followspot@hotmail.com
June 23, 2006
Shows I probably won't get to:
The Chuck Mee Challenge (Francesca Sanders and various artists)
Macbeth (Portland Actors Ensemble)
Menopause: The Musical (PCPA)
The Centering (Back Door Theatre)
Vamp (Stark Raving Theatre)
An Adult Evening of Shel Silverstein (The Bluestockings)
Civil Disunion (Humble Divas)
Kimberly Akimbo (Portland Actors Conservatory)
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24 comments:
I would highly recommend THE CENTERING. While I wasn't enthralled by the script, I thought Chris Harder's work was stunning. His ability to transform from character to drastically different (and convincing) character was a delight to watch. I found that my jaw was literally dropping when he turned into female characters. Utterly convincing. Also, his work as Zuccino(sp?) was wonderful. Chris' talent as a clown redeems any slights one may feel towards clowns as a whole. A fascinating and beautiful performance. I hope he continues working on the piece and strengthens the storytelling of the script so that it's worthy of the performance.
Another strong vote for THE CENTERING.
Harder is a serious talent. I agree that his versatility outpaced the current script and story. As is, the story's form is stronger than the content. But they are definitely on to something.
The flashes from one character to another keep us guessing and slightly mystified to start. Later as momentum builds and we know more about what is going on, we don't notice the instant changes as much. We want to know as fast as he can tell.
The intersection of this personal story with a larger political vector is what really makes this work hum.
With a little more work and perhaps some added length, this would be a one act ready to play anywhere.
Harder expertly evokes the fractured world of a fragile and doomed soul.
This work is ripe for a larger production somewhere.
As to the Chuck Mee Challenge:
This very very odd evening of scenes submitted to Charles Mee for inclusion in one of his plays has gotten a lot of interest since the articles in the Willamette Week and Oregonian.
I'm not going to review it, since I'm in one of the scenes, but if any of you loyal readers are considering seeing the show and reviewing it, it'd be best to arrive at Theatre!Theatre! at 6:45 or so to ensure that you get a seat. The show (which starts at 7:30) is free, so there's the potential that the house will fill quickly.
Hope we see you there!
KIMBERLY AKIMBO
Not much to recommend this show.
Main problem was script. Very few relationships felt authentic. Real emotion was scarce. A lot of the dialogue just felt wrong given who these people were.
Lots of prefab plot contrivances and verbalizing the story. Not much to grab on to. A few disconnected, found object funny moments - but nothing that hung together in a cohesive structure or served any larger end.
Disappointing.
Any thoughts on the Chuck Mee thing?
I have to disagree on Kimberly Akimbo. David Foster Wallace is about the only playwright left who crafts honest-to-goodness farces. Not every show can be experimental or socially important. Sometimes we just want to laugh.
David Foster Wallace is a wonderful author - but not to be confused with David Lindsay-Abaire, author of Kimberly Akimbo.
now who was calling theatre reviewers in this town unqualified?
"Vamp" anyone? Howis it?
On Menopause: the Musical...
A fun evening. Not great theatre but amusing and occasionally clever parodies of the songs. Blocking is pretty much musical-by-the-numbers. One of the actors (sorry, don't have program handy) is very, very good. Others are lesser lights.
You're really not going to see the Stark Raving Theatre show? Really? Didn't this company just win a Drammy for best new script for their last show? Didn't a pdxbackstage post just go out saying this is going to be the last show of their last, fully produced season? And a reviewer/drammy member/theatre writer isn't going to go see it?
Lindsey-Abaire. Right. Apologies. In any case, I found the show enjoyable. They can't all be heavy.
Looks like "Menopause" will be over soon.
Carole,
Please define "ending soon." They are still selling tickets thru 8/20. Six weeks out.
Make that "over soon."
Willamette Week for one says "Menopause" is ending July 30, but you're right -- the Web site doesn't indicate that, so .... maybe they cried wolf to get more sheep into their fold. Nothing like a "about to close" to get people on the fence to make a decision.
PAE's "Macbeth" has its virtues. As with any production of this sort, cast quality is wildly variable: the leads are mostly strong, but at least 3 or 4 minor characters can hardly be heard at all. Brian Rooney is probably not most people's idea of Macbeth, physically or vocally, but he does a solid job, particularly in portraying the character's growing paranoia and frantic desperation. Christy Hernquist's Lady M is very good -- Machiavellian and focused -- and she slips some surprising comedy into several scenes.
The star of this show is the setting, thoough: one of those downtown Portland parks I didn't even know existed. There are three 10-foot grassy hills that surround the "stage" (a concrete parapet), and the characters enter over them and between them, cross them and act atop them. Several more hills set back from the stage and one pretty much behind the audience see some use, too. The cast comes at you from every which way, which is kind of bewildering, then thrilling. As the sun sets and it gets dark (there's quite a bit of tree cover), the cast sets up Coleman lanterns as "footlights" and a flaming lamp for illumination and atmosphere.
I counted over 200 in the audience the night I went, and they seemed pretty pleased.
Did anyone else like or dislike PAE's Macbeth?
Well, so much for Vamp, and Stark Raving Theatre too, I suppose. Maybe Followspot's indifference was symptomatic.
I suspect Harlan is referring to this bit of sad news, which was just received by e-mail from Matt Zrebski:
Stark Raving Theatre closes...
Due to poor attendance for Stark Raving Theatre's production of Vamp in combination with failed fundraising efforts, Stark Raving Theatre is forced to close its doors effective today, Wednesday July 19th, 2006.
A final statement on the details of this closure will come in weeks to follow.
In the mean time, all inquiries should be directed to Matt Zrebski at: SRT.Inquiry@gmail.com
Hey Harlan -- did you see "Vamp"? What did you think of it?
Yeah, I saw it. I...didn't care much for it, but considering these developments I think it would be in poor taste to go into particulars. I'll say this: the actors seemed wholly competent, but had an increasingly uphill fight with the script.
Because the Drammy Awards post has already cycled off the main page, I thought I'd post this here, so that you don't miss it:
Watch the 2006 awards ceremony on cable access TV!
Portland Community Media Television has announced the following schedule of when the 2006 Drammy Awards Ceremony will be shown:
Thursday 7/27/2006, 6:00 PM, Channel 23
Saturday 7/29/2006, 2:00 PM, Channel 22
Monday 7/31/2006, 11:00 PM, Channel 22
Monday 8/7/2006, 4:00 PM, Channel 11
Monday 8/14/2006, 11:30 AM, Channel 23
www.pcmtv.org
here's my take on menopause the musical:
it doesn't seem at home in the theatre -- it's more of a dinner theatre/cabaret type vehicle; there is no plot whatever; the idea of taking popular songs and writing your own lyrics is something we used to do in school and for the office party --- while often funny, is it 105 mins of funny? the actors cannot be faulted here; they have been directed to deliver such outlandishly cartoonish characters -- the likes of which you never see anywhere -- not in film, on stage or on tv -- not even "will & grace" were this far out of the circle of humanity -- the only place you'll see characters like this is in actual cartoons. this is not a show that women should be proud of.
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