wife who sometimes wishes she were somewhere else.

Harriett Traylor’s role seems to be added as an afterthought, and while I think it could have easily been expanded in order to create a more powerful second act, Traylor is given little to do. Pity, she’s a fine actress and would have done better if she had had something more to do.

The find of the night is young Sarah Pruden as Olene, the fresh faced beauty who can’t wait to escape the confines of Ivy Gap for the bright lights of Hollywood. Pruden shows that she has the ability to breathe fresh life into a clichéd role and make it a lot of fun. Her work with Roop is especially fun to watch.

The technical side for First Baptist of Ivy Gap is adequate but not really inspired. The set by Terrie Powers and David Powers is mostly the rec hall of the church, Slade Billew’s lights are decent, and the Costumes by Sue Griffin and Marcia Miller Hailey reflect small town America at two crossroads.

First Baptist of Ivy Gap has some funny moments and one or two touching ones as well, but is mostly unremarkable.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.
Photo by JAY PAUL
L to R: Ali Thibodeau, Sarah Pruden and Maggie Roop

Barksdale and TheatreVCU Team Up on The Grapes of Wrath

2010-02-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

The French have a term; littérature engagée, which loosely translated refers to the work of a writer who is committed to enacting social change through his or her commentary via a novel or play. The phrase was coined to describe Jean Paul Sartre’s work in The Prisoner of Altoona but it has been used on American writers like Upton Sinclair for The Jungle and John Steinbeck for The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck’s work has given the dust bowl and struggle for work and dignity a family – the Joads who moved cross country, leaving their hell on earth for what they hoped would be paradise.

Barksdale Willow Lawn and TheatreVCU have joined forces to present Frank Galati’s award-winning adaptation of Steinbeck’s masterpiece and the evening offers mixed results. While there are many things to recommend about the production, there are several problems, including the length of the evening’s performance, which at nearly three hours, is considerable.

Let’s start with the positives. Michael Hawke’s Pa Joad is a strong solid portrayal of a man trying against all odds to keep his family together. He underplays beautifully and offers quiet strength and dignity in the most trying of times. Marta Rainer, although too young for the role, manages to capture Ma Joad’s salt of the earth personality and delivers her speeches with authority. Much of the play rests on her shoulders and she manages to deliver.

Charley Raintree does a good job with preacher turned organizer Jim Casy and both Tom McGranahan and Chris Bass Randolph are fun as Granpa and Granma Joad.

However, if we are going to examine the show in detail, I must call out those things that did not work for me. Joe Carlson, normally one of my favorite young actors, just doesn’t click for me as Tom Joad. Carlson is usually adept at portraying someone who has deep seated violence just under his skin, but here in the role of convicted killer (albeit in self defense) Tom Joad, the righteous indignity sometimes comes off as whining.

The pacing of the evening’s performance is very slow – yes I know the actors are portraying a 2000 mile journey, but there are ways of speeding it up so we don’t feel like we have driven every single mile with them. Case in point, there is a moment in act one in which the actors have to reshuffle the set pieces that make up their car in order for two actors to share a sweet kiss in the moonlight. It’s a nice scene, but it requires a couple of minutes to set it up. Why not just have them steal a kiss before getting into the car, thus saving some time? Do this for the other 8-10 scenes I thought could be speeded up and suddenly the evening is a little easier.

Technically, Dennis Williams’ set is all rough hewn timbers, jagged edges and broken beams. It looks nice, but it’s tricky for the actors to navigate. Lynn Hartman’s lights continue to be superior, and Kenann Quander’s costumes are both functional and evocative.

There is a lot to recommend about The Grapes of Wrath, but there is still room for improvement.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.

Michael Hawke and Marta Rainer in The Grapes of Wrath, a co-production of Barksdale Theatre and Theatre VCU opened Friday, February 12 and runs through March 21st at Barksdale’s Willow Lawn location, 1601 Willow Lawn Drive in Richmond.

Photo by JAY PAUL

Facing East at Richmond Triangle Players New Home

2010-02-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

I have said many times that I am not a particular fan of the Acts of Faith Festival. Too many times I notice that the word “faith” encompasses too many things, and that sometimes weaker plays are presented in order to appear in the program trumpeting all of the other participants. What I am a fan of is the fact that this festival brings a lot of people to the theatre that might not otherwise come to see a play. I am hoping that will be the case with Facing East, the latest offering of the Richmond Triangle Players, and the first play presented in their brand new theatre.

Simply put, Facing East is one of the most powerfully moving, quiet, evocative plays that I have seen in a good while. Beautifully written by Carol Lynn Pearson and directed by Julie Fulcher, Facing East tells the simple story that takes place on the afternoon of a funeral of a young homosexual man who has taken his own life. His grieving parents must find a way to reconcile how their own faiths may have played a role in his death.

Daniel Moore is Alex McCormick, the young man’s father – he is a devout Mormon who also hosts a syndicated radio blurb – he is One Minute Dad – the guy who tells you to leave a note of support in your child’s lunch and that every moment with your child is valuable and can be a life lesson. Moore is one of those actors who always turns in credible work, but rarely gets the opportunities at the big roles. This is a big role and Moore delivers in his own quiet way. His tortured examination as to how his very public role may have had a detrimental effect on his son is painful and cathartic at the same time. His grief is so very visible and Moore delivers a wonderful performance.

Melissa Johnson Price is the mom who while taking pride in her late son’s accomplishments, cannot reconcile to the fact that he was gay. For her, life is all about the “should be” not the reality that life presents. She pines for her son’s former girlfriend and blames their son’s loving partner for turning him gay. Price is another fine actress who only takes the occasional role at this point in her career, and when she does, it is a role with which she can do wonderful things. This is one such role. The chemistry between Price and Moore works very well.

Peter O’Shanick is the partner who comes in near the end of the play to further humanize the late young man. He offers insight into his last few days and while being respectful of the parents and their loss, he manages to stand up for the reality of their life together. He is able to present the facts that while certain institutions could not condone their lifestyle, the people within those institutions still managed to find love in their hearts.

I’m running out of time, but the technical side was very strong and Julie Fulcher managed to wring amazing performances from her actors. I highly recommend Facing East.

For WCVE Public Radio, I’m John Porter.
Richmond Triangle Players inaugurates its brand new theater with a production of Carol Lynn Pearson’s passionate and moving “Facing East,” running Thursday through Sunday evenings at 8 pm now through March 6. As a part of the Acts of Faith Festival, special talkbacks are scheduled after the Sunday matinees on February 21 and 28 at 4 pm. All performances at Richmond Triangle Players, 1300 Altamont Avenue, at the corner of West Marshall St, just northwest of Boulevard and Broad Streets, in Scott’s Addition. For tickets, visit our web site at www.rtriangle.org, or call 804-346-8113.

Photo Credits: Melissa Johnston Price and Daniel Moore as Ruth and Alex McCormick; Peter O’Shanick as Marcus. Photos by John MacLellan.

General Musings in the Snow

2010-02-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

So the other day I posted a little note on Facebook (that’s right, I spend a fair amount of time there catching up with old friends and meeting new ones – drop by sometime) along the lines of, “Zombieland is da shizzle. Watch it on BlueRay if you get the chance.” Actually I misspelled the word “watch” because the “c” on the keyboard I was using at the time, sticks. I didn’t proofread.

Rule number 37, always proofread, it saves embarrassment later.

Anyway, a friend of mine, a guy I’ve known for a very long time posted a note saying that he had known that for months and so had the regular readers of his on-line reviews. The implication (to me at least, and maybe I’m being too sensitive) is ”Hey moron, if you would have bothered to read MY review you would have already known that.”

Trouble is, I never read another critic’s review of something I might review later on.

“But hey Mondo,” I hear you saying, “don’t you just review theatre?”

I do review theatre, but also more. I also review movies, DVDs, books, artwork, poetry, and write articles for Fangoria’s website. If you are not familiar with Fangoria, it is a great magazine that covers the world of horror in all its various forms. I’ve been reading the magazine since it kicked off in 1979 and through a moment of serendipity, met the website’s editor who hired me to write for them. I have a great time investigating the world of horror and examining it from a (slightly) older perspective and I am grateful that the website has indulged me; I have been able to write about the original Grand-Guignol Theatre in Paris, examine the world of luchador movies from Mexico, interview the artist Isabel Samaras, re-visit the world of television horror hosts in Virginia, and write a boatload of reviews.

If you are interested in what I’ve posted there, drop by www.fangoria.com sometime and look around. I think you’ll find lots of things that interest you.

Of course you can always drop by my other blog (http://mondojohnnysmidnightmovies.blogspot.com) to catch the overflow. I post direct links to my stories and reviews for Fangoria and also write other reviews there just for fun.

Does this mean I don’t read the theatre reviews of my fellow wizards from the Richmond area? Actually I do read them, but not until after I have seen the show, formulated and written my review. Preferably not until after I’ve recorded my review.

Why? Well, first of all, I don’t want to be influenced by their opinions. It can happen. I also don’t want my review to turn into a review of their review. My colleagues all have their own ideas and express them well. Sometimes I’ll see something they don’t and vice versa. We all respect each other’s approaches and have our own voices and readers/listeners. Ideally, theatre fans should check us all out (and Dave Timberline does a great job of linking things on his blog) and use our different voices to formulate their own opinion.

Which brings me back around to my movie loving friend. Now that I’ve seen Zombieland, I will go back to your review and check out what you wrote. But not until I’ve had a chance to write my own review and posted it to my movie blog.

And if you want to stop by and visit for a spell on Facebook – welcome, I’d love to see you. Beware though, I play one of the games on the site and some folks can’t handle that.