Beans
- Karma:
- 1
- Location:
- San Francisco
About Me:
SF Theatre goer and writer who lives and works in San Francisco.
My Buzz
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Proof @ Little Theatre, San Francisco State University
10/13/2009
The beauty of David Auburn's "Proof" isn't in the love story of two great minds, in is in the single mind and it's strength to trust itself even as it might be slipping away.
Whitney Thomas' performance as Catherine is a force. She is the brilliant woman who could solve a mystery that has baffled the most brilliant minds, she is also the woman grieving the loss of the most important person in her life, and she is the woman who fears that she may be loosing her mind and her ability to live her own life. She can't be sure even of those around her. Of the young man who she has started a relationship with, does he have feelings for her or is he just trying to write the next important paper. Will her sister help her rebuild her life, or lock her in an institution. And can she even trust her own reasoning? Whitney Thomas plays the balance and the conflict with the grace and delicacy of a more seasoned actress. Her scenes with Sam Jackson, who plays Claire, her New York City sister, are electric and full of dynamic tension. Kelly Sanchez plays Hal, potential love interest and mathematician, with elastic energy and a palpable joy. Unfortunately, not all of their scenes together work. While the trust and mistrust is there, the love sometimes doesn't go much beyond happy flirtation and their cozier love scenes feel more like uncomfortable dances. It may have been due, in part, to the directors choice to score these scenes to a repetitive "romance" sound track that was distracting. An audience member behind me asked "Am I supposed to feel uncomfortable?" Giggles from the audience took away from any sexy mood the actors may have tried at, or the audience may have hoped for. While faculty member Rhonnie Washington's direction is confusing at these points, he has obviously guided his young actors to true and honest conclusions that pull in the audience the whole show. He steps into the roll of Catherine's father, a move that can sometimes feel disingenuous in a University production, but here he rounded out an overall excellent production.
The beautiful set design by Joshua Saulpaw and light design by Travis Rexroat show, again, the tremendous strength of the design program at SF State. The old Chicago house and yard felt inviting and warm. There was no question why Catherine would want to stay in that house, even after her father's death. And there was no question why the characters would spend the whole play on the back porch, the combined joy of a slowly rising sun, a slight chill in the air and a warm cup of coffee was palpable. -
The Heidi Chronicles @ The Next Stage
10/04/2009
It's been 20 years since "The Heidi Chronicles" was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, which would hardly make it a Museum piece, and yet for some reason that is exactly how The Custom Made Theatre treats Wendy Wasserstien's discussion on the evolution and practical application of feminism in a changing world. Setting the play literally in a gallery show room that seems to be showing a retrospective of "feminist" art. Oddly enough, a piece of art is removed each scene. It is as if each scene an ideal, a confusion, a hope is taken away until Heidi is left with literally nothing but a baby in her lap and she is finally happy. Worse, it's almost as if one of the feminist ideals that Heidi (and generations of women) are building their lives on are taken down as each progressive me age moves forward until there are no foundations and Heidi's only path is to give in to social norms. Really, the gesture was unclear, which is a shame because it seemed to be the only gesture.
While I was confused as to the real message behind the choosing, the placement, and the removal of the art I was happy to see it go. Most of them were distracting. There was no notes in the program about the art, which was disappointing considering Heidi is an Art Historian and Women in the Arts advocate in the play...one would think that the company would want to encourage those same attitudes in their audiences. I was left thinking the art on the wall was probably borrowed from some local artists or pulled together last minute by the set designer, but few pieces were by women artists or thought out enough to have anything but an accidental relationship to the play or the scenes.
The actors in the play were watchable and, at times, engaging and charismatic. Dan Wilson's Scoop took a while to warm up, his mushy mouth tripped him up at the beginning of almost all of his scenes, but he was genuinely as lovable as he was an asshole and his scenes with Leah Abrams' Heidi were some of the best scenes in the play. While all the actors were capable, it seemed as if the directorial hand was so light as to leave the scenes flat and uneven. The fault of this play was always that most of the scenes look back on past events, characters are continually talking about what they did the year before or how they have been since we last saw them. But in a good production, those scenes are just part of the discussion. In a bad production, they come out as unmotivated and with out stakes.
It is always good to see that a company finds a home and a theatre finds a company, and let's hope that Custom Made can make a good home out of Next Stage. Let's also hope that the rest of their season, full of amazing plays, don't feel as misdirected as The Heidi Chronicles.
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Boxcar Theatre: 2009/2010 Season Subscription @ Boxcar Playhouse
08/10/2009
I'm happy to see that Boxcar is stepping into its own by proclaiming itself to be a director's theatre. I think a lot of theatres in San Francisco and in the United States have worked too hard to be new works companies and the hand of the director has been seen less and less. In consequence, the world premier is no longer seen as an impressive stamp, but just another new script in a sea of often sub par new writing.
Odd that they don't mention any of the plays they are doing in this Buzz, nor do they mention the directors they are working with. You could chalk it up to trying to get people to click on the website, but one hopes the website isn't a bell weather for the feel of their shows. A directorial hand isn't in the look of the website. It could use an update.
The season itself looks intriguing with a re imagining of the most famous of star crossed lovers in "Romeo and Julien", Pi, the physical comedy troupe will be presenting "Antigone", handcrafted puppets will present a re imagining of Kafka's "Metamorphosis", there is an adaptation of Ionesco's "Rhinoceros" now titled "Rhino", "Project V" will bring us updated vagina monologues inspired by Eve Ensler, and two new pieces including a piece by Maria Braux (an SF playwright and film maker) and "I Heart SF" which is sure to be a crowd pleaser done in a choose your own adventure kind of way. Tina Howe's "Museum" looks like the only piece that hasn't been adapted, inspired by or re imagined in any way. It makes one wonder if Boxcar isn't trying to be a director's theatre, but a dramaturg's theatre.
Boxcar will also present in rolling repertory three Tennessee Williams plays. "A Streetcar Named Desire", "Glass Menagerie" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof". Here is where Boxcar must be claiming to call itself a director's theatre. I think their hope is to show how a strong directorial hand can cast even the most well known play in a startling and engaging new light. I worry, though that we will get the same Maggie the Cat prowling around in her lingerie desperately trying to either have sex with Brick or out him, the same Blanch who alternately teases the manly Stanley and yearns for her poet boy husband, and the same Laura still abandoned by her brother who would go on to write his victim sister, drag queen mother, manly crush, and boy toys in every play he would ever write. In which case, other than as an exercise for new, up and coming directors, why revisit them at all. But we can hope that Boxcar will show off it's best stuff and breathe fresh air into audiences who think they've seen everything.
I don't mean to sound harsh. After all, I'm not reviewing a show, I'm just commenting on a posting. In part because I do hope that this posting gets more traffic and that their season does get off to a good start. What I've seen so far of Boxcar I like. I think their presence in that particular community is also a good thing. I want them to succeed, become established, grow and prosper.
But, the proof is in the pudding.
