RUSH IN TO SEE FOOLS

Sarah Thornton, Gary Romans, and Dalene Young

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Evidently, divorce is not always a bad thing. It was allegedly Neil Simon’s split from actress Marsha Mason that indirectly inspired Fools, one of the funniest shows we’ve seen all year. An embittered Simon, faced with a settlement that awarded royalties from his next show to Mason, set out to write a total failure – but happily for audiences, he (ultimately) failed.

Broadway crowds, used to the urbane sophistication of Simon’s usual fare, gave the show a poor reception when it opened in 1981. However, Fools has been delighting less rarefied audiences across the country for the last 33 years, and the current production at the HART clearly illustrates why. The story is absurd, the premise  ridiculous, but Simon’s words, shaped by Director Stephen Kelsey and delivered by a strong cast, are genuinely laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Long ago a curse was laid on the inhabitants of a remote Russian village by the angry father of a deceased, less-than-brilliant young man. All of the townsfolk would be forever stupid – really, really stupid – unless the daughter of the (formerly) brightest family in town wed a son of the curse-laying family – OR until a teacher was able to (in 24 hours, no less) nudge the daughter’s IQ toward some unspecified magic number (100?). The teacher falls for the daughter, but realizes that he will never achieve his goal in the time allotted. In a stroke of masterful subterfuge (at least by local standards) the teacher pretends to be a long-lost member of the curse-laying clan, marries the daughter, and releases the town from the curse. Of course, adept audience members (perhaps from another, brighter, village) will discern that the curse should not have been lifted since the conditions were met fraudulently. Remember Dumbo? Timothy the Mouse pulled the same trick, and it worked then, too!

In a solid 10-person cast, clear comic standouts are Gary Romans (Dr. Zubritsky), Dalene Young (his wife Lenya), and Helena Greathouse (Yenchna, the peddler). Romans’ delivery, sense of timing and fluid facial expressions elicit some of the biggest laughs of the evening. Young is his perfect foil – a wide-eyed, good-hearted, slow-witted version of Imogene Coca. Greathouse – earnestly offering flowers as fish from her wagon (why should she suffer just because the fishermen had a bad day?) – plays her role with the intensity of Lady MacBeth, but coming from her it’s a lot funnier.

The roles of straight man and ingénue are generally limited in comic potential by their functions. Mitchell Stephens (the teacher Tolchinsky) and Sarah Thornton (Sophia Zubritzky) overcome this handicap with a combination of acting ability and, let’s face it, sheer cuteness. Thornton’s shining moment, when she demonstrates that she has nearly mastered the art of sitting down, is riveting, and Stephens frequent asides draw the audience into the bizarre, Brigadoon-ish village in which he finds himself.

Nobody plays bewildered better than Tony Smith, and as “Something Something Snetsky,” the Shepherd, he carries on his grand tradition. Brandon B. Weaver’s clipped, delivery (as the evil Count Gregor) bristles with befuddled menace. Thomas Wikle, Debby McKnight, and Jerry Hathaway fill out the cast with the requisite quirkiness.

Fools may be joke-riddled, but the HART was dead serious about the set – it is cleverly designed for ease of movement, and the interiors and exteriors are painted and papered to perfection – even in a relatively short show, audiences appreciate fast scene changes!

Fools runs through Sunday, September 21st with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:00 p.m. on Sundays at H.A.R.T. Theater, 185 S.E. Washington, Hillsboro.

NO TIME TO WAIT FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Theatre in the Grove’s production of The Last Five Years represents the realization of a long-time dream for actors/directors James W. Grimes and Jenny Hauser.  The 2-person musical is not part of TITG’s regular season, but the company is offering a special pre-season two-week run of this rarely produced one-act. Grimes and Hauser are making the most of this opportunity, and the results are impressively entertaining.

The show is in some ways quite stereotypical – boy meets, girl, they fall in love, time passes, the relationship sours and they separate. However the structure is unique: the story of the five-year relationship is told by Jamie (Grimes) from its beginning to the end, while Cathy (Hauser) tells her side in reverse, starting with the breakup of their relationship and working backwards to its inception. The only point in the show where the stories coincide is at the time of their engagement/wedding, midway through the play. There is very little dialogue, as the tale is told through a series of seventeen songs, all solos except for “The Next Ten Minutes,” the duet they sing in the middle.

Author/composer Jason Robert Brown’s score is a complex (and sometimes dissonant) mixture of many musical styles, and requires both control and a broad vocal range from the two performers. Grimes smoothly manages the frequent transitions into his head voice, and Hauser’s powerful soprano is well matched to the demands of this score. While none of the songs (except perhaps Cathy’s poignant “Still Hurting”) are truly memorable on their own, they effectively and efficiently tell the story. Most impressive is the two actors’ ability to convey the nuances of their characters’ vast emotional shifts (New York nebbish to wunderkind, star-struck Ohio “shiksa goddess” to fragile failed wanna-be) through song.

In a show with this much music, the orchestra is key – and TITG has gathered a small but mighty group of artists, many drawn from local high school and college programs. Music Director/Conductor Emilee Buchanan, a Pacific University student completing her music education major, works wonders with piano, bass, violin, cello, bass, and guitar – the music on opening night seemed flawless, and provided ideal support to the two vocalists.

In addition to actor/director, Grimes also holds title to set designer/builder and video designer, ensuring that the final product fulfills his vision for the show. Sets are clever and extremely simple, which is essential when the action shifts with such frequency from one character and locale to another. Grimes’ use of video projection creates all the scenery needed to take us from New York townhouses to moonlit lakes without slowing down the pace of the production.

Because the show has only a two-week run, prospective audience members who hesitate may have a long wait before they have another opportunity to see The Last Five Years. Due to mature language and themes, the show is not appropriate for younger viewers.

The Last Five Years runs through September 14^th at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove with performances at 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 pm on Sunday.

MODERN WITCH HUNTS TARGET OF B&B’S CRUCIBLE

Jake Street as Hale, Peter Schuyler as John Proctor, and Jessica
Geffen as Elizabeth Proctor

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Ever since it was first produced in 1953, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible has been venerated as a brilliant allegory about the communist “witch hunts” of the McCarthy era. However, by casting his story in a distant past, Miller left the door open for multiple interpretations of his work.  Boldly jumping across this threshold, Bag & Baggage’s current production of The Crucible turns Miller’s tale into an exposé of the dangers society faces when politics and (any) religion are too closely allied. Director Scott Palmer achieves this feat while remaining faithful to the original script – it is not the words, but the ambience, that telegraphs the updated message to the audience.

For those who do not know the show, it is a fictionalized account of events in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 when over a six-month period hundreds were imprisoned and nineteen people hung for the crime of witchcraft. All of the characters were real people, although Miller takes extensive liberties with key details, framing his story as a tale of adultery, jealousy, and revenge.

The story revolves around three characters. John Proctor is a pragmatic farmer who has committed and now repents of the sin of adultery with Abigail Williams, a Puritan Lolita obsessed with her erstwhile lover and employer. The third cog is Elizabeth Proctor, the cold, upright, and scrupulously honest victim of her husband’s infidelity. Arianne Jacques brings a venomous complexity to the role of Abigail – sometimes pathetically needy, but always with an undertone of fury and violence against any who oppose her will. Peter Schuyler (“John Proctor”) fluctuates believably between shame, anger, frustration, fear (of losing his honor, his wife, his life), and in the final scene powerfully demonstrates the character’s core of inner strength and loyalty. Jessica Geffen’s performance as Elizabeth Proctor is truly exceptional – her icy tenderness toward her husband leaves him, ultimately, with no choice but to die for his good name.

Other outstanding performances include Jake Street, who captures Reverend Hale’s growing unease with the proceedings of the authorities, and David Heath (“Judge Danforth”) whose angular features and clipped delivery mirror the rigidity of his character’s circular and impenetrable logic. While Pat Lach (“Rebecca Nurse”) has relatively little stage time, she heartbreakingly expresses the upright innocence of a good woman, strong in her beliefs and unwavering in her commitment to the truth.

The young girls in the Salem community are all played by local high school students as part of a Bag & Baggage internship program. These fine young thespians have studied with the troupe’s professional actors, and their performances reflect the quality of their tutelage.  Madeline Ogden (“Mary Warren”) is superb in her pivotal role, riding the roller coaster of her character’s many emotional transformations with passion and a clear understanding of the part. Alexandria Morgan consistently captures the accent of the slave Tituba’s native Barbados, and she understands the fine line Tituba must walk in order to save her skin.

One of Director Palmer’s most effective strategies for highlighting The Crucible’s contemporary relevance is through costume (he eschews stereotypical Puritan garb for clothing that is simple enough to complement the styles of the period, but contemporary enough that these characters cannot be dismissed as “the other”). His choice of minimalist sets (a single row of upright wooden chairs moved about as needed) is augmented by a media presentation including the expected (forest, scaffolds, nooses) and the unexpected (modern images of hate crimes engendered by religious extremists of all stripes).  Although it is a long show, we applaud Palmer’s decision to include the oft-deleted Act II, Scene 2, which makes it clear that there is no truth to the hysterical allegations of the oppressors. This Crucible is more than just a fine production, it is a powerful plea for tolerance and reason that is needed as much today as at any time in history.

The Crucible runs through Sunday, September 28^th with shows Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:00. All performances are at the Venetian Theatre, 253 E. Main Street, Hillsboro.

C.A.S.T. Ventures Into the Woods (Jr.)

From left: Adam Burgess (Jack) and  Lilian Wakefield (Jack's mother)

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

When Into the Woods made its Broadway debut in 1987, many audience members opined that the show should have ended on the “happily ever after” note of the first act – a charming amalgam of fairy tales with great songs, fun characters, and no dark side. Theatre in the Grove’s current C.A.S.T. (Children’s After School Theatre) production of Into the Woods, Jr. conforms nicely to that model, as the one-act condensation never really delves into the mature second-act themes of the Sondheim classic. The sanitized version, which would horrify us in any other context, is both entertaining and appropriate in a production designed for youthful performers, and the kids in the C.A.S.T  production do a fine job of bringing this complex Sondheim work to a  younger audience.

What from the original work is retained? Red Riding Hood and her voracious appetite for baked goods, the Wolf and his voracious appetite for Red and Granny, the Baker and his wife, the Witch whose curse renders the Baker childless, the tasks set by the Witch to reverse the curse, Cinderella and her dysfunctional step family, light-fingered Jack (of beanstalk fame), his loving Mother and trusty bovine sidekick Milky White, Rapunzel, and two lovestruck Princes. What is lost? Infidelity, murder, chaos, destruction, revenge, and some boffo songs. The weirdly omniscient narrator is replaced by a group of children reading a book of fairy tales – a nicely logical approach to the material.

Director Jeanna Van Dyke has succeeded in attracting and retaining many of the area’s best youthful performers – several standouts in the current production are veterans of last year’s Fiddler, Jr. and last winter’s Hobbit (including Assistant Director Adam Borrego), and we have really enjoyed watching these young artists develop. We are also pleased to see several new actors in the troupe, ensuring that C.A.S.T. will have access to a broad talent base in years to come.

The Baker (Jeremiah Stephens) and his wife (Brea Grimes) are perhaps the show’s strongest all-around performers – great vocals, clear and convincing acting that anchors the entire production. Athena Van Dyke (as Red Riding Hood) is charming, funny, and bouncy, and she has great timing. While some of the higher notes are a bit of a stretch for her pleasant alto voice, she manages to sell her songs effectively. Noah Burgess (as Jack) does a fine job on “Giants in the Sky,” captures his character’s wide-eyed, dotty innocence, and interacts beautifully with Milky White the Cow. Cinderella (Brenna Fitzgearld) has a flair for the physical comedy required of her role, and her pretty voice makes “Steps of the Palace” one of the evening’s best numbers. Another show highlight is the always popular “Agony” – carried off with aplomb by the two Princes (Adam Borrego and Nick Nieder). Mikayla Wallace (the Witch) is convincingly sinister, although some of vocals are muffled by her mask. The vocal ensemble numbers are equally strong, demonstrating the depth of the show’s talent base.

As with any opening night, there were a few technical problems, but the professionalism of the cast ensured that they never dropped a beat. Remarkably, the whole show was assembled in only three weeks (just 12 days  of rehearsal) – a tribute to the dedication of the director, cast and crew. Forest Grove is lucky to have such a fine youth theater program, especially one that is free to the actors (and with a maximum ticket price of $5.00) so that all local youth have access to live theater.

Into the Woods, Jr. plays at Forest Grove’s Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, through Sunday, August 24^th with performances at 7:30 on Friday and Saturday and 2:30 on Sunday.

Best Little Whorehouse in Tigard

Colin Wood, Sharon Maroney, and Dan Murphy star in the
production at Broadway Rose Theatre Company.

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Although the cultural gap between the average Portlander and a stereotypical Texan is wider than the Rio Grande, locals occasionally feel the need to get in touch with their inner good ol’ boys (‘n gals). Broadway Rose regularly caters to this curious predilection – this year with their sh*t-kickin’ production of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Director Peggy Taphorn, just off a stunning turn with The Music Man, milks this particular heifer for all it’s worth; she and her outstanding cast and production team deliver a lively and entertaining evening despite the limitations of the script.

The story is astonishingly shallow, little more than a formulaic (if odd) vehicle for a whole lot of singing, dancing, and downright funny lines. A slimy television do-gooder and some slippery politicians successfully campaign to close down the Chicken Ranch, a notorious Texas brothel. Miss Mona, the madam (do NOT call her that to her face!) looks back longingly to her earliest days as a “pro” at the time of JFK’s inauguration. Her nostalgic recollections are not shared by Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd, her long-time protector and (sort of) boyfriend, who has much clearer memories of the Kennedy assassinations (JFK and Bobby).  Shy and Angel, newcomers to the Chicken Ranch, have sad stories that are never really developed – perhaps just as well, given the limited number of laughs to be found when daddy gets a little too sweet on his daughter. An assortment of other characters (football players, a houseful of whores, a waitress, cheerleaders, crusader Melvin P. Thorpe and Co., politicians, Jewel the whorehouse maid) sings and dances up a storm. The show works because this motley crew (beautifully supported by the always amazing band) sings and dances so well that the audience really doesn’t care about the story line.

Choreographer Jacob Toth has outdone himself - the male dance ensemble is as strong as any we have seen on a Broadway Rose stage. While a bit more mature than his fellow hoofers, Dan Murphy (playing Thorpe) kicks up his bootheels with the best of them, and adds his strong voice to the already powerful vocal group. The distaff side, whether playing cheerleaders or prostitutes, is just as good – and the combination of these fillies and stallions more than justifies the price of admission to this spicy Broadway Rodeo.

Emily Sahler (as the waitress) delivers perhaps the most moving song in the show, “Doatsey Mae,” with a lovely poignancy that makes us wish we knew more of her story. Carmen N. Brantley-Payne (Jewel) is a powerful soulful belter whose upbeat “24 Hours of Lovin’” keeps the audience wide awake (and reassures us that some women do it for love, not money).  Colin Wood (Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd) clearly earns “best actor” honors for the evening, and it’s a real shame that his fine voice is only featured in one solo. Wood and Sharon Maroney (as Miss Mona) create a weird but believable chemistry that enhances the show’s best (really only) consistent story line, and the audience gets to know these two characters well enough to care about their fates.

Clever set and lighting design allow the show to move seamlessly from whorehouse to locker room to restaurant to governor’s mansion, so the action never stops. Costumes are about what one would expect in a tasteful brothel, but Melvin P. Thorpe and his Dogettes are bedecked in truly over-the-top glitz befitting the spirit of his team of Limbaugh-esque crusaders.

Broadway Rose’s The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas runs through August 17^th at Tigard High School’s Deb Fennell Auditorium.

Another Labour of Love from Bag & Baggage

Photo by Casey Campbell

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

Bag & Baggage’s artistic director, Scott Palmer, has worked his magic scissors on yet another of Bill Shakespeare’s overblown fancies – in this case, the much ignored Love’s Labour’s Lost, a play so universally dismissed that its relatively brief seven year life on the English stage was followed by a 235 year hiatus. Palmer’s adaptation miraculously resuscitates one of the Bard’s least-loved comedies into a genuinely funny, audience pleasing, mercifully brief (Palmer chopped the show, the cast, and the number of convoluted plotlines in half) farcical synthesis of The Three Stooges and La Dolce Vita – writ large on the concrete of Hillsboro’s Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza.

In a nutshell, the story is this: Ferdinand, the newly minted King of Navarre, and his two lordly sidekicks vow to eschew all contact with women for three years in order to immerse themselves in cleansing philosophical growth. Ferdinand has conveniently forgotten that he is due a visit from the alluring and sophisticated Princess of France and her two BFFs, who spin into town on matching pink Vespas. Vows quickly crumble. The arrival of the Spanish knight Armado (a stunningly Quixotic buffoon) provides another layer of complexity, particularly because he brings along his own versions of Sancho Panza (in the form of the servant Moth) and Dulcinea (the tempestuous and round-heeled Jaquenetta). After lots of verbal bawdiness (liberally accompanied by broad physical cues for those of us whose ears are ill-attuned to the rhythms of Shakespearean dialogue) all is resolved – three years of celibacy are reduced to the one full year that the men will wait before wedding and bedding their loves. Alas, there is no wench for Armado as Jaquenetta ends up in the arms of Moth. End of story.

This senseless plot works (and works well!) for two reasons: Scott Palmer’s fearless and irreverent staging and a ridiculously talented cast. Andrew Beck’s portrayal of Ferdinand, King of Navarre, is particularly funny. His mobile face moves fluidly from arrogance to confusion as he attempts to parry the verbal jabs of the much-cleverer noblewomen who invade his kingdom. His romantic counterpart, Cassie Greer (the Princess of France) is a smart, powerful, and confident adversary who so easily outwits the king that one wonders what she sees in him. Greer is powerful, striking, and elegant – a born leading lady.

From the first moment that she stomps across the plaza, Rachel Rosenfeld (Jaquenetta) grabs the audience’s attention and sympathies, a feat she repeats every time she appears. Her Real Housewives of New Jersey accent and K-Mart wardrobe telegraph her social status (or lack thereof). She is the perfect mate for Adam Syron’s pathetically ill-used Moth, who absorbs his master’s constant physical and verbal abuse with hilariously patient and long-suffering aplomb. The bizarre Spanish tango performed by Rosenfeld, Syron, and Gary Strong (Armado) perfectly captures the production’s outstanding absurdity.

Despite occasional environmental disruptions (blocked off streets do not silence airplanes) the actors need no amplification – the entire cast projects the fast-paced Elizabethan dialogue with crisp clarity. Costume designer Melissa Heller complements Palmer’s vision with her quirky and eclectic fashion choices – the addition of elaborate bows to her hard-edged Italian designs lends a vaguely Renaissance flair, and the tacky costumes for the tango number are perfect for the bumbling dancers.

Purists beware - as with many of Bag & Baggage’s Shakespearean adaptations, this show may well appeal most to those who love the Bard least. Ironically, the spirit of the Old Globe is probably expressed more faithfully in Palmer’s staging than in a more traditional, but stuffy, approach to the material.

Bag & Baggage’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost runs through August 9^th with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. All performances are held at the Tom Hughes Civic Center Plaza, 150 E. Main Street, Hillsboro.

The Flood Comes to Hillsboro

By Karlyn Weaver

HART Theatre’s current production of Crazy Old Man follows Noah, played wonderfully by Nick Hamilton, through his trials and tribulations in building the Ark. In this new musical version of the ancient tale, Noah reacts to frightening visions in his dreams and becomes a desperate man in a desperate situation. With the support of his family and despite the jeering of local townsfolk and singing villains, Noah manages to muster up the courage needed to build the Ark in preparation for the ensuing deluge.

It is obvious from the beginning that an enormous amount of work has gone into this production; the cast mastered not only lines, sometimes complex blocking, and dancing…but also a myriad of songs. Director Paul Roder utilizes a cast of 32 actors to bring local authors Darrell Baker, Tina Arth, and Carl Coughlan's script, loosely based on the traditional Biblical story, to life on stage. At Saturday night’s performance, there were moments where the singing fell out of tune and could be lackluster, which was less than the music deserved.

Outside of “children’s theater” productions, there aren't many shows staged locally where children are included as a large part of the cast. This production, with about half of its cast cast members ranging in age from 5 to 16, does a fantastic job of not only including them but then holding the spotlight on them so they can shine. Especially impressive is the talent shown by Canden Clement (who plays Shem) and Mackenzie Gross (who plays Sarah). They are an absolute delight in their acting abilities as well as their singing.

A few other particularly notable characters from the show include the evil Madame Shamhat, played by Sarah Ominski, who carries an electric energy onto the stage with her presence. She brings along her dancing girls, and their spirit resounds through the townspeople and the theatre. Director Paul Roder also plays Noah’s friend Jehosephat, a loving, gentle father whose rendition of “It's Gonna Rain” at the end of the show leaves the audience joyously clapping along.

Crazy Old Man has a fun set and wonderful music along with a hard working cast. It is well worth a look, especially to show support for a local community theater with the courage to bring original work to the stage!

Crazy Old Man is playing at Hillsboro’s H.A.R.T. Theatre, 185 S.E. Washington Street, through August 3d, with performances Friday and Saturday at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:00. A special benefit matinee is being offered at 2:00 on Saturday, July 19^th, with all proceeds being donated to Animal Aid (come at 1:30 that day for dancing by “Pure Portland” belly dancing troupe!).