Well, it's been awhile since I posted. I haven't let up in my main objective. I am now up to 16 plays, and will have knocked out 20 by the end of this weekend.

Since that last post, here are the shows I've seen:

1) Two by Pinter at the Central Heating Lab at ACT.

An enjoyable evening with top-notch acting

This was one of the best productions I've seen. The bonus that only theater gives you - a post-performance chat with actor and director. Most of the audience knew a lot more about Pinter than I did.

Actor Frank Corrado and Director Victor Pappas chat with the audience after the show

2) Mr. Angelo at the Odd Duck Studio

Where have I seen this pattern before? The promo is better than the play.

Pretty good script, but the lead actress was way too over the top.

3) my dear Lewis at the Annex

Great value!

One man puppet performance with finger puppets, shadow puppets, etc. This kid Kyle Loven, funded by the Jim Henson Foundation, and doing them proud!

4) South Pacific at the 5th Avenue Theatre

The Best of Broadway ... in Seattle

This show had it all. Big time singing, excellent production values, incredible sets, a wealthy older audience. Exactly what you'd expect for $105 a ticket. Despite all that, it was a great change of pace from so much of the stuff I've seen. But, I was happier with my BIG TIME Broadway expenditure for Xanadu than this.


5) Jihad Jones and the Kalashnikov Babes at Theater Schmeater

It's gonna knock you outta your seat!!!!

Another evening trying to find the elusive cheap parking on Capitol Hill. Don't kids ever stay home on weeknights anymore? No wonder they're such underachievers.

Well, at least I had my friends, Glennnnnnn and LaLoca to help offset the dramatic cost of parking.

My bestus Seattle Friends - the Gleena Norwals!!!

I'll say this, the production was pretty good, and the play was pretty funny, though it did get a little too preachy at one point, but the staff was great!

Friendly staff at Theater Schmeater!

6) Pero at the Seattle Children's Theater

These guys are A-1!

I felt a little weird as the only single adult (sans kids) at this production, but the Seattle Children's Theater lived up to their hype as one of the top-notch companies in town. This production was very clever. I was only slightly thrown by the supposed Italian setting looking much more like the Netherlands.

Great feature - After the show, the actors answered questions from children. Not surprisingly, most questions were of the "How did you do ...?" variety.

Parents - take your kids to this company's shows - instill a love of live theater in them. I can't wait until the Norwal's baby, Audrey Grace, is old enough for Uncle Dave to use her as an excuse to take in more kids' programming!!! (Here we come, Nutcracker.)

7) Call Mr. Robeson at Stone Soup Theatre Upstage

Tayo Aluko as the legendary actor, singer, Renaisance man - Paul Robeson.

Very good one-man show, though not up to the same standards asThe Belle of Amherst at this same theater the week before. Probably because Mr. Aluko is a singer first, and Maria Glanz is an actor first. Still, it was an entertaining evening. Interestingly about 1/2 of the small audience were African-American families, and the play served as a cultural education for some of the young ones. Except for the little girl that climbed up in her Daddy's lap about midway through, trying to hang on and fend off sleep!

I got to meet the legendary Seattle gospel star, Rev. Pat Wright, and that was an unexpected bonus. Rev. Wright heads the Total Experience Gospel Choir.

8) Alecto Issue #1 at Annex

Super Hero?

Fairly entertaining premise, but hardly the profound production one Seattle critic painted it as. Which has led me to determine that my next posting will be critiquing the critics! I think.

The audience needed to chill out, though. Forced guffaws are a sad commentary on the guffawers, me thinks.

9) The Violet Hour

The Violet Hour

Ah. Last night. First, I love this venue. One of the best.

Entrance to the Bath House at Green Lake

Second, I've learned that a good, strong cup of coffee is essential to this process as a ticket.

Now, all you need is a cup of coffee!

This one started out way too slow. And, I found the fact that all three of the lead male actors were flamingly gay and demonstrated that throughout the play as incredibly obnoxious. In fact ...

A metaphor?

Maybe it's time to have a little heart-to-heart talk with the theater community in general, here. I don't know what the percentage of gay men working in theater is, and I'm all for gay rights and gay marriage, but, the population in general is much more heterosexual. Why then do you feel the need to force feed homoerotic plots and characters to a largely straight population? The gist of this play had nothing to do with homosexuality. Must we then, be forced to watch two men kiss passionately? Get the f*ck over it. Really.

It was totally distracting and not essential to the plot. In fact, I would say it was gratuitous, at best. Make a freaking play about the story. Got it? You haven't proven how enlightened you are, nor changed anyone's opinion about homosexuality. It's just irritating.


So, when I started this entry out, it was about catching up. But, really, I think it does a very effective job of demonstrating the level of commitment needed to get through a Year in the Theater. So. There's that.

A Year at the Theater - Things Start Looking Up

Well, the quality of the productions is really beginning to improve. It could be because my expectations are adjusting, based on what I've experienced and my new-found knowledge of the venues. Or, more realistically, it could be because I'm in a lucky streak.

I started out this week with the best fringe production I've seen to date - Hunters Gatherers, produced by the Washington Ensemble Theatre. First, it's great to be able to go to a theater where you're not fighting over parking (and free is pretty damn good, too!).

An Apartment in San Francisco circa 2005

Hunter Gatherers is about four people/two couples who met in high school and now meet once a year for dinner. They are clearly mismatched in their marriages, putting lie to the myth about opposites attracting.

The core character of the play is Pam, played by Montana von Fliss. She is so good, she holds the chaos together. Chaos is brought to the production by Richard (Patrick Allcorn) and Wendy (Hannah Victoria Franklin) who dominate the action through their over-the-top performances as a couple of primitive, lustful, physical folks who apparently have no joy in life but sensual ones.

Although Richard and Wendy drive the action, it's Pam who holds it all together and keeps things from going out of control ... sort of. You'll have to take it in yourselves, because I'm not into spoiling things. But, the bottom line is that it is very funny and reminded me of a chaotic / zany 60's romantic comedy.

About as interesting as the show itself

On Thursday night I went to the Seattle Center to see the Seattle Shakespeare Company's production of Electra. One of the trends I began to understand with this classic play is that theater, unlike film for the most part, demands that you stretch to fully appreciate what you're seeing. In large part, that is because the small budgets give producers much more flexibility in deciding what to produce than film.

Now, the problem I have with Electra is the same problem I have will all "classic" theater (and, I lump Shakespeare into this category), is that, unless directed and acted exceptionally well it comes across much too ... much. Electra was no different. Are we really expected to believe that Electra is so much more overwhelmed by grief than any of us by the death of a loved one? Yet, the grief is violent and loud. And, obnoxious.

The best classical theater I've ever seen, of course, is the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and the Oregon Shakespeare Company in Ashland. The key to these great performances is restraint, and that's not what we get in Electra. Frankly, it takes a extremely practiced pro to let Shakespeare (or Sophocles, for that matter) roll off the tongue in a conversational manner. And, when done that way, it really is poetry.

Electra comes steamrolling out at you. That has the effect, for me at least, of deadening my senses. Really, how long can you be in a state of panic? I'm not sure how well Marya Sea Kaminski (Electra) can act, but, this rank amateur just couldn't stay awake. Her manic performance was matched by the other actors, so I suspect the fault lie with the director, Sheila Daniels.

Smell-a-rama!!!

Finally, the set in the one-woman play The Belle of Amherstconsists of actual antiques. Walking into this pocket-sized theater (Stone Soup Theatre Downstage), one can't help but be overwhelmed with the decaying smell of the set. It set the tone perfectly for what was simply the best performance I've seen so far this year.

Maria Glanz portrays Emily Dickinson in this William Luce play about the poet's life. The script beautifully blends Dickinson's poetry with her recollections of her life. The blend is seamless, and Ms. Glanz outstanding performance is captivating. I started out sleepy, thinking to myself, oh no, here comes another Electra, but Ms. Glanz gripped my thoughts and shook the cobwebs away.

Now, the trend I spoke of earlier - that theater makes you stretch - became evident here. I definitely found myself enthralled with Dickinson's poetry. Rather than being stretched, though, here I felt as though I have been inspired to dig deeper into the poet's work.

I love outstanding acting, and Ms. Glanz delivered. The rest of my weekend should continue the recent upswing in production values. Tonight, I'm taking in Two by Pinter by the Shadows and Light Theatre, a new company focusing primarily on the works of Pinter. It's a little fringe produced at ACT on their smaller Bullitt Stage. Tomorrow afternoon will be spent at the Odd Duck Studio watchingMr. Angelo. Don't have a clue what it's supposed to be about, but it seems interesting, and has gotten good reviews.

Shalom.

A Long Year's Journey into Theater Gets Rolling

The only coherent part of 3Sisters.Cz

The full impact of what I've committed to this year is beginning to become apparent. I'm now having to plan my schedule out 2 - 3 weeks in advance. When I involve other people in my plans, it becomes even more complicated.

Beyond the logistics of this project, there is also the very real aspect of quality. 3Sisters.CZ is a perfect example of this dilemma.

Located at a space called Freehold Theatre (for some reason, the pretentiousness of the stage community demands the British spelling to indicate their level of sophistication), which is essentially a small, urban space located amid the restaurants, bars, and other assorted dives of Belltown, Seattle. For those of you not familiar with Belltown (or Seattle, for that matter), this neighborhood could best be described as Seattle's answer to Greenwich Village.

First, let's deal with the company, GESAMTKUNSTWERK!. They describe themselves as

" a budding theatre company currently based in Seattle and devoted to blurring boundaries and crossing disciplines. Believing in not only the compatibility but the love affair between various artistic mediums and cultures, thatG!theatre is constantly searching for new ways to of confounding ideas and expectations by creating high-quality, provocative, and unified art."

Whatever.

Apparently, blurring boundaries and crossing disciplines means repeating the first half of Act II with the same theme in a film projected onto the faux rustic wood ceiling of the stage while the cast sits around on stage roasting what appears to be wienies and marshmallows over a small, standard def TV standing in for a campfire.

What makes this redundancy particularly awful is what is being repeated - the sisters sitting around stuffing their mouths with cake and rubbing it all over their faces.

Whatever.

When is the arts community going to understand that stupid and self-indulgent is not "shocking" or a cleverly disguised meaning. It's just stupid and self-indulgent.

There were a couple of okay performances by Margaret Bicknell as Louisa and Devin Rodger as Anna, but the shrieking of Jade Justad as youngest sister, Angela, was nothing short of obnoxious. While I understand she's supposed to be a spoiled brat, I've been around my share of spoiled brats, and they do know how to scream properly. Oh, well.

The folks involved in producing this work of crap - Dani Prados and Jade Justad - need to stay true to their stated intention ... keep searching.

If I propose to you, does that prove I love you?

Better, but ... After last night's production of 3Sisters.cz I was really dreading "Bullied by the Beast". Surprise. It was actually okay. Located in the same building as Freehold Theatre, it was produced by Open Circle Theatre.
I was afraid this was going to be PC swill, as it was funded by the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs. It was, and it was predictable, but the first act held up pretty well. The second act needs considerable work as it is rife with cliches.
With the exception of the lead, the acting was fairly good. Unfortunately, the lead was ill, and her understudy hadn't memorized her lines, particularly in the middle, so, try as she might, she repeatedly misread the lines from the script that was laying on the table. I was under the impression an understudy is supposed to be ready to step in, but, I guess in fringe theater, you get what you can. It's a shame because, I felt she would have been very good.

Which leads to the final production - "Edmond" at the Balagan Theatre on Capitol Hill. A spartan set with a long, thin table standing in as a coffee table, bar, prison bunk, Three Card Monty table, etc. The acting was crisp with Carolyn Marie Monroe standing out as a doomed bartender (?), Glenna, who has the unfortunate circumstance of being picked up by Edmond before succumbing to the knife he's been wielding since going off the deep end.

Creepy, yes.

The Balagan is a nice urban space with the requisite brick walls and an industrial feel to it, and a nice lounge to hang out in before shows. The theater carried the neo-industrial theme through, with lighting-on-a-wire-from-Home Depot, kind of a thing going on. The audience was oh-so-artsy. The play by David Mamet fit well with the ambience, and was well directed, moving fast from scene to scene.

Unlike the debacle at Freehold on Saturday night, this production actually integrated multimedia elements successfully, enhancing the production, rather than being used as an alternative to creative thought and hard work. The beauty of this, though, is that my commitment for 2010 ensures Freehold gets at least one more chance.

I've got one more play on Monday night before taking a couple of days off. This one actually has good critical reviews going for it, which is a first since Xanadu, oh so long ago.

Xanadu - Day 1 of My Incredible Journey through the World of Theater

Approaching the venue for the kick-off event of my year at the theater, groups of friends gathered outside the doors. Some were waiting for friends, some trying to give away the tickets of friends who weren't going to show up.

The Marquee

There were the expected gay men in outlandish 80's costumes and make-up getting into the spirit of opening night of this outlandish Broadway production. Groups of attractive women in their late 30's and early 40's, having grown up with the serio-camp of the original Olivia Newton-John film, laughed and chatted with their friends, sharing those memories.

Ticket #1

And, in the middle of it all, I stumbled through, alone and on a mission. I had never seen the movie, and had no idea what to expect. Reviews from its' initial run on Broadway and Costa Mesa, California, were glowing. "Funny" and "80's farce" were descriptions I was aware of. The flyer announcing the new season of the Rat City Rollergirls (the local Roller Derby team) that I found while searching for a program was the best indicator this was going to be a fun evening.

Walking to my seat near the front, middle of the auditorium, I noticed 15 - 20 people being shown to seats behind brick facades on stage. Apparently, this was going to be a production that included audience participation. It was.

Designing a Roller Disco!

I'm hardly an expert on talent, but what I saw over the 90 minutes of the show were a group of good actors with big, Broadway-style voices belting out ELO tunes. The style of acting was over-the-top, but that's to be expected. In fact, the tone of the show required that. All in all, very enjoyable.

Elizabeth Stanley as Kira

Now, the reason for this whole experience goes back to understanding the differences of how theater and film can impact on me. More specifically, why a "stagy" theatrical performance can entrance me, but seeing the same thing on film makes me want to slit my wrists.

Last night told me little about that, but it did remind me of what is so good about theater. The stage can wrap you up in its environment. The live sounds, unfiltered through the prism of digital mastering, are far more organic. The lighting is not something splayed across a 60" 2D HD screen. No matter how good my home theater is, or the IMAX is, for that matter, that organic quality really separates the experiences from each other.

Kira and the Muses

But, I knew that before last night. So, I'm not sure how much further along I am in my quest for answers.

To The Theater I Will Go

(This entry was originally published on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 @ 6:37pm)

I wish I could remember how or when I first came up with this idea. Years ago, I enjoyed live theater enough to travel to London and New York to enjoy it on it's premier "stage".

Over the last few years, though, I haven't done much of it. A few days in Ashland during the summer or Shakespeare in the Park here in Seattle. Really just change-of-pace stuff.

My passion has become film history ... watching great movies within a specific context. For example, this month, Turner Classic Movies is featuring "Method Acting in Hollywood", which traces the impact of "The Method" school of acting as developed by Konstantin Stanislavsky in 1890's Russia, and taught in this country at The Group Theatre and its' successor, The Actors Studio.

TCM describes the Method this way -

"It’s a process by which actors behave naturally, stripping themselves of all artifice, using their emotional memory of past experiences and feelings to create a character’s motivation. "

Watching movies pre-dating the emergence of the Stanislavsky Method, one can be overwhelmed (or bored) with the preeminent style of the time featuring theatrical gusto and the phony pseudo-British enunciation of America's leading actors. After all, does anyone born and bred in the United States really talk with that "refined" accent?

At the time of its' emergence The Method sent shockwaves throughout Hollywood. But, it would take someone far more knowledgeable than me to ascertain the difference between Frances Farmer and Bette Davis. Well, maybe not (Bette was the Queen of Overacting and the Phony Accent). But, it wasn't until actors like John Garfield came along that Group Theater-schooled actors really began to distinguish themselves with their naturalistic styles.

I can't think of any movie that demonstrates the clash of the two acting styles more than "A Streetcar Named Desire". However, Director Elia Kazan very effectively uses the old-school style of Vivien Leigh to highlight the delusional aspects of Blanche DuBois' psyche to contrast with the more naturalistic styles of Karl Malden, Kim Hunter, and Marlon Brando, all students of the Actors Studio.

Having said all of this, one of the problems I have with many of the films that came out of the Actors Studio "family" is many of them tend to be stagy/static. Think of these films: A Place in the Sun, The Member of the Wedding, A Hatful of Rain, and the aforementioned A Streetcar Named Desire. All of them are excellent movies, all of them look like someone took a camera and set it up in front of the stage as it was being performed on Broadway.

So, watching this, I began to wonder, what is it that I've enjoyed so much about live theater, yet dread when I see the same thing on film? I really need to answer this question. So, over the next 12 months, I'll be working to answer this question for myself. I'll let you know how it's going.

See you at the theater!!!