Sordid Lives – Southern Comedy With A Side of Substance

John Killeen (pictured). Photo by Alicia Turvin

By Tina Arth

Twilight Theater Company is offering up a heapin’ helpin’ of Southern comedy for the opening of its 2020 season with playwright Del Shores’ Sordid Lives, but unlike many such farces, this one uses broadly comic characters and situations to express some important truths.  Director Meghan Daaboul allows her cast to have a lot of fun with a fundamentally absurd (and heartbreaking) story, but somehow restrains them from going so far over the top that we lose sight of key characters as real people with real feelings.

Let us begin with absurd: deep in the heart of Texas the kinfolk are gathering to mourn the passing of beloved mother/sister/grandmother Peggy Ingram. Peggy’s death was both unexpected and tawdry – she met her maker in a seedy motel room, having tripped over her lover’s two wooden legs and hit her head on the edge of the bureau. An already tacky situation is made even worse by the fact that her legless lover, G. W. Nethercott, is the husband of Peggy’s good friend Noleta. To add an additional note of bizarre levity, Peggy’s daughters LaVonda and Latrelle disagree violently about whether their momma should be buried in her fur stole, and Peggy’s sister Sissy is unable to mediate effectively while trying to quit smoking by snapping a rubber band against her wrist.  

Moving on to heartbreaking, Peggy’s grandson Ty, a gay New York actor, agonizes about whether to go home for the funeral, since he has never come out to his family and they are notoriously closed-minded about non-standard gender issues. His reticence is well-founded - Peggy had her son Brother Boy committed to a mental institution, where he has spent the past twenty years, for being a Tammy Wynette-obsessed transvestite. Continuing the heartbreaking/absurd dichotomy, each scene (“chapter”) is introduced by brief monologues by Ty as he bares his soul (and delivers some much-needed exposition) to his latest therapist, and tacky country music performed by Peggy’s lowlife girl friend, ex-con Bitsy Mae Harling. In the end, despite its broad comic surface, at its root the play conforms nicely with Twilight’s 2020 theme of “encounters.” As Daaboul says in her director’s note, the play “clearly sends a deeper, more profound message of tolerance and acceptance,” and this is what moves it beyond the hollow farce of some superficially similar Southern comedies.

Among a generally strong cast, four actors particularly stood out for me – two for their quiet, attention-grabbing subtlety and two for their almost over-the-top but still controlled performances. Jonathan Miles (as grandson Ty Williamson), in multiple brief monologues, anchors the entire show with his quiet delivery that forces the audience to repeatedly refocus on the pain that underlies much of the comedy.  The other impressively subtle performance comes from Raven Jazper-Hawke as Peggy’s sister Sissy. Surrounded by the swirling small-town drama of her clan and neighbors, finally driven back to smoking by the incessant bickering of her two nieces, Jazper-Hawke manages to express the dignity and strength of a very special kind of Southern woman rising above the chaos, refusing to take sides or be drawn into the fray and accepting all around her without judgment.

Despite a hefty dose of farce in Act I, Sordid Lives still started out a bit slowly for me – I was on the fence about the show. However, the appearance of John Killeen’s “Brother Boy” in Act II instantly resolved my doubts. Killeen delivers a brilliant combination of comedy and tragedy as the institutionalized transvestite, and his presence lights up the stage – the quintessence of “I laugh that I may not weep.”  The final killer performance (another Act II brightener) comes from the director, who with less than two weeks’ notice stepped into the role of Brother Boy’s nemesis Dr. Eve Bollinger. Daaboul is simultaneously hysterically funny and horrifying as a psychiatrist intent on getting an Oprah appearance by de-homosexualizing Brother Boy (she figures since he’s the gayest patient she’s ever encountered, “curing” him will cement her place in history).  I generally frown on directors taking roles in their own shows, but necessity in this case was a godsend – the bizarre chemistry between Killeen and Daaboul is truly memorable.

Steve Koeppen’s set design provides a solid backdrop for the action – in particular, the Star of Texas-adorned wallpaper (note the subtle pink coloration of the stars), and Kelcey Weaver’s costumes are as varied as the characters themselves, providing visual support for the full range from button-down to a nice dose of white trash glamour. Perhaps most impressive is Killeen’s final costume, when he goes full-on Tammy Wynette and somehow manages to balance on his huge red heels.

Due to language and mature themes, Sordid Lives is not appropriate for younger audiences, but it provides a great evening for adults who appreciate a fine blend of solid content and comedy.

Twilight Theater Company’s Sordid Lives is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland through February 9th, with performances at 8 P.M. on Friday–Saturday, and 3:00 PM on Sunday. 

Over the Moon for Up and Away

Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer shows Colin Stephen Kane, Danielle 
Valentine, Paul Wrona, Joe Thiessen, and Malia Tippets

By Tina Arth

It is said that certain moments in your life are indelibly etched in memory – could be first love, or first car, or (depending on your age) the Kennedy assassination(s) or 9/11. For me, add in the first time I saw The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Young Frankenstein, Little Shop of Horrors, Sugar, Minnie’s Boys, and now Broadway Rose’s production of Up and Away. Yes, it is that funny. The show had its world premiere in Pittsburgh last year, and (after some revision by the authors) is enjoying its West Coast premiere right here in Tigard. The book and lyrics by Kevin Hammonds are tightly scripted, witty, and thoroughly wacky, and Kristin Bair’s music fits perfectly with the show’s, shall we say eccentric, ambience. Dan Murphy’s direction and choreography should be permanently embedded as definitive for future productions – the exuberant, unapologetic silliness left me breathless.

The story (at least a bland, spoiler-free version suitable for reviewing) is this: like many other royal parents of fiction, a pair of anxious aliens on a Pluto-adjacent planet exile their helpless infant to save him from certain death (in this case, at the hands of rebel assassins). The terrified pair sends their baby out into space in a metallic, egg-shaped cocoon (Star Wars? Superman? Greatest American Hero?). Years later on an isolated farm in Farmtown, USA, brothers Joe and Jerry Jessup are digging the hole for a new outhouse when they uncover the mysterious object. Despite warnings from his cautious brother, the impetuous Joe opens the “egg,” tries on the red gloves within, and quickly discovers that he now has the power to see 5 seconds into the future. Joe has always longed to see the outside world; ignoring the pleas of Mother Jessup and Jerry, he heads for Big City where he encounters intrepid, aspiring girl reporter Susie Dare, mega-wealthy Ronak Fairchild, and a host of absurd comic-book villains (shades of Batman and Spiderman) who are wreaking havoc on the local citizenry. Donning the requisite red long-johns and now able to fly (poorly), Joe becomes crime fighter Super Saver, falls for Susie, and gets the on-air reporter job she wanted at the radio station. When brother Jerry arrives to check up on Joe, he meets Susie and sparks fly. I dare go no further…

The three men and two women who populate the stage have to be among the hardest-working people in show business – perhaps out done only by the Broadway  Rose crew who have to manage the lightning quick costume and scene changes that magically turn five actors into countless (I lost track around 20) characters while paying homage to almost as many iconic musicals, comic books, and television shows. While Paul Wrona (Joe), Colin Stephen Kane (Jerry), and Malia Tippets (Susie) primarily play themselves, only occasionally changing into villains by donning a pumpkin head, habit, or beekeeper’s mask, Danielle Valentine and Joe Theissen assume a dizzying array of roles.  The playwrights pay open homage to Annie with station WBC’s singing trio, adding pink fascinators to turn Tippets, Theissen, and Valentine’s “Dapper Cracker Sisters” into Big City’s own version of the Lovely Boylan Sisters. In another cheerfully derivative moment, Theissen’s big entrance as Fairchild evokes an even glitzier take on Carol Channing descending the staircase in Hello Dolly. Wrona’s low-tech flying is hilarious – definitely drawn from the era of George Reeve, not Christopher Reeves.

Up and Away is, of course, a musical, and Broadway Rose provides the perfect West Coast launchpad.  Music director/conductor James Pick does a masterful job with the John Williams-esque introductory themes, and the 23 songs give the actors ample opportunity to showcase their vocal talents.  One of the first clues that Jerry may be more than meets the eye comes from Kane’s singing – his powerful vocals belie the character’s timid affect. By contrast, Wrona’s bigger, stronger Joe has a pleasant voice, more than up to the task of delivering the songs but somehow inconsistent with his heroic persona – suggesting that Super Saver may not be the key to Big City’s salvation. Theissen’s vocal tour de force comes from the decadent Ronak’s “Join Me, Won’t You,” and he simply sparkles in his guise as a Dapper Cracker Sister. In her role as Susie, Tippets sweetly nails her two key duets with Jerry in addition to her vocals with the full ensemble and as a Dapper Cracker. While Valentine’s ensemble work is fine, she shines brightest in character roles as Mother Jessup, the drunken secretary, and Ronak’s sidekick/butler.

It’s tough to differentiate between the choreography and the overall staging – the comedy is intrinsic to both, and characters move (sometimes fluidly and sometimes frantically) from one moment to the next with the help of amazingly creative props and some of the funniest and cleverest choreography I’ve ever seen. Costumes (based on the original Pittsburgh designs by Leon Dobrowski) range from suitably hackneyed (e.g., Farmville hick and Susie’s conservative reporter attire) to utterly outrageous – perfectly in keeping with the tone of the show.

It’s sometimes hard to attract an audience for a new show, but word seems to have gotten out, and many of the best seats are long gone on the Broadway Rose ticket site. Best bet? Unless you have zero tolerance for unrestrained fun, buy tickets now and treat yourself to a spectacular couple of hours. One warning – despite the comic book ambience, the show does contain some mature language and may not be appropriate for your kiddos.

Up and Away is playing at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through Sunday, February 23.

The City of Conversation Sheds Light on the Current Scene

Jeananne Kelsey, Tyler Lambert, and Dorinda Toner

By Tina Arth

Want to spend 2 hours learning how American politics wound its way to the current stalemate? Want to relive those awful Thanksgiving conversations in somebody else’s living room? Want to get more than a little depressed, but also be stimulated to closely examine your own assumptions and analyze your principles? No, Theatre in the Grove’s current production of playwright Anthony Giardina’s City of Conversation doesn’t provide the rollicking fun of, say, South Pacific, but it’s a powerful, thought-provoking, and demanding play that brings some important theater to the community.  Director Tanner Morton has assembled a quality cast and production crew to give Forest Grove audiences a revealing glimpse of the strange sociopolitical landscape of Washington D.C.

The show made its debut in 2014, well before the Trump era, but City of Conversation provides a fascinating road map from the late seventies to the present. The action takes place over three-plus decades, beginning in the latter days of the Carter Administration and ending just after the election of Barack Obama. For years, dinner parties in the home of D.C. hostess Hester Ferris have brought together Washington insiders of all persuasions for some serious horse-trading to get the work of government done – Ferris is a die-hard liberal, but her parties have paved the way for compromise between the likes of Strom Thurmond and Teddy Kennedy. Ferris is preparing to entertain conservative Kentucky senator Mallonee and his wife when her son Colin arrives from London with his fiancée, the ambitious Reaganite Anna Fitzgerald, and sparks fly.  The scene shifts to the Reagan Administration; where a serious argument about Robert Bork’s Supreme Court nomination leads to estrangement between Hester and her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson Ethan. The conclusion shows Ethan, in D.C. to attend an Obama inaugural party, visiting his grandmother after years of separation.

Dorinda Toner delivers a sterling performance as Hester Ferris – her character shifts dramatically in practically every scene as she moves from sharp politico to fierce doting grandmother, with a strong dose of pushy sister and semi-detached lover thrown in for good measure. Her relationship with Anna (Jeananne Kelsey) is defined quickly when the young, corn-fed Anna asks Hester if she can watch Hester get ready for her dinner party – she immediately sees through Anna’s gee-whiz naiveté and quickly cuts her down. Kelsey maintains her corn-fed Midwestern affect with chilling MAGA precision, and when the knives really come out in Act II both women play their respective roles beautifully.

Tyler Lambert does double duty as Colin and later as his grown-up son Ethan, with changes in hair (on his head and face) and wardrobe to define the different roles. Lambert’s “Ethan” is particularly moving – he creates a nice picture of slightly damaged goods, the bright but withdrawn product of two generations of political infighting and maternal neglect. Ethan’s friend Donald (Richard Howard III) appears for only a few minutes in the final act, but Howard manages to telegraph the pair’s backstory quickly, with lots of non-verbal cues in place of excessive exposition.

The set is classic Theatre in the Grove, with the attention to detail and functionality audiences have come to expect from set designer Zachary Centers. Costumes shift nicely between eras, with attention to the social milieu of the characters – I was particularly impressed with Toner’s final scene, where the clothes, wig, and makeup worked perfectly with her portrayal of the now-aged Hester.

The City of Conversation provides a nice window into a Washington D.C. other than today’s “all impeachment, all the time” coverage. It’s well worth a couple of hours for both the acting and Giardina’s incisive, tightly written script.

The City of Conversation is playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove through May 5, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

A Sneak Peek at Love, Loss, and What I Wore

Babette Bilger, Patti Speight, Yelena King, Leslie Inmon, Emily Smith, 
Eleanor Amorós, Leilani Oleari.
Picture by Nicole Mae Photography

 
By Tina Arth

Since Mask&Mirror’s latest “Unmasked” production has only a two-week run, I was happy to attend a fully staged rehearsal three days before the show’s actual opening. The performers were, of course, at a bit of a disadvantage – not only were they missing out on some extra rehearsal time, but the space at the Tualatin Heritage Center was partly full of detritus from another program. Despite these handicaps, the 7-woman cast pulled it off nicely – doing Director Linda Morris Talluto proud and drawing an impressive number of laughs (and a few tears) from the tiny preview audience.

The play by Nora and Delia Ephron is based on Ilene Beckerman’s 1995 book.  The 7-woman, rotating cast delivers a series of monologues, a few small group scenes, and some full-ensemble work, with at most minimal staging. The material is organized superficially around the women’s relationship with clothing through their lives, using their wardrobes as a medium to explore significant moments of comedy, tragedy, and ennui in their lives – prom, first period, weddings, funerals, illness, death, pushy moms, aging bodies, even rape. While it may be seen as a “women’s show” and is immediately relatable for practically any American woman born in the 20^th century, it should not take long for the men in the audience to key into the show’s themes and emotional impact.

A more conventional play would invite comments on costumes (really none, other than a few props and an array of clothing items displayed around the stage), sets (again – basically nothing – just 7 chairs for the 7 women, plus a flipchart where one of the actors draws a picture). The original Broadway production utilized only 5 women, and it was done as true reader’s theatre – actors perched on stools and read from scripts on music stands.  With the likes of Christine Baransky and Mia Farrow in the cast, I’m sure this was fine, but I really appreciate the director’s decision to lose the scripts and let her cast really act. We also get sound and lighting – brief clips of several thoroughly recognizable pop songs introduce some of the monologues, and crude but evocative line drawings of a variety of outfits are projected onto a screen in back of the actors. Blocking is also minimal - the actors generally address the audience rather than interacting with each other, and there are a few occasions where one of the women comes down the steps and approaches the audience directly.  All of this adds up to 90 fast-moving minutes of truly moving theater, and is not to be missed.

With 28 separate scenes/monologues, each cast member has ample opportunities to shine, and for the most part they do.  Babette Bilger plays just one (repeated) role, as Gingy, and the rest of the segments are performed by Eleanor Amorós, Leslie Inmon, Yelena King, Leilani Oleari, Emily Smith, and Patti Speight.  The actors make rapid-fire transitions from one character to the next as they jump from scene to scene. My favorites include some small group and ensemble numbers, including a few of the “Clotheslines” where 6 actors riff on the same theme.  Watch for “Holly’s Story,” “Boots,” “Fat/Thin,” “I Hate My Purse,” “Geralyn’s Story,”– heck, just watch everything and enjoy the many moments where you recognize yourself, family, friends and lovers!

This is not a show that is likely to be seen again in the area for a while, and the venue is tiny at the Tualatin Heritage Center, which seats only ~ 50 people. My advice? Buy tickets early (I’ve already reserved two so I can go back with a friend to see the closing performance – I’m eager to see how the show will have grown since the preview).

Mask&Mirror’s production of Love, Loss, and What I Wore runs through Sunday, February 2 at the Tualatin Heritage Center, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday at 2:30.