HART’s Women and Wallace Dark, Funny, Moving

Pat Lach (Psychiatrist), Dalene Young (Grandmother), Carter Howard (Wallace), 
Carson Bell (13 year old Wallace), and Courtney Bell (13 year old Victoria)

By Tina Arth

When faced with a show that is completely new to me, I deliberately go in with a blank slate – no internet research to learn about other folks’ opinions. In the case of HART Theatre’s current production of Jonathan Marc Sherman’s William and Wallace, this was definitely the right approach – nothing I read would have prepared me anyway! Novice director Eric Lonergan admits that he had no idea what he was getting into when he agreed to take the helm of this complex, funny, darkly troubling play. With the help of some mainstays of the HART community and a remarkable cast, he has succeeded in presenting a riveting, entertaining, and thought-provoking show that grips and holds the audience through two very intense acts.

Stripped to its essence, Women and Wallace is sort of a coming of age dramedy about a young man negotiating the murky waters of childhood and adolescence while working out his confusing relationships with a series of girls and women. While the audience sees Wallace at 6, 13, 16, and 18, the role is often played by a single actor. Fortunately, Lonergan was able to cast a group of age-appropriate skilled theater veterans (ranging from 2^nd graders through young adults) to fill the roles of Wallace and the girls in his life – the majority of the cast members are not yet old enough to vote. The show’s dark edge starts when a second-grader Wallace comes home from school to find his mother has committed suicide (shortly after sending him off to school with a peanut butter and banana sandwich). Over the course of the next 12 years, things just get worse, as a deeply troubled Wallace fulfills his own prophecy (“women leave you”) by driving the girls and women in his life away whenever they try to get too close.

The character of Wallace at 18 is the key to the show, as he provides narration to the scenes involving his younger self in Act I, then carries the role solo throughout Act II. Area newcomer Carter Howard nails it with a mixture of naivety and cynicism that perfect captures not only the character’s genuinely enthusiastic, hormone-fueled adolescence but also a carefully constructed carapace and the mess of pain, terror and need that lie beneath the surface. Among his nine women, some  spectacular performances emerge from the adolescents – in particular, the cheerfully lascivious Lili (Nicolette Regina) and her sweetly sincere sister Nina (Nina Skeele). Dalene Young (as Wallace’s grandmother) hits just the right notes, seemingly dotty but with a core of iron. Fully 1/3 of the cast comes from the Bell family – Cameron and Carson as younger Wallaces, Courtney as an early girlfriend, and Julie as the “perfect” mom (except for the suicide part, of course). It’s hard to imagine how the show would have been cast without this talented local family to fill such sensitive roles.

Without frequent infusions of lots of really funny material (e.g. “She was like Sylvia Plath, but without the publishing contract”) Women and Wallace might be tough to watch, but Lonergan and his cast have found just the right balance to embrace the show’s comedy without trivializing the show’s darker elements.

With its irreverent mix of overt and covert sexual and Oedipal themes, the show is really not appropriate for children. That said, get your tickets soon – the show only runs one more weekend, and given its relative obscurity it is not likely to come around again in the near future!

Hillsboro Artists’ Regional Theatre (HART) presents Women and Wallace through Sunday, February 28th, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

TWILIGHT’S NOTHING REALLY SOMETHING!

Claudio (L) and Beatrice (R), played by Levi Ruiz and Taylor JeanPhotography credit:  Garry Bastian of Garry Bastian Photography

By Tina Arth

People who doubt that Shakespeare’s plays are best seen on stage rather than read in an English Lit class should hop on their broncos and gallop, not trot, to Twilight Theater Company’s production of Much Ado About Nothing.  As with many productions of the play, Director Sue Harris has updated the locale (and dialect, but not dialogue) to a more modern setting – in this case, a thoroughly implausible version of the wild, wild West. The result is a funny, amazingly accessible show that should appeal to Shakespeare aficionados as well as the Bard-aversive.

GradyBenedick (L) and Don Pedro(R), played by 

JJ Harris and Benjamin. Phillip Photography credit:  

Garry Bastian of Garry Bastian Photography

Twilight’s theater is perfect for this kind of show – intimate enough for the audience to see and hear every gesture, grimace, nuance, and aside. There is no danger that we will miss the obvious lurkers and eavesdroppers hunkered down behind curtains, plants or benches – and it is the broad dumb show as much as the actual dialogue that moves the play along and conveys character.

The story is fundamentally simple, but occasionally wanders (as Shakespeare’s tales often do) into convoluted side-plots.  Confirmed playboy Benedick and sharp-tongued spinster Beatrice despise each other in a way that cries out for romantic matchmaking – with that many sparks, who could resist lighting a fire? More merry matchmaking is afoot when the noble Don Pedro decides to help his friend, shy Claudio, woo the lovely and virtuous Hero.  Don Pedro’s illegitimate brother, Don John, resolves to muck up Claudio and Hero’s wedding; he tricks Claudio in believing that Hero has been unfaithful, throwing the nuptials into disarray. When Don John’s dastardly plot is discovered, the good guys (at this point, Beatrice and Benedick, Hero’s dad Leonato, and others) devise their own scheme, and of course all’s well that ends well (Hey! That would make a great title!) by the end of Act III.

In the generally strong ensemble, there are a few real standouts. On the comic side, Aaron Morrow (“Leonato”) fearlessly and shamelessly lets it all hang out as he sprawls, falls, and crawls – especially when he is wearing the tasteless and absurd disguise of the masked ball.  Alicia Hueni (“Hero”) injects a dose of serious drama with her believable despair at being falsely accused. Levi Ruiz (“Claudio”) is always likeable as he moves from bumbling sidekick to righteously aggrieved suitor, and Mark Putnam is consistently contemptible as the scheming “Don John.” The most fun, however, comes from watching the verbal sparring between Benedick (J. J. Harris) and Beatrice (Taylor Jean Grady). His ineffectual swagger and her constantly caustic remarks are the show’s real masks, thinly disguising an affection that can only end in true love.

The costumes are fun, but all over the map, so the Western theme plays out most strongly in the actors’ Texas drawl (which allows for slow, powerful emphasis of the funniest lines) and the music, a well-chosen series of popular country songs from recent decades.  The single set eliminates the need for time-consuming scene changes – very important in a show with three acts and two intermissions!  The almost non-stop comedy ensures that the show never drags and the audience is constantly engaged – no mean feat for a three-hour show.

Twilight Theatre Company’s Much Ado About Nothing is playing at the Performing Arts Theater, 7515 N. Brandon Avenue, Portland through Saturday, February 27^th with performances at 8 P.M. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 P.M.

25TH ANNUAL SPELLING BEE KICKS OFF BROADWAY ROSE’S 25th

By Tina Arth

Broadway Rose is celebrating its Silver Anniversary, appropriately, with a not-to-be-missed production of one of musical theatre’s most charming hidden gems, The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Everything about this show just sparkles – it is young, witty, current, moving, and fundamentally honest – an energetic synthesis of low comedy and high drama woven into a whole that should appeal to, well, pretty much everybody.  The music, vocals, and choreography are all at the expected Broadway Rose standard (and that’s a pretty high bar) but it is the acting that really moves this show over the top, and authors William Finn and Rachel Sheinkin should be proud of this loving, sensitive, and unstoppably funny incarnation of their work.

Director Annie Kaiser has done a wonderful job of finding and shaping six accomplished adult performers into the show’s unforgettable group of adolescent (and preadolescent) misfits competing in the mythical Putnam County for a place at the National Spelling Bee. Guided by three equally quirky adults (and accompanied on stage by four actual audience members – get there early if you want a chance to join this group!) the competitors vie to see who will be named champion. The road through puberty is as tricky and complex as the English language; somehow in the course of one act we are led through several touching (and at times hilarious) rites of liberation and maturation that ring true to anyone who has survived the syzygy (look it up, or see the show!) of pain and pleasure that define the teen years.

Singling out individual cast members in such a strong ensemble feels perilous, but (as the show teaches us) life isn’t fair, so I’ll name a handful. Lyle Bjorn Arnason (“Vice Principal Panch”) brings a bone-dry sarcasm to his role as word pronouncer, definer, and general rule enforcer, which makes his brief descent into human decency at the end all the more moving. Catherine Olson (“Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre”) is heart wrenchingly convincing as an overachieving ten year old dying to please her two dads (as if being president of her elementary school’s gay/straight alliance weren’t enough!). Troy Pennington (“William Morris Barfée”) plays the ultimate outsider – the big, funny looking nerd in glasses who spells the words out with his magic foot – yet Pennington somehow convinces us to fall in love with him. David Swadis  (“Leaf Coneybear”) is a remarkable physical comedian who gets the biggest laughs, but still brings an appealing vulnerability to his role as the ultimate underdog.  Finally, Danielle Purdy (“Olive Ostrovsky”) just nails it – if my endorphins hadn’t been in overdrive from the comedy I would have been driven to tears by her rendition of “The I Love You Song.”

Music director/keyboard player Jeffrey Childs and his colleagues provide flawless accompaniment to the show’s 18 songs (with just a little help from one hyper-competitive speller), and Dan Murphy’s choreography is almost as witty as the topical bios and definitions that pepper the show.

The show does deal with some mature themes, and is perhaps not appropriate for young children and early teens. Unless you fall into that demographic, get your tickets (soon…) and go!

The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is playing at Broadway Rose’s New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue, Tigard through Sunday, February 28th.

OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD IN FOREST GROVE

Kassie Switzer (Tin Man), Hallie Bartell (Cowardly Lion), Carter Dawes
(Toto), Mackenzie Gross (Dorothy), Caleb Kinder (Scarecrow)Kathy Campbell Photography

By Tina Arth

As in previous seasons, Theatre in the Grove is welcoming the new year with a bright and lively youth theatre production – for 2016, the Young Performer’s Edition of The Wizard of Oz. Director Donald Cleland and a small army of hard-working adults (most, but not all, the parents of cast members) provide a sturdy framework – direction, sets, costume, music, lights, choreography, props. However, it’s the kids in the cast who really bring this charming version of the iconic show to full living color. While the show has been condensed to a single act of about 70 minutes, none of the key scenes are slighted, and the pacing allows the young cast members to really act, rather than just racing to get through their lines and songs.

The show is definitely aimed at younger audiences, and the opening night crowd was full of children who obviously loved the show (and the opportunity to mingle with the performers on stage after the curtain fell). Theater snobs may be tempted to sneer at the canned music, but it’s pretty impressive to see 35 actors (average age: ~9) follow prerecorded, unforgiving sound cues to sing and dance their way through this complex show. While there are a few awkward pauses, the cast manages to avoid any moments of staggering, uttering, stuttering, or humming until they find the beat.

The kids in the show are all, of course, just ridiculously cute. However, several older cast members (and one really young one) deliver amazing performances that propel the production and thoroughly captivate the audience. The decision to use a puppet for Toto in Kansas, then have the young puppeteer assume the dog’s role in Oz, works beautifully to express the “Over the Rainbow” magic of Dorothy and Toto’s journey, and little Carter Dawes (as Toto) never stops acting and reacting to the rest of the cast.  Grace Malloy (as the Munchkin Mayor and Ozian Guard) delivers her lines with a sparkling clarity that sets the standard for the rest of the “smaller” roles – her short stature hides a mature and seasoned actress.  Sarah Felder is deliciously sinister as Miss Gulch and the Wicked Witch of the West, and as the Cowardly Lion, Hallie Bartell gives a memorable rendition of “If I Were the King of the Forest.”

For me, the surprise of the evening was Caleb Kinder’s take on the Scarecrow.  His loose-limbed, floppy physicality contrasts nicely with the maturity of his delivery; he’s agile and athletic enough for this broad role, but he is never silly, and his facial and vocal expressions are those of a grown man.

Of course, The Wizard of Oz rises or falls on the strength of Dorothy. Having seen Mackenzie Gross play Annie at TITG in 2013, I fully expected this multi-talented performer to nail the role, and she does. Gross captures the pathos and yearning of a young girl traversing the treacherous waters between sheltered childhood and the perilous but exciting adult world, and her “Over the Rainbow” is perhaps the show’s finest moment.

The sets and lighting are basic, but effectively convey the story’s changing locales and moods. Costume coordinator Tami Malloy and her team have assembled an unbelievable 94 costumes for the production, and the backstage help manages the many wardrobe changes without a hitch (or, more perilously, a delay).

With only a two-week run, next weekend will be the last opportunity to enjoy this ray of indoor sunshine to brighten an exceptionally soggy January. Grab some children if you have any handy, but in any case find time to support and enjoy another of TITG’s excellent youth productions.

The Wizard of Oz Young Performer’s Edition runs through Sunday, January 24th at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

HART SERVES A SAUCY HOLLANDAISE

bottom row, l - r: Sarah Fuller, Kathleen Silloway, Eric Lonergan middle row: Robbie Estabrook, Patti Speight, Brian Kennedy
back row: Ben Hare (standing), William Ferguson, Lacy Lonergan Photo by Patti Speight

By Tina Arth

The final course on the local holiday theater menu is something of a Christmas Miracle: only three weeks from casting to opening night – yet it’s definitely not a disaster (except, of course, where it’s supposed to be!). HART Theatre faced a last-minute challenge when key cast members for their planned production, Plaid Tidings, were unavailable. They brought in an ensemble of known commodities, HART veterans who could be relied on to do a credible job whether on stage or behind the scenes – spiced up with a few newcomers. In a leap of faith that paid off, they selected Mark Putnam to direct (for the first time since his college days), and quickly assembled a production of Happy Hollandaise, a tried-and-true holiday farce.

Despite the title, Hollandaise is definitely not gourmet fare. Tim Koenig’s slapstick comedy tells the absurd story of British brother and sister Claire and George Finley, attempting to welcome the new vicar, Father William Abbot, and his very pregnant wife Mary to town. All Claire wants is the perfect Christmas! She has planned a quiet, elegant dinner, highlighted by the cooking of renowned German chef Vilma Hasenpfeffer, whose special Hollandaise sauce will be the crowning touch. George arrives home to find chaos – their father, retired actor Philip Finley, has received a nasty blow to the head (from Claire, who beaned him with the crèche) and is reenacting a series of his favorite roles (in full costume, with weapons). Attempts to lock Philip in the basement are futile, the chef is late, the guests arrive early, the neighborhood is plagued by the notorious “Lone Wolf” burglar, and Mary turns out to be a bit more pregnant than expected. Of course, it all works out in the end – although the Sino-Teutonic fusion of Sweet and Sauerkraut may never catch on in the local food carts.

As with most stage farces, there is at all times a lot going on and it can be confusing to keep track of the frequent plot/character shifts. This production’s salvation is in the timing – while the pace is brisk, Putnam has slowed down both the action and the actors’ dialogue just enough that the audience can catch, follow and react to some really funny lines and great physical comedy. The detailed, attractive single set has four doors, a hallway, and a window so cast members are able to make frequent entrances and exits without colliding, and the show’s action is not slowed by scene changes.

The nine-person cast is solid – at a time when many actors might still be fighting to get off-book, this group was ready for opening night. Particular standouts include Brian Kennedy (“Philip”) who clearly gets to have the most fun – not too many lines, and his swashbuckling “El Caballo” is a real scene-stealer. This high-school senior is definitely someone to watch. Sarah Fuller’s “Claire” does a fine job of displaying quiet desperation with occasional bursts of hysteria, and Ben Hare (“George”) switches from hapless bumbler to Vilma impersonator with aplomb (although the enormous and wobbling breasts are a bit over-the-top even for farce). The most consistently funny character is Kathleen Silloway as the indomitable “Vilma” – her accent and distinctive lumbering gait are maintained throughout the show and are perfect for the part.

Happy Hollandaise has only a two-week run, so audiences have four more chances to catch this lighthearted show that will raise your spirits and prepare you for the festivities of the coming weeks.

Happy Hollandaise is playing at the HART Theatre, 185 SE Washington, Hillsboro through Sunday, December 20th, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m.

BCT’s A Little Princess – Family Friendly Holiday Fare

Monsieur DuFarge (Michael Prange) enjoying some mayhem with girls from
the Seminary. Photo by Ammon Riley. 

By Tina Arth

Beaverton officially kicked off the city’s holiday season with an evening aimed at children and those who are children in their hearts: the lighting of the enormous tree outside the Beaverton Library followed by opening night of Beaverton Civic Theatre’s charming production of A Little Princess. Director Melissa Riley is using Bethany Schwarzkopf’s adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s much-loved novel, a perennial favorite of young girls throughout the English-speaking world. Like the novel, this version of the story is most captivating to pre- and early-teen girls, but the show is appropriate for many younger children and adults who cherish the world of imagination.

The play is set early in the 20^th century and tells the story of young Sarah Crewe, a wealthy young girl raised in India who has lost her mother.  Her father is off to South Africa to expand his fortune with investments in the diamond mines, and he leaves his beloved daughter in the care of Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Ladies (in this version, located in New York City). Sarah has been treated like a princess all her life, and she treats everyone she meets (especially the underdogs) with the same gentle and loving attitude. For the first four years she is given royal treatment by Miss Minchin (who actually is quite jealous, and despises the young girl). When word reaches the Seminary that Sarah’s father has died and left her a pauper, the tables quickly turn. Sarah is sent to the attic to live and work with Becky, the scullery maid. Overworked, abused, and half-starved, she catches the attention of a wealthy neighbor, Thomas Carrisford, who has been searching for years for the daughter of his deceased friend, Captain Crewe. When Sarah recognizes her father’s friend, he rescues her from the evil Miss Minchin (and ensures that Miss Minchin will be punished for her misdeeds). The implausible coincidences and simplistic resolution work fine, because the play is aimed at children and celebrates the power and beauty of a child’s imagination.

8th grader Charlotte Burke (“Sarah”) is a stage veteran who carries off the lead role with compassion, resignation, pathos, and fire (as the moment demands).  Jeanine Stassens (“Miss Minchin”) personifies of every girl’s worst nightmare as she shifts from obsequious toady to cold sadist, and she laces her performance with believable menace.  As “mean girl” Lavinia, Victoria White brings a devious, self-righteous snobbery to her performance that most women in the audience must have recognized from their own middle school years, while Belle Edwards does a superb job of making us believe that she is the insecure and friendless “Ermendgarde.” Although the mature Michael Prange (“Monsieur Dufarge”) claims not to have acted since high school, he creates a warm and memorable character (and does a solid job of maintaining his French accent).  While he has very few lines and the diction of a kindergartner, tiny Logan Pounders (“Beggar Boy”) is impossibly endearing – the few moments he is on stage are unforgettable.

Alex Woodard’s set design is simple and flexible, and the use of the steps to carry on action during minor set changes ensures that no time is lost. The auditorium’s new light system is utilized to full advantage, and lighting designer Carter Marquis uses this medium effectively to change locale and mood throughout the play.

In a cast with lots of children, there are inevitably problems with vocal projection, and there are a few places where (at least from the back of the auditorium) I had a hard time understanding bits of dialogue. While the context is clear enough that there is no danger of getting lost, audience members with hearing issues should plan to arrive early and sit closer to the stage.  One other warning – judging from the behavior of children in two nearby rows, this is not a show well-suited to the interests and attention span of some active small boys. If they can’t handle two hours of young girls and their princess-fetishes, leave the poor little guys home!

Beaverton Civic Theatre’s production of A Little Princess runs through Sunday, December 20^th at the Beaverton City Library Auditorium, with 7:30 pm shows on Friday and Saturday and 2:00 pm matinees on Sunday.

The Worst Kids in the World Deliver TITG’S Best Christmas Pageant Ever

From Left:  Gwendolyn Woods, Andrew Inman, Anna Adams, Nathan White, Sam
Ruder, Alyssa Kittle, Sean Fisk, Matthew Lowther, Sam Dennis, Charlee
Clement, Quinten VanDyke, Pamelajean Myers, Isabel Minor, Irene VanDyke,
Maya Luevane. Photo by Rebecca Cooper. 

By Tina Arth

While almost every community theatre group endeavors to present a holiday-themed play in December, it can be tough to cast these shows. Show biz, even at the local level, can be very demanding; actors are often reluctant to invest so much time in a production while spouses, parents, and children wait at home. In her Director’s Notes, Jessica Reed acknowledges the importance of this time, saying “Christmas has always meant spending time with family a way that we don’t usually get to the rest of the year.” Theatre in the Grove, a mainstay of both community theatre and children’s theatre in Washington County, addresses this problem neatly in their holiday production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by delivering a nice amalgam of the two – call it “family theater” – that incorporates entire families into the production process. A quick look at the credits in the program says it all: the Dawes family, the Dennis family, the Fisk family, Brad and Christina Inman, the Harrelson and Lesh family, the Ross family, the Ruder family – all are recognized for their work both on stage and behind the scenes bringing the show to its audience.

Author Barbara Robinson has written a show that is funny, touching, and short enough to hold the attention span of even the youngest audience member: it’s time for the annual Christmas pageant, and the regular director, the imperious Mrs. Armstrong, is out of commission. The other parents gang up on fellow mom Grace Bradley, who reluctantly agrees to direct the show. Her husband Bob, who is totally disinterested, even more reluctantly agrees to help out by ensuring that the shepherds and baby angels appear on cue and in costume. The show threatens to fall apart when the Herdmans, who are the literally the worst kids in the world, demand lead roles as Mary, Joseph, the Wise Men, and the Angel of the Lord. The other town children don’t dare oppose this group of cigar-smoking, lying, shoplifting, assaultive thugs, who envision the Wise Men as spies, Herod in need of a thorough beating, and the Angel as a dark avenger. With no local mom willing to allow her baby to appear onstage in the grasp of these miscreants, they are forced to use a (much suffering) doll as the Baby Jesus. Of course, it’s Christmas, and a nice dose of holiday magic transforms the Herdmans and helps the whole town to see the story in a beautiful new light – hence, it is truly the best pageant ever.

Casting a show with a large cast of children often means that the adults are kind of an afterthought – brought in because they are tall enough, old enough, and can learn their lines while policing the antics of a stage full of kids. However, this show is something of an exception. Gratia Minor (“Grace”) brings a healthy combination of cynicism, resignation, and competitiveness to a key role, and Andy Dawes (“Bob”) displays fine timing and comic sensibility. Another adult standout is Aurea Taylor (“Mrs. McCarthy”), a priggish younger version of the domineering Mrs. Armstrong.  The kids, of course, are all impossibly winning – and Dawes’ interaction with the littlest angel (I suspect she is his daughter Pru) is just spectacular – well worth the price of admission!

The show is, as mentioned, very short. It would be nice to ratchet down the pace at a key moment (when Imogene starts crying) to draw more attention to this pivotal scene. It would also be helpful for Althea Harrelson (amazingly cute though she is in her portrayal of Gladys) to slow down her delivery and focus on really articulating the lines – she has some of the best moments in the show and should really work it!

Now that Theatre in the Grove has a tight new roof to keep the rain out, there is no excuse for all families in the Forest Grove vicinity to miss this entertaining holiday show, and to reflect on what it really means to be a refugee seeking shelter in troubled times.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove, with regular performances at 7:30 p.m. on December 11, 12, 18, 19, and Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. on December 13, 20.