Strap Yourself in for Bag&Baggage’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea by Tina Arth

Janelle Rae and Jayna Sweet

I mean it – Bag&Baggage’s production of Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is a wild ride – 70

minutes of some of the most intense emotional and physical theater I’ve ever experienced.

“Enjoyable” may not be the right word to describe it – perhaps try “riveting” and

“heartbreaking” and ”authentic” and “intimate” and “raw,” but ultimately two exquisite

performances that kept me vibrating for hours after the stage went dark. In 1984, playwright

John Patrick Shanley (better known for Moonstruck, Doubt: A Parable, and other later work)

emerged as a playwright of note when he brought Danny to New York and London stages.

Director T.S. McCormick honors Shanley’s original vision with laser-like focus, and his actors are

simply brilliant.

The play brings Danny and Roberta, two severely damaged, sometimes explosive, and

psychologically fragile people, together in a deserted bar where they literally and figuratively

crash against each other as they reach out for a human connection. Each is tortured by a secret

– a “bad thing” that they have done, and that they believe is so unforgiveable that they do not

deserve love. As they work through Danny’s nearly uncontrollable rage and Roberta’s crippling

shame, they manage for at least one night to find comfort, peace, acceptance, and a touching

version of love in each other’s arms.

The on-stage chemistry between Janelle Rae (“Danny”) and Jayna Sweet (“Roberta”) is electric -

props not only to the actors and director, but to intimacy choreographer Amanda Vander Hyde

for helping to make this unlikely coupling believable. Rae is violently jacked up for most of the

play, with open wounds on their face and hands serving as mutely powerful testimony to

Danny’s dangerous physical and mental state. Sweet’s character initially seems unreasonably

calm – Danny’s fury is met with a fearless combination of seductiveness and sauciness that

makes sense only when her despair leaks though and we learn that she’s not afraid because, in

her despair, she really doesn’t believe that her life has any value. Rae and Sweet each commit

100% to their characters and lend their transformation a gripping authenticity.

Blanca Forzán’s scenic design is perfectly proportioned to the action - two simple but detailed

sets on a rotating platform to create a seamless transition from bar to Roberta’s small room.

Gabe Costales’ lighting design – in particular, the use of artificial light in place of open sky –

embraces the themes and enhances the moodily surreal atmosphere. A final note – Director

McCormick’s choice to set the action at Christmas time is inspired. While nothing in the script

implies a holiday setting , the small touches highlight the vast divide between conventional

familial warmth and the desperate loneliness of so many trauma victims. Danny is a show that

will stay with its audience for a long, long time.

Content warning: due to mature language and themes of sexual violence, the show is not

appropriate for children, and could be triggering to some survivors.

Bag&Baggage’s Danny and the Deep Blue Sea is playing at The Vault, 350 E. Main Street,

Hillsboro, through December 18 th , with 7:30 p.m. performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

and 2:00 p.m. Sunday matinees. There will be a meet and greet with B&B’s new artistic

director, Nik Whitcomb, following the December 16 th performance.

Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story By Tina Arth

 

Ruth Jenkins, Samm Hill, Tony Domingue, and Morgan Harrison

Ever since 1962, when Mr. Magoo first transformed A Christmas Carol from a Victorian morality

play into a comic holiday tradition, film makers and playwrights have been finding new and

bizarrely wonderful ways to twist Charles Dickens’ classic novella. Twilight Theater Company’s

current production of playwright Jerry A. Montoya’s 2007 adaptation, Christmas Carol – A

Ghost Story, fits squarely into this proud tradition – it’s as whacked out as they come, yet still

adheres to the basic tenets and themes of the original. Director Leslie Inmon has allowed her

imagination (and her cast) to run just a little bit wild, and the result is a fast-paced, occasionally

chaotic two hours where the audience and the cast compete to see who can have the most fun.

I will assume that you are familiar with the basics: Scrooge, Marley, Cratchit, Tiny Tim, ghosts,

laundresses, Fan, Fezziwig, Belle, and of course the original Big Bird – and all are faithfully, if

sometimes playfully, represented in Montoya’s version of the story. However, the Twilight

production includes several non-Dickensian touches, including a pirate, a camo-wearing

narrator who opens the show by leading an enthusiastic audience sing-a-long of “We Wish You

A Merry Christmas” (twice on opening night, due to unforeseen technical difficulties), and a

surprisingly jovial Marley’s Ghost who seems to be having entirely too much fun in his tortured

afterlife. The costumes and sets capture the same playful spirit, with occasional stabs at period

fidelity but lots of wiggle room – kudos to the revolving door that sometimes hides, sometimes

reveals, a multitude of critical stuff!

The cast is generally strong, although, as to be expected, there were a few opening night

hiccups. Special props to Samm Hill – his Scrooge is a delight, and he navigates from cranky

(dare I say, Scrooge-like?) to warm and genial on his journey to salvation. Elliott Dutcher’s

“Fred” is downright hyperactive as he bounces around the stage, and he definitely makes the

role his own! Carl Dahlquist’s “Marley” is a real audience pleaser – his broad, self-aware grin

lets us know that he knows we are watching, and that he’s fine with that. Each of the narrators

fulfills a critical role, with top honors in this category going to the camo-clad, sing-a-long leading

Tony Domingue and the frighteningly intense Lindsey LaFollett. Of course, all eyes are on Jade

Vanderhoof every time child Scrooge, Tiny Tim, or the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears

on stage – no actor ever wants to compete with a kid, and Jade provides fierce competition.

Conclusion? Charles Dickens would probably have been appalled to see what playwright

Montoya, in the capable hands of Inmon and her cast, have done to his novella. On the other

hand, the opening night Twilight audience, in many cases jaded by dozens of renditions of A

Christmas Carol, was highly amused and fully invested in this unexpectedly whlmsical,

thoroughly family friendly if occasionally dark and ghostly, take on the classic tale.

Christmas Carol – A Ghost Story is playing at Twilight’s Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N.

Brandon Avenue, Portland, through December 18 th with performances at 8 pm on Fridays and

Saturdays and 3 pm on Sundays.

Kick off A Very Merry PDX-Mas at Broadway Rose By Tina Arth

 

Among the plethora of holiday highlights in my world, few are as filled with untrammeled joy as the annual Broadway Rose Christmas show, and this year’s offering no exception. For 2022, Portland’s premier musical theater troupe resurrects and updatesA Very Merry PDX-mas, their traditional script-free revue of established holiday classics delivered by a superb ensemble cast (augmented with a memorable children’s choir). The key to making it a fresh experience, rather than a re-hash of every Christmas CD on your shelf (OK – I’m dating myself – but you get the point) is twofold: first, many of the lyrics have been skillfully, hilariously given a distinctive PDX touch through Abe Reybold’s “original direction and specialty material” in collaboration with vocal arranger Jay Tumminello, and second, the lineup incorporates some hauntingly beautiful tunes that are not necessarily associated with Christmas, but deepen the emotional impact of the production. Director Sharon Maroney and Music Director Billy Thompson, in collaboration with Reybold,  Tumminello, and Broadway Rose’s usual cast of excellent vocalists, have crafted two hours of superb, family-friendly entertainment. 

In all the show offers 18 full songs; add in the Winter Medley, Kidz Medley, Santa Swings Medley, and the Big Nativity Medley and the audience is treated to all or part of almost 50 songs ranging from the serene and sacred to the humorously irreverent. Interspersed among holiday GOAT contenders like “White Christmas” and “O Holy Night” the cast offers up some great Reybold twists like the classic “Joy to the ‘Burbs” (is any PDX special complete without digs at Clackamas Town Center, Washington Square, and Bridgeport Mall?). His “Green X-mas” takes aim, fires, and lands a direct hit on Portland’s  oh-so eco-conscious, virtue-signaling populace, and we can all relate to the tragic “Re-Gifter’s Lament.” 

Vocalists Cara Arcuni, Michael Hammerstrom, William Shindler, Richie Stone, Malia Tippets, Tara Velarde, and Blythe Woodland each offer something special in addition to their fine ensemble work. Watch for Woodland’s exquisite “Breath of Heaven,” Tippets’ classic “O Holy Night,” Arcuni’s “White Christmas,” and Schindler and Stone’s “Children, Go Where I send Thee.” For kitschy nostalgia, look no  further than Hammerstrom’s “l Like Old People, Don’t You?” Comic effects are sprinkled throughout with songs like Velarde’s “Shalom Santa” and by frequent slightly whacked-out cameos fromBroadway Rose managing director Dan Murphy. The cast is rounded out by the cutest children’s choir in recent memory -eleven singing, dancing, grinning little elves whose presence reminds us of the importance of children in the holiday season.

The collaboration of scenic designer Jim Crino, lighting designer Carl Faber, and technical director Phil McBeth brings magic to stage with special effects to fit every mood. Another dynamite team is pianist/conductor Billy Thompson, bassist Amy Roesler, and drummer Zac Stowell whose non-stop beautiful music and artistry cannot be overpraised as they enhance every moment of the show.

If you are not yet feeling the holiday season, let Broadway Rose drive the Grinch from your psyche – and if your heart is already full, grab some tickets and let your holiday cup overflow!

A Very Merry PDX-mas is playing at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through Thursday, December 22.

A Very LOoPy Ruddigore by Tina Arth

Picture shows Lindsey Lefler, Chad Dickerson, Laurence Cox, Casey 
Lebold, and a Chorus of Professional Bridesmaids

Light opera should be fun, and by that measure alone, Light Opera of Portland’s

current production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore is a clear success. However,

LOoP’s return to the Multnomah Arts Center after a five-year absence is a delight

on every level – and with only a two-week run, and three performances left, I

recommend that plan your weekend around this gem. It’s clearly a labor of love,

and several players are doing double duty – there’s Director (and set designer,

and Robin Oakapple) Laurence Cox, Music Director (playing keyboard/synthesizer)

Reece Sauve, Costume Designer (and Rose Maybud) Lindsey Lefler, and Producer

(and Dame Hannah) Sara Rivara. These key players and the rest of the 21-person

cast work together seamlessly to wring every drop of humor out of this bawdy

parody of conventional melodrama.

Not unexpectedly, the plot is convoluted and fairly silly. Many years ago, a witch

placed a strange curse on the Baronets of Ruddigore which rendered them wicked

and required them to commit at least one crime each day (the first Baronet of

Ruddigore had rudely burnt her at the stake). Failure to fulfill the rules of the

curse doomed the Baronet to die in agony. After the death of the most recent

Baronet, Sir Ruthven, his younger brother Despard inherited the title and its

attendant wickedness. In the meantime, the exceptionally proper Rose Maybud,

fairest woman in the village, has no suitors – all of the eligible men are afraid to

speak their hearts, and none will wed another if there’s a chance of winning Rose.

A chorus of professional bridesmaids yearns for the day that Rose will wed, as

their careers have been stunted by the absence of any weddings for the past six

months.

Timid, lovestruck young farmer Robin Oakapple has caught Rose’s eye, and she

his, but her obsession with etiquette and his timidity make courting impossible –

until Robin’s foster brother, the dashing rake Richard Dauntless, offers to speak

up for Robin. Richard takes one look at Rose, falls in love, and proposes to her –

and she accepts. Side plot alert: the evil Sir Despard Murgatroyd, wicked Baronet

of Ruddigore, has broken the heart of Mad Margaret, a crazed maiden – and she

fears that Sir Despard will carry Rose off as one of his daily crimes. Rose assures

her that she is betrothed to another and that Mad Margaret need not worry.

There’s lots more, much of it entertainingly preposterous, but you’ll have to see

the show (or consult Wikipedia, I suppose) to find out how it all turns out!

The Professional Bridesmaids, led by Zorah (Dominique Garrison), are marvelous

as they flit about the stage dancing and singing their little hearts out (and flirting

madly with any man in sight). Their male counterparts, the chorus of sailors,

bucks, and blades, are hilarious as they gamely attempt to execute the

choreography – the sailors’ hornpipe and other dances juxtapose nicely with their

flawless vocal harmonies. Sara Rivara’s dry performance as Dame Hannah delivers

a dose of (at least by G&S standards) relative sanity, and she plays a central role in

delivering the back story of the Wicked Baronets, plus her contralto stands out

nicely on a stage full of sopranos.

For me, Chad Dickerson’s “Richard Dauntless” clearly takes top honors for

comedy – he never misses a chance to express his character’s insuppressibly

bawdy and self-serving nature; while delivering his vocals in a blameless tenor, he

makes the most of the nickname “Dick” at every opportunity. Laurence Cox uses

his marvelous voice as well as the comic timing needed for Robin Oakapple as he

switches convincingly from timid hero to a reluctant, ineffective villain and back

again – Dauntless may be the family seaman, but Cox navigates the show’s most

improbable plot and character twists. Finally, there’s Lindsey Lefler’s “Rose” – as

always, Lefler’s soprano vocals are impeccable, but it is her straight-faced

expression of the character’s bizarre addiction to etiquette that really makes the

role.

The costumes and set are perfect – elaborate costumes, simple set – with a huge

thumbs up for the clever Act II portraits! Sauve’s work on the synthesizer stands

in nicely for a room full of instruments, and the frequent interplay between Sauve

and the cast adds another level of humor to an already funny show. Quite

honestly, I was shocked that the production didn’t get a massive standing ovation

– perhaps when you see it you can remedy this grave injustice!

Light Opera of Portland’s production of Ruddigore is playing at the Multnomah

Arts Center, 7688 SW Capitol Highway, Portland through Sunday, October 30 th ,

with shows at 7:00 pm on Friday and Saturday and a 1:00 pm Sunday matinee.

B&B's The Last White Man Defies Categorization by Tina Arth

 

Photo by Casey Campbell Photography shows Tim Gouran and James Luster

When Bag&Baggage founding artistic director Scott Palmer left town in 2018 to try out life in Sun Valley, Idaho, his departure left a massive crater in the Washington County theater scene. Undaunted, B&B stepped up and produced some absolutely marvelous stuff after his departure - then, of course, Covid hit and threw a massive monkey wrench into pretty much everything, definitely including the arts scene. In fact, the last live production I reviewed before the shutdown was Measure of Innocence at The Vault in March of 2020 (fun side note: I still remember with horror the woman who sat next to me, coughing throughout the show!). As the local area emerged from strict lockdown, I was able to see a couple of B&B’s outdoor productions, but I had been pining for some serious Vault time when I got the invitation to see playwright Bill Cain’s The Last White Man directed by – wait for it – Scott Palmer! Leave it at this: I am delighted that Scott is back, he has assembled a remarkable team and managed the B&B resources to their best effect to present a play that grips the audience from beginning to end. I don’t know what role he’ll be playing in the local theater scene, but I will follow his reintegration enthusiastically.

 

Since the current production is the Pacific Northwest premiere of The Last White Man it is not surprising that I knew nothing about the show when I walked in the door. When you go to see it (you will, right?) you’ll have a better handle on what to expect! A major production of Hamlet is in the works, under the guidance of Xandri (Janelle Rae), a Black woman director. Theirlead is big-name film star Charlie (Khail Duggan), sporting a shiny new Oscar but plagued by paralyzing doubt about his ability to do justice to the iconic role. He is driving the amazingly patient Xandri nuts with his reluctance to rehearse, and he wants to modify the script – e.g., why not say “To be, or not” and cut out the second “to be” since it’s superfluous? However, Xandri has covered their bases – there’s Rafe (James Luster), an ambitious understudy who would love to see Charlie disappear, and Tigg (Tim Gouran), a venerated older actor willing to step in for a final crack at one of theater’s greatest roles to close his illustrious career. Cain puts a lot of drama in this play within a play about a play within a play, but laces it with so much humor that I really can’t call it tragedy, comedy, or dramedy – it’s all of the above, a tasteful dose of commentary on diversity issues in theater, and more, plus a sporadic soundtrack playing homage to the greatest hits of Gloria Gaynor and Bonnie Tyler. What’s not to love?

 

Khail Duggan grabs focus immediately; he’s a lithe, muscular, and brooding James Dean wannabe whose juvenile outbursts and tantrums initially come across as spoiled egotism. Duggangradually reveals the crippling insecurity at war with his determination to succeed that makes “To be, or not to be” much more than a line in a play – his indecision blurs the line between actor and role until we can hardly separate the two. Luster’s “Rafe” moves smoothly between eager fanboy, touchingly sincere friend, and master manipulator – figuring out who he is at any point in the play poses an interesting challenge, and in the final analysis Luster convinces us that he is all three.

 

Tim Gouran is masterful as Tigg – funny and even whimsical, sometimes sardonic, sometimes laconic and sometimes intense. He gradually reveals how much this final Hamlet means to him, yet how much it takes for him to tackle the role – Touran inhabits Tigg’s skin completely as he slowly breaks our hearts. 

 

Finally, there’s Janelle Rae’s “Xandri” – perhaps easily overlooked on a stage filled with attention seeking white guys, yet as director they actually hold the reins of this turbulent Hamlet. Rae creates a character who is confident, strong, and determined to get the performances they need without resorting to the bullying they have seen from male directors – somewhere between a kindergarten teacher and a fight referee. As the only Black, only female character they carry the show’s social justice messages on their shoulders with aplomb.

 

Technical Director Jim Ricks-White uses the Vault’s tech capabilities to spectacular effect, teaming up with Projection Designer Mandy Khoshnevisan to create a rich theater world from a relatively bare stage. 

 

Bag&Baggage’s The Last White Man is playing at The Vault, 350 E. Main Street, Hillsboro, through Sunday, October 30th. 

 

Little Shop of Horrors at Theatre in the Grove by Tina Arth

Picture shows Max Powell and Audrey II

It can be tough for me to review a show I know really well, especially when it occupies prime
real estate in several parts of my heart – so many Audreys (both I and II), Seymours, and
Mushniks (including two of my favorite actors, Darrell Baker and Darren Hurley). Every telling is
familiar, yet still new. My standard is to look for a show that is faithful to the spirit of the
original musical (for me, first experienced via the movie) without simply mimicking the iconic
stylizations of stars like Ellen Green, Rick Moranis, and Steve Martin. Theatre in the Grove’s
current production of Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s gem definitely achieves this goal.
Director Ken Centers, along with his cast and production team, delivers the essentials along
with enough fresh elements to please even the pickiest fan. Special credit to Jeananne Kelsey
for fine choreography and music and vocal director Tiara Herr for managing the complex
arrangements that define the Little Shop of Horrors sound.

Looking around the theater last Sunday, I was once again surprised at how many audience
members were clearly new to the show – I sometimes forget that everyone’s path into the
world of theater is individualized, and reflects a personal history. For readers who are not Little
Shop veterans, here’s a brief overview (sans spoilers). Setting: Mushnik’s Skid Row Florist, a
flower shop teetering on the brink of failure in a seriously depressed slum. Principal characters:
the bullying owner, Mr. Mushnik; shop assistants Seymour, an orphan plucked off the streets by
Mr. Mushnik, and Audrey, a good-hearted and tackily glamorous woman who shares Seymour’s
pathetically low self-esteem; Orin Scrivello, Audrey’s sadistic boyfriend; Chiffon, Crystal, and
Ronette, a trio of local urchins with amazing doo-wop chops who serve as the show’s Greek
Chorus; Seymour’s discovery Audrey II, an eerily fast-growing, sentient plant with unusual
appetites that has the potential to confer fame and fortune, but at an awful price.

I was delighted by the work of Shae Bedford, Jade Tate, and Abigail Wallace (as Chiffon, Crystal,
and Ronette), three young women with great pipes and tons of attitude. They work well
together as a team, but each displays her own personality as an actor, dancer and vocalist,
giving the audience lots of smooth harmony punctuated by moments of distinctive styling and
impressive runs. I was especially struck by how central they were to the action – I’ve seen
productions that relegated the trio to mere chorus, but they were front and center at TITG.
Nick Serrone (as Orin Scrivello and “others”) undoubtedly has and delivers the most fun, as he
literally and figuratively pops up all over the production. His “Dentist” is solid, but he really hits
his mark in the “Now (It’s Just the Gas)” duet with Seymour, and his cameos as the local bum
display some brilliant physical comedy. Travis Schlegel’s “Mushnik” is vocally powerful, and he
is despicable enough to deserve whatever fate might befall him, but the high point for me was
the clever and surprisingly lithe choreography with Seymour in “Mushnik and Son” (one of the
best songs in the show, imho).

TITG newcomer Abbe Drake is a fine Audrey, notable in part for her decision (which I applaud)
NOT to imitate Ellen Greene’s breathy and squeaky delivery. Her plaintive “Somewhere That’s
Green” is lovely, and sets up the song’s second act reprise nicely, but it is the “Suddenly
Seymour” number (with Seymour, Chiffon, Crystal, and Ronette) that really establishes the
transition in her character. TITG regular Max Powell is perfect as Seymour, the poor guy who,
like Audrey II, experiences dramatic growth (in Seymour’s case, from schlub to mensch).
Schlegel, Drake, and Serrone are all at their best when singing/acting with Powell, whose
performance holds the whole show together and sets the emotional tone and the pace for all of
the action.

Finally, of course there’s the plant, Audrey II, voiced by Zachary Centers and animated by
puppeteers Gabriel Russell and Hank Smith. At its largest, Audrey II dominates the stage, yet
moves beautifully – kudos to Jeremy and Heather Van Fleet for a stunning bit of prop
construction.

Zach Centers’ set design is up to his usual standards – a very high bar to clear – and the
revolving set is smoothly effective. Sandy and Tom Cronin’s lighting design rendered me
occasionally breathless with its ability to shift the mood to match the play, and the band
(Vanessa Jump Nelson, Dave Newdek, Shannon Nelson, and Ralph Zazula) was superb.
Little Shop of Horrors is playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove
through October 23d, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30
p.m.

Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare Done Right By Tina Arth

Cast of Much Ado About Nothing

I rarely laugh out loud while watching productions of Shakespeare’s comedies. Don’t get me wrong - it’s not that the prolific playwright didn’t write some funny stuff in the late 16thcentury, or that his comic sensibility is now so out of date that the jokes just cannot land some 400+ years later. The problem is that contemporary companies don’t always put in the necessary work to make sure that I and my fellow audience members will see and respond to the humor.  That said, I laughed my ass off at the closing performance of Canon Shakespeare Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing. Yeah – it was that good. Director Ira Kortum definitely “put in the work” – which includes acknowledging that most of the folks in the audience don’t even begin to approach his grasp of the material, and going above and beyond to ensure that his cast members bring everything they’ve got to their roles.

 

Kortum’s curtain speech set the tone brilliantly – he was informal, humorous, accessible without being patronizing, and expository without being didactic.  The show that followed never dragged despite its length – in large part, I think, because the actors were allowed to take their time and put as much effort into physical comedy as they did into delivering (not just reciting) their lines.

 

The story is somewhat less convoluted than many Shakespearean comedies, and there are serious moments where the actors convey real depth of emotion. To briefly summarize, Don Pedro and his men, Claudio and Benedick, visit Leonato, Duke of Messina. Claudio falls in love with Leonato’s daughter Hero, while Benedick engages in a vicious war of words and wit with Leonato’s niece, Beatrice – both of them claim to hate the idea of romance and marriage. The company conspires to trick Beatrice and Benedick into falling in love, while Don Pedro’s brother Don John plots to prevent Hero and Claudio from marrying. Shades of the earlier Taming of the Shrew? Yes, but without the misogynistic overtones – a much more satisfying tale for 2022!

 

For rofl comedy, the Tony (or its NoPo equivalent) definitely goes to Lauren Pickthorn (Beatrice) and Alec Henneberger (Benedick). They set the stage for their frenemy relationship from the beginning and took the physical humor as far as it could go – Lauren hurling herself over the platform/backdrop was a real show-stopper, and Alec’s wide-eyed lurking and peering from stage left was mesmerizing.

 

As mentioned above, there is a serious side to the play – the romance between Hero (Ariel Huntley) and Claudio (Rowan Dery), which is nearly derailed by the truly evil Don John (Kari Warfield). While Warfield’s broad performance is reminiscent of the classic villains of melodrama, Huntley and Dery play their roles with enough sincerity to make the audience care about their plight – in particular, Huntley’s agonized professions of innocence are really quite moving.

 

21st century productions of Much Ado are frequently updated in both time and place, presumably to make the story more relevant and engaging for the audience. Kortum’s choice which I much prefer, was to render the story essentially timeless – neither the set nor the costumes evoked any particular era or locale, which speaks to the timelessness of the principal conflicts. Couples still grapple with the tension between independence and loving partnership, infidelity/jealousy still haunt relationships, gender-based double standards still plague young lovers, and wise elders still try to mediate family disputes. Kudos to Canon Shakespeare Company for being confident enough to serve their Shakespeare up straight!

 

Canon Shakespeare Company, hosted at North Portland’s Twilight Theater, ran from September 22 through October 2. Watch their website for future offerings.

Another Step in The Evolution of Mann By Tina Arth

 

While Broadway Rose occasionally offers its audiences access to relatively unknown plays, their current production is a rare treat, allowing the cast, production team, and audience to participate in the literal evolution of a work on the long journey from concept to final product. Collaborators Dan Elish (book and lyrics) and Douglas J. Cohen (music and lyrics) have been sculpting Elish’s 2005 novel, Nine Wives, into a finished (at least, for now) musical for well over a decade, and the result is The Evolution of Mann. The show has had three previous titles, songs have come and gone, and the loveable sidekick has been changed from Glenn to Gwen on the winding road from first reading at Boston’s Emerson College to the Broadway Rose New Stage.

 

Through one 90-minute act with 13 musical numbers, the authors take us through the story of single, thirty-something aspiring playwright Henry Mann as he moves from the heartbreak of being dumped by his fiancé through a series of romantic missteps until he finds the path to potential happiness. The songs are fully integrated into a charming, often very funny script that’s just loaded with interesting takes on the rom-com clichés we know and love – the heartlessly materialistic ex(Sheila), the pushy momma, the sophisticated babe (Tamar), the sweet girl-next-door schoolteacher (Christine), and Gwen (my favorite), the level-headed lesbian roommate who offers wry advice and ultimately steers Henry in the right direction.

 

Courtesy of a poorly timed Covid exposure, for opening weekend the lead role of Henry Mann was filled by director Isaac Lamb rather than by Broadway Rose newcomer Richie Stone. While I was looking forward to seeing Richie do his thing, it was a treat to be able to watch Lamb step in – he has the voice, the look, and the stage presence, knew the songs, and as director was uniquely suited to step in at a moment’s notice. Richie is expected to be back on the boards by the second week of the run, where he will be able to rejoin the other two cast members, Kailey Rhodes and Kortney Ballenger.

 

Rhodes is a Company regular, with four previous Broadway Rose shows under her belt. Since she wears several hats, playing Sheila, Tamar, Christine, and an intergalactic Daisy Buchanan (I won’t try to explain this one – you’ll have to see it!) she carries part or all of 10 of the show’s 13 songs. She copes beautifully, changing her look, affect, and vocal styling constantly to fit the fast-moving script – and she is just ridiculously cute throughout. Rhodes’ delivery of “Tale of the Otter” ensures that the audience will be rooting for Christine, irrespective of Henry’s concern about her unibrow.

 

My hands-down favorite performer is Ballenger – she’s sincere, smart, and funny but never silly (except for the Gatsby cameo), absolutely slays the show’s most important song (“The Unromantic Things”), and nails her New York accent and over-the-top blonde wig as Henry’s classic Jewish mother. Since the program says she’s based in Middle Tennessee, we’re not likely to see her on local stages again – reason enough to check out The Evolution of Mann while you can.

 

Sean O’Skea’s scenic design plants us squarely in the heart of NYC, capturing a cartoonish quality that perfectly suits the tone of the show – and the clever use of the revolving stage means that the action never stops for scene changes; Carl Faber’s lighting design moves our attention smoothly from one setup to another while complementing the changing moods of the show.

 

The score is typical of lightweight musical comedies - conventional rom-com tunes built as a vehicle for Elish and Cohen’s witty lyrics. Music Director/pianist Darcy White, with cellist Dale Tolliver and Attila Csikos on guitar, move the show along seamlessly and provide an almost continuous soundtrack underscoring much of the dialogue as well as the formal musical numbers. 

 

The Evolution of Mann will not change your life, teach you anything startlingly new about love, or alter your opinion of starving New York artist types. It will provide 90+ minutes of solid entertainment, deliver a lot of laughs, and make you reflect on what’s important in human relationships. Reason enough to go!

 

The Evolution of Mann is playing at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through Sunday, October 16.

HART’s Ripcord Flying High By Tina Arth

 Photo shows Kathleen Silloway, Les Ico, and Diana LoVerso.

When I went to opening night of Ripcord at HART Theatre, it was the second comedy I had seen in as many days. The first (which shall remain nameless) was a beautifully done production of a classic work, set on a large and elegantly dressed stage. By contrast, playwright David Lindsay-Abaire’s play was brand new to me, performed with minimal bells and whistles in the tiny Hillsboro venue. Two very different productions on many levels – but the most important difference between the two shows was that, unlike its thoroughly pedigreed rival, Ripcord made me laugh. A lot. Director Tony Broom and his highly versatile cast (6 people play a total of 10 roles) make the most of Lindsay-Abaire’s darkly comic script, and the payoff for the audience is enormous.

 

The premise is sort of The Odd Couple on steroids. Two residents of a high-rise assisted living facility, Abby and Marilyn, are sharing the most desirable room in the house, a top-floor double with a lovely view overlooking the park. For several years, Abby has used her thoroughly unpleasant personality to drive out a succession of roommates, ensuring that she will be able to live alone. The impossibly upbeat and positive Marilyn, however, refuses to yield to Abby’s increasingly overt attempts to repel her. At a stalemate, the two adversaries agree to an unusual bet – Marilyn will move out if Abby succeeds in making her angry, and Abby (who claims to never be frightened) will cede the best real estate (the bed by the window) if Marilyn manages to scare her. Over the course of a couple of weeks, the two women turn to increasingly nasty tricks, some of them over-the-top dangerous and some really vicious, working their way to the final prank and the show’s climax.

 

Diana LoVerso (Abby) and Kathleen Silloway (Marilyn) are both experienced in their adversarial roles, having previously battled it out in The Odd Couple, Female Version. However, their current roles call for a more complex approach to character; each of them portrays a woman who is not exactly who she initially seems to be. Ripcord has been accurately described as a farce with a dark side, and Silloway gives her “Marilyn” a correspondingly Pollyanna-like surface that offers quick glimpses of an inner demon. LoVerso has a similarly deft touch as “Abby” – she is convincingly and consistently nasty, but resists the urge to overplay the role and thus leaves the door open to soften (slightly) her hostile affect at the denouement. Both women are skilled comedians who leave no laughs on the table, but both understand that the more the situations go over the top, the more essential it is that the actors play it completely straight.

 

I was gratified to see how well Les Ico (who often plays the consummate clown – beautifully) toned down his inner comic as Scotty, the nurse/aide/aspiring actor who has to mediate between the battling roommates.  While he fills a key role in the development of the story, Ico’s performance is also one long set-up for a final joke, and he never gives anything away until it’s time for the punch line. The final three cast members (Beth Moore, Charly Smith, and Bryce Bristow) have less to do, despite filling a total of seven roles, but each has a core character essential to the story and each finds within that character just the right touch.

 

The set is simple – minimal but reasonably authentic for the half of the stage that is Abby and Marilyn’s room, and virtually a black box for the other half. Costume coordinator Kelcey Weaver has done a lovely job of assembling the authentic apparel needed for the weird and often absurd action that sometimes explodes stage right.

 

Due to strong language and some mature situations, Ripcord is not really appropriate for younger children.

 

Ripcord is playing at the HART Theatre, 185 SE Washington, Hillsboro through September 25th, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

Opening Night Audience Crazy for The Mad Ones By Tina Arth

 

Picture shows Elise Byrne and Amelia Segler.

I rarely leap to my feet for standing ovations, but Twilight Theater Company’s opening night performance of The Mad Ones was an exception – I happily joined the large and enthusiastic audience in granting “Standing O” honors to this marvelous musical and dynamite cast. Playwright/composers Bree Lowdermilk and Kait Kerrigan have captured that magical moment in late adolescence when so many of us have chafed against parental, societal, and self-imposed bonds of conventionality, dreamed of, and then chased freedom. As I was going home from the theater, the lure of the unknown, exemplified by a destination-free road trip, lingered and I found a part of me wanting to just follow the 5 where it would take me. However, I wasn’t driving and my sensible chauffeur opted for the 5 to 217 to 10 to my house – just as well, as the dogs would have been very confused and no route, no matter how spontaneous, would have taken me back to my freedom-loving 1967 self.

 

The production’s antecedents are complex – while The Mad Ones debuted in late 2017, licensing for general production was not available until shortly before the pandemic hit, and live performances were shut down. Undaunted, the authors found a creative stopgap - as director Chris Byrne explains it, “Kerrigan and Lowdermilk responded by creating The Mad Ones Lab, a community-driven experience that allowed a select group of innovative creators to collaborate and experiment with what digital theater can become.” Byrne was selected as one of 21 directors in the collaboration, and she assembled a cast that created a video segment of part of the show. Finally in 2022 she has been able to bring the full production to the Twilight stage, including three of the four original cast members.

 

Largely through its 21 songs, The Mad Ones tells the story of Samantha Brown, a young woman on the verge of graduating from high school who is confronting a literal and figurative crossroads in her life. Sitting in a hand-me-down car, keys clutched in her hand, she wavers between her mother’s determination to send her off to Harvard and a Jack Kerouac-inspired longing to chuck it all and hit the road. She takes the audience back to a time when her best friend Kelly was pushing her to take her foot off the brakes and fly, and her steady, sweet, but a bit unimaginative boyfriend Adam offered love, security, but not much excitement. Sam’s world had fallen apart when Kelly was killed by an errant driver (there are a LOT of car themes), and for 90+ minutes we relive her sometimes joyous, sometimes painful journey.

 

Samantha’s mom Bev (played by Dorinda Toner) is a statistician who reels off numbers  (some of them highly questionable, imho) at every turn. Toner gives the role a comically didactic edge that makes it clear we are viewing Bev through Samantha’s eyes – beginning with the droll“My Mom is a Statistician” (“Two to one, you'll hit a red light, Fifty to one, you hit a bear”) and continuing through a series of demanding vocals that blithely interweave singing and speaking. I especially related (as Sam, not Bev) to Toner’s marvelous delivery of “I Know My Girl” (no, Mom, you do not!). 

 

Blaine Vincent III creates perhaps my favorite character with his nuanced portrayal of Adam – part horndog adolescent, part caring (and almost too good to be true) young adult who really sees Sam for who she is. When he sang “Run Away With Me” I was almost ready to start packing, and his beautifully played sincerity was an interesting contrast to Toner’s overt parody.

 

It’s tempting to view Kelly (Amelia Segler) as the star of the show – her wild enthusiasm is impossible to resist, her voice is spectacular, and she frequently carries the score with challenging vocals that she delivers with utter precision even when the ensemble arrangements verge on chaos. Segler’s blazing heat sets off the fire in Samantha – plus she’s hilarious as the guidance counselor who goes toe to toe with Bev in a battle over Sam’s future. However, the real star is, of course, Samantha (Elise Byrne) – it is her story, her life, her changes as seen through her lens. Byrne gives the role just the right mixture of intellectualism, reticence, grief, passion and intensity as she transforms herself into her version of a mad one, and it’s a pleasure to watch. Her vocals, like her acting, are engagingly relatable but not flashy – ultimately, she is the character I most wanted to be.

 

The minimalist set makes no attempt at realism, which is perfect for a story completely projected from the mind of one character (not to mention that it eliminate any awkward time wasted on scene changes). In lieu of elaborate set, Twilight has allowed lighting designers by Leslie Inmon, Jeremy Ollis, and Ward Ramsdell to go over the top. Carefully timed bursts of color interspersed with monochromatic moments provide as much support as the soundtrack, pulling the audience into some of the show’s most intense moments with amazing precision. Speaking of precision, kudos to vocal arranger Lindsey Lefler – her deft touch was essential in weaving the actors’ voices into a unit despite the complexity of the score.

 

The Mad Ones is one of those gems that may not be available on local stages for a long time, so I strongly urge everyone who has ever survived adolescence (or is secretly trying to survive it right now) to hasten themselves to North Portland for the show before it disappears.

 

The Mad Ones is playing at Twilight’s Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland, through September 18th with performances at 8 pm on Friday and Saturday and 3 pm on Sunday.  There is an additional 8 pm performance on Thursday, September 15th.