A Few Good Men

Center Stage North

through October 24, 2015

Playwright Aaron Sorkin’s sister was graduated from Boston University Law School in the 1990’s and enlisted in the Navy’s Judge Advocate’s service. She was going to Gitmo to defend some marines accused of unlawful practices relating to a fellow marine. And Aaron started taking notes; and not long after that he penned A Few Good Men.

The film was released in 1992 and starred Jack Nicholson, Tom Cruise and Demi Moore. It grossed more than $200 million. So, if you saw the film you may think it is not possible to replicate the work of these mega-stars. But this little local theatre does it VERY well. Kendall Lane is the feisty lady-lawyer. Robert Hendren plays the tough Lt. Colonel Jessup and John Coombs plays the young defense lawyer. The casting is really very good, bringing together a company of 16 players who do a fine high-energy job.

Directed by Kylene Compaan and Kevin Renshaw, the action takes place in dozens of scenes which move fluidly from center stage to two side stages. Not an easy feat when you consider that this is a small black box theatre, with a open stage and little room. We know that the military runs on strict codes, and that superiors are often of the mind that underlings are like children. If they misbehave they must be punished or they will not learn. But, we also know from real life that this isn’t always the case. Officials in all branches of the government have been known to step over the lines and break the rules, believing that the rules were made for others to obey.

The two marines charged with murder are stand-up guys. But who issued a “Code Red” relating to Santiago? And, what validates such an action? And how does it get managed and recorded? Somebody isn’t coming clean. Is it the doctor, the prosecutor, the base commander or somebody else? Ah, . . that is what the case and the play is all about and it is a very good job done with great gusto.

For more info and tickets visit them at CenterStageNorth.com

Informed Consent

Horizon Theatre

through November 8, 2015

This new work by playwright Deborah Zoe Laufer is in it’s premiere season, having opened in NYC within the past couple of months where it received much acclaim. The underlaying basis of the story is science versus religion, and how we may perceive of what is most valuable.

The scene is set at a university in Arizona where a researcher is studying genetic links related to various diseases. She works alongside a social anthropologist who is deeply involved with a dying off tribe of Native Americans who have always lived in the Grand Canyon.

The story is derived from real life, when the Havasupai People sued to prevent the use of their blood samples to study things such as mental illnesses. The samples had been obtained allegedly only to study their DNA to see if they could find a clue how to curtail the diabetes which was decimating the tribe. The university was banned from entering upon their land, and finally agreed to pay out $700,000 in damages and return all blood samples.

The underlaying problem is that this isolated tribe of fewer than 700 remaining members, held a religious belief that their blood was sacred. And the researcher, Jillian (Bethany Anne Lind) after having each donor sign off on an Informed Consent CYA document, figured she had the right to deal with the specimens as she thought most productive.

And therein lies the problem. Jillian is a very dedicated woman. And there are things she doesn’t care to lay on the table. Her mother passed away in her 30’s from Alzheimers, and she also fears that her young daughter may have a gene which could some day imperil her life.

Jillian’s husband or mister-mommy is Graham (Neal A. Ghant). The only member of the tribe which speaks English is Arella, played by Diany Rodriguez. Jillian has no other door into the tribe than to use Arella as her front. And that puts Arella on a hot spot. Jillian’s colleague, Ken (Carey Curtis Smith) is really ticked off as well, for he has spent decades working into the tribe to gain acceptance, since is not one of their home boys. Tonia Jackson plays the university Dean who winds up having to use her hammer to nail things down.

Lisa Adler directs a cast of five players in this work with a nice set and some nice projections and plenty of hard work by the cast. But, I’m not sure this one is for everyone. I don’t see youngsters digging it, and while I am a few years past their age, I was watching the first act and wondering WTF is going on. I can tell you, that a lot of the side comments in Act 1 are the inner thoughts of Jillian’s being given voice by the other cast members. It comes off as a play within a play. Then in Act 2 all comes around to what is going on and what will happen.

The science vs. religion thing is there. And those of us who have dealt deeply with family health issues would agree that often times a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. I guess the bottom line is that life often is what happens while you wait for your plans to work out. For more info and tickets visit HorizonTheatre.com

Tiger Style

Alliance Theatre

through October 18, 2015

Tiger Style is a most unusual and hilarious work by an Eli alumnus, Mike Lew; the same playwright who created Bike America, which won the Kendeda Competition in 2013 and played here on the Hertz Stage. This work may in some ways be a reflection of aspects of his life in these States, growing up in the stereotypical second generation immigrant family, dealing with common conceptions of Asians by non-Asians, attending Yale and Juilliard, dealing with normal family stress, job stress, and actually marrying a playwright as well.

This young man is brilliant. And his way of weaving humor into darker scenes is great. A wonderful cast and crew has brought this premiere production to us and we must not only stand and applaud Mike and the company, but Susan Booth for having the cajones to put this one on the main stage, where I’m certain it will play for many a year.

Mike’s friend of many years, Mortiz von Stuelpnagel came to town to direc,t and the set and projection work is Broadway quality. Jon Norman Schneider is the motivating character, Albert Chen. Albert works in the IT field, and feels that he is getting passed over for improper reasons when that idiot, Russ the Bus (Bobby Labertino), gets tapped for a promotion, when it was Albert who was doing most, if not all, of the work that Russ gets credit for.

Ruibo Qian is his sister, Jennifer, who is a physician, but not getting everything she would wish for in life, from her current life. Their parents always wanted them to become successful professionals and move up the ladder of life. Sound familiar? Same as the Jewish families where the immigrant parents worked in mills and were wagon peddlers, so their children could go to college and become doctors and lawyers, so that their grand-children could become flower-children and the circle of life could go on.

Francis Jue plays their Dad, but he also appears as Chinese Maoist guard, a weird visitor in the park, Albert’s boss at the IT firm, and whatever . . . . He is a riot, and has the moves, appearance and voice to help take this one to a TV series with the rest of the cast.

Emily Kuroda plays their Mom, and also comes on as a shrink, a Chinese yenta, and old aunt and whatever . . . I lost count of all the ensemble parts. Leave it to say that 5 players deal with about a dozen roles.

The story line is one about how Albert and Jenn decide to take control of their lives and stand up for what they believe. It’s just that standing up doesn’t always work out quite the way one might hope for. If they are not going to fit in, here in America because of their cultural appearances; then maybe they’ll strike it big time in China where they are anxious to have more doctors and IT specialists. Oops. . . Neither of them can speak a word of Mandarin or Cantonese. So these strange Americans become strange Chinese. Then they have to find a way to reverse things again. Maybe they have a chip in their shoulder.

This is a VERY good production and one that is unlike any you have seen before. Talent, style, vigor and humor merge to produce a wonderful evening. For tickets and more info just visit them at AllianceTheatre.org

Jersey Boys

Fox Theatre

through October 11, 2015

Well I gotta tell you about this one. This show played here in 2009 and 2012 and sold out most dates; so it’s no wonder it done come back again. When I first seen this one, I was kind of wondering what they was thinking of. Like, I mean the stage was just a chain link fence and a raised walkway and I kinda thought this was gonna be another one of them cheapie road shows with no props or other stuff and I was thinking how to get out of there by intermission. It’s pretty much the same set but with some terrific projected images, and plenty of live musicians onstage and just offstage.

They start off with some rap type singing. Jeez. I kinda thought I was gonna sit through 2 hours of that, then one of us must be crazy. But that was just a weird thing they put in to get your attention and then they went back to Jersey and the show got started for good.

When I say “for good” I mean like GREAT. Like, you probably know the name Frankie Valli, but most of us forgot the Four Seasons who were his back up group; and while we recall the music, if not the lyrics of two or three of his hits, we sure don’t remember all of them what they played in this show.

Frankie was just another one of them punk kids and he had this kinda alto pitched voice. The priests would have loved to have him the choir. He is played to the freakin’ hilt by Aaron de Jesus who brings down the house with his performance. Like, I mean he ain’t good. He’s terrific. I would say the best Frankie I ever seen.

Matthew Dailey, Keith Hines and Drew Seely play the other three guys in the group. You gotta understand they all come from Jersey and they got that certain background, which includes maybe blowing a little grass, using them words that the teachers was always giving them problems about, sucking some brews, messing with chicks and maybe rolling a few dice or cards.

So, don’t take the kids if they don’t already know the words, because it’s all right out there. You know? On the other hand, unless they live in a monastery you can bet your buns they learned all the lingo at the school yard before they got out of 5th grade. It is what it is.

And because of the time frame for the Frankie Valli story, you got a lot of stuff what appeals not only to regular folks, but also to a mess of AARP card carriers. So everybody really gets off on this one. I can tell you that when they got to the final number, that everybody’s heart rate had gone up a hitch, and you left the theater feeling a sense of excitement as if you had a ticket on a winning perfecta.

Do I recommend this one? Get serious. The show is just about sold out. I don’t care what you gotta do to get tickets. As Tony Soprano would say, just do what you gotta do. Hear?
Go to FoxTheatre.org for info, times and tix.

La bohème

Atlanta Opera

through October 11, 2015

Tomer Zvulun directs this show about these artsy wanna-be’s who live in a crumby loft in Paris. Rodolfo is a writer, his pal Marcello is a painter, Schaunard is the musician and Colline is a philosopher. They are sort of on their heels a bit since they’re broke, as usual, and freezing as it’s Christmas Eve and the fire has gone out.

Just in time, Schaunard shows up fresh from a recent gig with a nobleman who hired him to serenade a parrot into bird-heaven. He brings with him food and drink and the guys start to party. Schaunard suggests they really live it up, and after a brief interlude where they booze up then bamboozle the landlord who came to collect some back rent, three of them set off for the Cafe Momus.

Rodolfo stays behind for a while because he’s on deadline for something he’s grinding out for The Beaver, some ill-paying publication. Enter Mimi, the girl downstairs whose candle has gone out and she can’t see much as she gropes for her key. Boy meets girl, boy and girl grope in dark, boy and girl fall for each other, and the happy couple go off to join the gang at the cafe.

You will then meet the vamp, Musetta, who is Marcello’s former lover, and the town flirt. Musetta wants Marcello back, and Rodolfo wants Mimi. Boy gets girl, boy loses girl. Boy learns girl is seriously ill; boy and girl meet up again, rekindle the love and agree to stay together until the Spring. By now both Marcello and Rodolfo are in the dumps having each gained then lost their loves.

While the two guys are crying in their wine, here comes Musetta who by now is friends with Mimi and she clues them in that Mimi is deathly ill. In fact, the girl collapses on the stairs by the door to the loft. They bring her in, send one of the guys to fetch a doctor, and some of the others contribute some of their meager possessions to buy Mimi a hand warmer to ease her pains. Alas, Mimi expires before the doctor arrives.

That’s the story. If you’ve heard any opera you’ve probably heard some of La bohème (The Bohemian). The music is totally sublime. You can close your eyes and be transported to heaven by the score which is so wonderfully conducted by Arthur Fagen. I’ve seen La bohème many times and I have never, seen a better stage setting. The scenery is as much a treat to the eyes as the music is to the ears. Erhard Rom, who designed these sets should win an award for them. The loft is somewhat sparse but works very well, and the street scene in Act II is superb. The street urchins, traders, clowns, and others are a delight. This production comes by arrangement with the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and the Seattle Opera. It is great when these companies can work together, and now we have some local theatres following suit.

The singing? After all that is what opera is about isn’t it? Each of the principals is excellent. Rodolfo (Gianluca Terranova) is the strongest voice of the men, and Trevor Scheunemann who sings Marcello blends well with him. Colline (Nicholas Brownlee) and Schaunard (Theo Hoffman) are are the other male leads. The gals will knock your socks off! Mimi (Maria Luigia Borsi) can pull your heart apart as she goes from depression to discovery, to desperation to expiration. And Leah Partridge is Musetta, the very symbol of flirtation is delicious and strong, and when she sings Musetta’s waltz you know why the guys of Paris are at her feet.

I couldn’t end this without mentioning the children’s chorus. They light up Act 2 in a wondrous fashion under the direction of Charles Braugh. In fact this production has a bigger children’s chorus and a much smaller contingent of marching soldiers than most, and I liked it a lot better.

If you love opera, you will love La bohème. If you don’t like opera, you will learn to appreciate it if you go see La bohème. Performances art at Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center, and you can grab more info and tickets at AtlantaOpera.org

R. Buckminster Fuller: The History (and Mystery) of the Universe

Theatrical Outfit

through October 25, 2015

Actor/Producer/Director/Playwright D. W. Jacobs had been immersed in the life of R. Buckminster Fuller; one of the great minds of our recent history. This is a very compelling one-man show with Tom Key on stage as Fuller in two acts which run about 2 hours 15 minutes. And, Tom does great work as he always does in his solo presentations. He IS Fuller.

Fuller was born in the Boston area in 1895, and had a mind that was way ahead of his time. One of his quirks in life was that he kept a history of his life experiences as he went through them. Not just diaries, but tens of thousands of pages which now reside in a college library. As a youngster he had some vision problems, and one may presume that as a result he started to see and sense things in a manner which other 4-year olds did not. For once he got eyeglasses he started to see things he’d not experienced before.

He was a very bright young man and was admitted to Harvard. After the first year he left, only to come back when he was readmitted and then was dropped by them after his sophomore year. He just didn’t do nor think as others would have him do. In this recital of his life, we hear about his thoughts on ecology, architecture, warfare, religion, government, and just about every element of life experience.

He lived and worked in several places with homes in Maine and Illinois. He presented in many cities and countries and was one the road up to 300 days a year in some of those years. While he may not have finished college as most folks do, he was awarded dozens of honorary degrees. He is probably best known for his design of the geodesic dome buildings which have been seen at several international fairs and have been manufactured many times over. Not every design nor patent turned out to be a winner, though. His Dymaxion motor car which could carry 11 adults, run on three wheels and get 30 miles per gallon went nowhere and never got to the assembly line.

He did hang out with the bright thinkers. He was selected to serve as the second president of Mensa from 1974 to 1983. He also recalls actually meeting with Albert Einstein as well as many other big brains. And brains are a top subject for him. The difference twixt a brain, which he sees as a memory bank, and a mind which he sees as a development tool, might be cause for us to think about our world today.

Bucky, as his friends called him, was a believer that if we’d all stop trying to use, abuse and kill one another that the earth could be a fully sustainable sphere where all could live. Well, he may have got that one wrong; as Marx and Lenin didn’t work things out quite right; and it made me think that George Santayana was right-on when he wrote Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. and the French have a saying that the more things change, the more they stay the same. And here we are where consumption and greed power the engines which rule this world. And, they probably will still be doing so when we’re all pushing up daisies.

This is a very good production, directed by David de Vries and the theatre is downtown on Luckie Street. They can even sell you a $4 parking pass for the garage which says the fee is sometimes $20. For tickets and more info visit them at TheatricalOutfit.org

Southern Comforts

Stage Door Players

through October 18, 2015

Southern Comforts is not about living in Dixie, nor is it always totally comfortable. Two senior citizens find one another and try to make the compromises that will enable them to forge a life as a couple. As in real life there are stresses and there also are some very funny scenes as well.

Karen Howell plays Amanda, a nice adult woman from some hick town in Tennessee. She is now up in New Jersey and calls on Gus Klingman, played by Rial Ellsworth, to hustle him for a donation to the church. Gus is a minimalist who makes Andy Rooney look like a wimp. And Amanda comes on to him with everything but corn pone and mountain moonshine.

Can they make it work? Will they make it work? What can either possibly see in the other? You have to watch it to find out. There’s not much action in the first act. It’s mostly just dialogue. Quite a bit more in Act II, but I can’t tell you how it occurs; just that it is funny.

She yaks away. He tries to tune out and turn off. Each is widowed and each has his own deeply set ways of life. The one thing they share is the loneliness of being alone. The emptiness of dining alone, or watching the ball game alone. And so it goes.

Part of it is like a film noir in the latter part of Act II. As one who has been there and understands too much what it is all about, I found it deeply penetrating. A good set by Chuck Welcome and well directed by Kate Donadio MacQueen.

This one is certainly for the 50+ crowd, and they are the main audience of this local Dunwoody theatre. I do recommend it for mature audiences. Not that there is blue language. Just that the kids wouldn’t relate to it. For times and tickets visit them at StageDoorPlayers.net

My Mother’s Italian, My Father’s Jewish and I’m in Therapy

   Strand Theatre  

  through October 18, 2015  

I was sitting there, laughing my toosh off and thinking how the folks at Century Village or in Boca or Delray would dig this great one-man show.  Duh!   Steve Solomon did work the houses in south Florida, was on the cruise ships, and probably has done Vegas and Reno by now.  When his show finally went to NYC it ran for more than 4,000 performances.

Andy Rogow is a renowned producer/director in the South Florida Theatre League and has directed this event which is produced by Abby Koffler, also from South Florida.  So they all know the routines are not fictional but a reflection of real life; just like the days when they met at Wolfie’s on Miami Beach.

This guy grew up in Sheepshead Bay area of Brooklyn which was really a melting pot; especially if you liked brisket and noodle kugle.  He worked as a teacher, although his true calling was comedy and he started off in his second career when he put together this show, which now has three spin-offs.

As a Yankee from Beantown (Boston) I really enjoy the different accents and persona which Steve projects.  In this work he does a couple of 40 minute sets which are spiced up with some sound tracks when the phone rings.   He is one of those who would agree whole heartedly with me when I opine that when you look up “dysfunctional” in the OED, it should say “see family”

Steve can bring together the guilt trips, the interventions and the day to day experiences of those of us of a certain age and background.  It may be too late for me to launch a career as a sit-down comic; but it doesn’t impede my desire to join in and enjoy the hilarity which Steve Solomon delivers.

It’s a honor and a pleasure to have him doing his schtick here and living here in Marietta.  Let’s hope he decides to stage another of his works here.   The Strand is right on the Square in Marietta, easy to get, a free parking garage across the street, and plenty of restaurants nearby.  For times and tickets visit them at EarlSmithStrand.org

A Salute to American Classics

Verizon Amphitheatre

The Atlanta Symphony fought off the rain and the cool-down in the weather and went ahead with a grand outdoor summer finale at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on Sunday night. While the Pops is usually under the baton of Michael Krajewski, this evening Maestro Robert Spano was conducting, and the crowd went wild.

They opened with Bernstein’s wonderful Overture to Candide and then followed up with the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. The first set ended with Morton Gould’s American Salute. Clarinetist Laura Ardan was the featured soloist for Aaron Copeland’s Concerto for Clarinet which also features harp and piano. And, no such concert would have been just right without Gershwin’s An American in Paris, which everybody loved.

It was impressive when Robert Spano in his opening remarks told the audience about one of the reasons that the ASO has been involved with the amphitheatre. It seats at least twice as many people as at Symphony Hall; and last evening they must have had several thousand happy fans. Even more so when the encore was John Williams’ Main Theme from Star Wars.

Coming up as the next Pops Concert is A Classical Mystery Tour, a Tribute to the Beatles, which will be performed October 16 and 17 at Symphony Hall. For tickets and more info visit them at ASO.org

A Steady Rain

Alliance Theatre

through October 11, 2015

A Steady Rain by Keith Huff premiered in 2007 in Chicago, and also had a very successful run in New York. The time frame is not specific, but it is a snapshot of real things in real time in a real place; albeit is performed by a cast of only two on a very stark setting on the Hertz Stage.

Cities such as Chicago, Boston, New York and others had a long history of discrimination among the civil servants and the general population. For in the first half of the last century these jobs were often the profession of choice for first generation citizens.

This production is directed by Jeff Perry, who also directed the same two actors in Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Thomas Vincent Kelly is Joey, a single cop who works a beat in some tough neighborhoods. Like the matron in the musical Chicago; Joey believes that when you’re good to him, he’ll be good to you. Well, there’s nothing new in that thought; as what goes around comes around. He requires the indulgences of hookers, pimps, druggies and barkeeps, and has his own problems with the devil in a bottle.

His best friend since school days is a fellow cop named Denny, played by Sal Viscuso. Denny is a little more straight up than Joey, is married and has a couple of children and lives in a house as opposed to a rat cellar like Joey. These are two guys who cover each other’s back at all times. Or, do they?

The only props are chairs for cops and screens that change with projected images all designed by Adam Dean Flemming, who also came to town to reprise work on this project. While I am one of those patrons who usually prefers large casts, and splendid costumes, sets and props, I have to tell you that these two guys put on one heck of a great show. It is basically two interwoven monologues, and when you think that most of us can’t remember our passwords to some accounts; it’s amazing when you think how they can remember every word of a 90 minute show which, except for the abundance of expletives, could have been a spin off of one of those TV cop series.

The “rain” may be the actual precipitation, or a rain of aggravations, depression, and fears. The point is that it really does draw you in, and may not resolve the final issue quite as you may have expected. But, certainly worth seeing and there are no commercials in this episode.

For times and tickets visit them at AllianceTheatre.org