LITTLE THEATRE OF VIRGINIA BEACH'S

A BAD YEAR FOR TOMATOES IS DELIGHTFUL

Theater Babe Says:  Go and Get Yourself a Giggle

Let's be clear:  A Bad Year for Tomatoes is a silly show.  But when silly material is skillfully presented as it is here in LTVB's production, what results is a thoroughly enjoyable evening full of the smiles Robin Chapman predicts in his Director's Note ("You won't come away any wiser, but you will come away smiling."), as well as few big ol' belly laughs.

The plot (such as it is) turns around the travails of Myra Marlow, a television star who retires to a small town in Vermont looking for seclusion in which to write her memoirs, only to be plagued by nosy neighbors.  Monica Wolfkill, as Myra, delivers an overall satisfactory performance that shines during her moments of physical comedy.  Ms. Wolfkill notes in her bio that this role is her largest to date, and her performance occasionally reflects that self-consciousness.  During Saturday's performance, she tripped over her words a few times – not badly, and certainly not any more than people frequently do in regular, off-stage conversation.  But each time it happened, Ms. Wolfkill tensed and lapsed into mere recitation of lines for long moments until she relaxed back into character and spoke more believably.  The Theater Babe recognizes that Myra's role indisputably carries the show and she has a ton of lines, but she encourages Ms. Wolfkill to worry less about being letter-perfect, and to focus on simply enjoying the experience and the ridiculous situations in which Myra finds herself.  For when Ms. Wolfkill is not concerned that she might flub a line, she has a lovely naturalness to her presentation that is pleasing to watch. 

Mary Lou Mahlman and Carolyn Collings are enchantingly dotty as Myra's neighbors Cora Gump and Reba Harper.  Ms. Mahlman and Ms. Collings each manage to infuse their gossipy, meddlesome characters with humor and a winsome kindness so that we completely understand why Myra refuses to just ignore them.  Steve Suskin is credible as the sheriff, although he needs to be more conscious of the three-sided stage in the LTVB's auditorium; during a long period in the second act, Mr. Suskin stands downstage right facing center stage, thereby not only presenting his back to one-third of the audience, but also completely blocking our view of Ms. Collings and Ms. Mahlman. 

Missy Hayes Mohr is a credible kook in her role as Willa Mae Wilcox, Myra's hippie neighbor.  Ms. Mohr embraces her character's eccentricities without overacting, and she's great fun to watch every time she steps on stage.  Steven Robert Wright gives a genial performance as Tom Lamont, Myra's agent and longtime friend, but his comedic timing on Saturday was just slightly off, particularly in the first scene, and lines that should've received laughs did not because of their delivery.

Part of the problem may have been the way he was dressed by costumer Kay Burcher.  Set in 1972, it seems unlikely that even on his day off a Hollywood agent would've been dressed in chinos and a Mr. Rogers-esque cardigan, and Tom's appearance creates an avuncular vibe between he and Myra rather than a flirtatious one.  His costumes in later scenes are much more consistent with his character.  Similarly, Cora and Reba's outfits do a good job of reinforcing their personas, but they are more reflective of the 1990s than the early-70s time period in which the action is supposed to be set.  By way of contrast, Willa Mae is perfectly dressed.

The standout performance of this production, however, is Brian Cebrian's unfailingly funny portrayal of Piney.  Although his lines are seldom more than two syllables long and are believably rendered in a consistent sing-song tone, Mr. Cebrian nevertheless creates an endearing character; we want Piney to prevail, even though we know his heart's desire is impossible to achieve. 

Bottom line?  Mr. Chapman and his cast have created an amusing world of quirky characters and it's worth the time and the ticket price to spend the evening with them.

Performances run thru June 10^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach,

550 Barberton Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451.

Tickets are $17 ($14 for matinees) with discounts for seniors and active military. 

Reservations can be obtained by calling the box office at (757) 428-9233.

© 2012 Hampton Roads Theater Babe.  All Rights Reserved.

PACING PLAGUES PANGLOSSIAN PRODUCTIONS'

PRIVATE EYES

Theater Babe Says:  Go ... if you're ready to take a chance on experimental theater.

Steven Dietz's Private Eyes is a reality-bending script in which the audience is supposed to be left wondering whether the action was (a) literal, (b) a play-within-a-play or (c) merely the imaginings of one of its major characters.  While the Theater Babe applauds Panglossian for its attempt to present this unusual piece, its effort is not entirely successful.

The plot turns around the interactions of Matthew, played here by John Cauthen, and his wife Lisa, portrayed by Annie Lewis.  Matthew and Lisa are actors in a show directed by Adrian, plausibly played by Miguel Girona.  Matthew believes Lisa and Adrian are having an affair.  Whether that's true and what Matthew does about it is the conflict that is supposed to drive the action. 

In order for the layered plot to work, we need to believe that Matthew is truly tortured by the prospect that his wife might be cheating on him, and that he wants to believe in her fidelity every bit as much as he wants to exact hideous revenge for her betrayal.  Mr. Cauthen gives an energetic performance that does not quite commit to Matthew's neurosis.  Because of that – and because Ms. Lewis and Mr. Girona take a realistic approach to their affair rather than occasionally skewing it to suggest that perhaps we're viewing not a clandestine relationship but merely Matthew's paranoia -- we never really believe that everything we see might just be Matthew's overactive imagination.  As a result, one of the key underpinnings of the play's structure fails.  Mr. Cauthen's diction throughout the show is laudably clear, but his delivery is too even; his modulation and the deliberate pace in which he speaks are largely unchanged regardless of the situation or the mood of the scene.  That sameness prevents him from capitalizing on the opportunities to make us care about his character presented by Matthew's monologues which probe the interaction of love and lies.  Mr. Cauthen is at his best when he lets loose and gives a Will Ferrell-esque moment of outrageous comedy, and the laughs he receives from the appreciative audience during that scene are well-deserved.

For the show to be completely successful, we also need to believe that Lisa possesses strong feelings for both her husband and for Adrian, but Ms. Lewis' performance is devoid of passion.  That is perhaps excusable in her portrayal of Lisa's relationship with her husband – the character does, after all, choose to have an affair suggesting that her marriage is not perfectly satisfying – but because we never believe she is fervently attached to Adrian, her meltdown later in the show lacks context and credibility. 

Ms. Lewis is a striking woman, but the costumes by Tom Hammond do not do her justice; they neither flatter her nor help to portray her character.  In the first scene, when Lisa is supposedly auditioning, she wears a poorly fitting orange dress inexplicably covered by a baggy sweater in a nondescript gray/beige color.  Unless she's hoping to be cast as Yente in Fiddler on the Roof, what actress would attend an audition dressed like that?  Equally incredible is the idea that she would wear a dress of that style for rehearsal.  In the next scene, Ms. Lewis changes into black pants and a sweater twin set which depicts her more as a secretary in a conservative law firm than an actress who commands attention ... and lust.  In short, her costumes do nothing to add to the development of her character, nor are they strange enough to add to the off-beat tone the show tries to create.  Additionally, Ms. Lewis' makeup is much too light, so under the lights she appears washed out and faded when her character is supposed to be seductive and vibrant. 

Mr. Girona gives a credible performance and does his best to generate chemistry with Lisa, with marginal success.  Much of the difficulty is the blocking.  Mr. Girona is noticeably shorter than Ms. Lewis, and by placing the actors close together and face-to-face, director Abigail Schumann creates an awkward exchange whereas if Ms. Lewis was seated with Mr. Girona behind her or to her side, he could more easily caress her and their difference in height would not read as discomfiture.  As it is, the scene is too comedic to be ardent, and too earnest to be funny.

That is not the only cumbersome blocking in this production.  In the initial audition scene, Lisa reads her lines opposite an empty chair.  Ms. Lewis stands directly stage right of the chair, body forward while her head remains almost constantly turned to face the chair.  The lines themselves are uninteresting and are delivered at a measured rate, and because there is no action and no interaction with any other actor, the pace drags.  Similarly, during that scene Ms. Lewis leaves the stage and returns a moment later.  Because the table and chairs are directly center stage, she must traverse the approximately 15' to the wings and back again while nothing else occurs on stage.  We just wait.  Later, the same scene is repeated, this time with Matthew in the empty chair.  Again she leaves and returns.  Again we just wait.  The Theater Babe understands that the directions in the script call for the table to be center stage, but in this particular environment, moving the table closer to the wings would immeasurably improve the pace – as would either creating an exit in the set somewhere other than all the way off stage left or having Ms. Lewis talk as she moves.

Because the pace of this show is very slow, the "surprises" that the script appears designed to create are not at all astonishing.  For example, if the pace was quicker, we might not discern the real identity of Cory – satisfactorily portrayed by Alicia Hainsworth -- until it is deliberately revealed, but here we have plenty of time to suss it out long before we get to the final scenes.  Deirdre Jones gives a pleasing performance as Frank.

The lighting design by Mark Howell is impressive and praiseworthy.  The set is largely bare, using only a few pieces of basic furnishings, and Mr. Howell has creditably used spots and other lighting techniques to differentiate between various locations and periods of time, as well as to suggest an overall ambiance that reinforces the asymmetry of the plot. 

The Theater Babe understands exactly how much work a play this complex requires and commends the cast and crew for undertaking something so difficult.  According to the back of the program, Panglossian Productions markets itself as a "theatre company dedicated to creating new and semi-crazy artistic ventures" and it is easy to see how Private Eyes fits into that mission.  As pure entertainment, this show is not entirely successful because it is not sufficiently off-kilter to be artistic in the fashion of, say, Waiting for Godot, and it is not straight enough – and the script itself is often too contrived – for realism.  If you're interested in theatre as a creative attempt at something non-traditional, however, the flaws of this production can be overlooked in appreciation of its innovation.

Bottom line?  If you're interested in the new and different, take the time and purchase the ticket.  But if you're looking for a traditional theater experience, this just isn't the play for you.

Remaining performances are May 17th and 18th at 7:30 p.m. and May 20th at 2:00 p.m.

at the Williamsburg Library Theatre

515 Scotland Street, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185

Tickets are $16/adult, $14 for students, seniors and Friends of the Library and

can be obtained by calling the box office at (757) 726-7222 or online at panglossian.org

© 2012 Hampton Roads Theater Babe.  All Rights Reserved.



PENINSULA COMMUNITY THEATRE

SWINGS FOR THE FENCES AND SCORES

Theater Babe Says:  Don't Miss It!!

August Wilson's play, Fences, won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play, while its production in 2010 received the Tony for Best Revival.  James Earl Jones originated the main role in 1987 and won the Tony; Denzel Washington won the Tony for his performance in that role twenty-three years later.  In 1987, Mary Alice won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in the original while Viola Davis won the Tony for Best Actress for the same role in the revival.  And that's just the tip of the iceberg of accolades that this remarkable work has accumulated.

A play with that kind of pedigree could easily overwhelm and intimidate an amateur group, but Peninsula Community Theatre's production embraces the challenge and succeeds.  Director Robert Cox has assembled a strong ensemble cast that credibly creates the blue collar world of an African American family in the pre-civil rights era of 1957.  Particularly smart was his selection of actors with uniformly rich, mellifluous voices for a show where the drama is almost exclusively carried by the dialogue.

Jeff Jones is Troy Maxson, a middle aged sanitation worker whose resentment that his talent and dreams of playing professional baseball were thwarted by racism colors his perspective of life.  Mr. Jones' powerful performance is the hub around which the play rotates.  Troy as a character – bitter, critical, a little pompous – could be easy to dislike, but Mr. Jones also finds and amply displays his warmth and humor.  Even as we recognize Troy's flaws, we feel and want better for him.  There is pathos in Mr. Jones' portrayal of Troy's desperation, skillfully hidden under his cantankerousness and wit until the second act when he tries to explain himself to his wife in a compelling monologue.

Sheila Jones as Troy's wife, Rose, gives a performance of quiet intensity.  In the first act, she seems to be nothing more than an uncomplicated woman who takes pride in raising their son and keeping a nice home while amusedly tolerating her husband's penchant for grousing and telling tales.  Ms. Jones has a beautiful singing voice and one of the highlights of the show is her a capella rendition of a simple hymn as she hangs the wash on the line.  In the second act when events take an unexpected turn, Ms. Jones reveals a more complex side of Rose's character, and her soliloquies are mesmerizing.  Most of the time, Ms. Jones plays directly to another actor, and the Theater Babe only wishes that she would play at least part of her monologues to the fourth wall so we can see, as well as hear and feel, her anguish.

Rico Robinson is alternately passionate, sullen, excited and indignant as the Maxsons' teenaged son, Cory.  We believe that he believes his father is deliberately frustrating his prospects for college recruitment only because Troy doesn't want his own athletic accomplishments to be eclipsed by his son; Mr. Robinson's performance is brilliantly self-absorbed and blind to Troy's real fears that Cory will be subjected to the same prejudices that Troy experienced.

One of the few missteps in this excellent production is when the argument between Troy and Rose becomes physical and leads to Cory's intervention.  Although the dialogue suggests that Troy completely loses control, Mr. Jones' performance is restrained and suggests that Cory has merely overreacted, leading to a disconnect between the visible action and the audible words.  Mr. Jones' reaction is understandable, given that Ms. Jones is his wife offstage as well as on, but the scene would be improved with different lighting, perhaps with a slightly red or yellow filter, to add the extra boost of heat that is currently lacking.

Benjamin Banneker Ford, Andre Ledoux and Peter Lucas all give exceptional performances in their supporting roles.  Mr. Ford is pleasantly affable as Troy's friend, Bono, and his candid concern expressed later in the play is persuasive.  Mr. Ledoux is convincing as Troy's eldest and seemingly shiftless son, Lyons, although his performance would benefit from a touch more volume. As Gabe, Troy's brother who sustained a traumatic head injury while serving in the Second World War, Mr. Lucas is superb, faultlessly walking that difficult line between portraying brain-damage and heartless parody.

Worthy of distinction is Jameiah Jones, an eleven year old who makes her acting debut as Raynell in this production.  Her diction is clear, her reactions natural and the Theater Babe applauds Miss Jones for her fine first performance.

The set is an extraordinary rendition of an ordinary home of the period.  Designed by Ellen Eames, and constructed by Jim McLeod and Joe Fox, it depicts the outside of a house with windows through which we can see the kitchen. Clever use of the door and its screen, and the windows that open and close, silently emphasize the changing seasons.  The brick façade is beautiful and scenic artists Ellen Eames, Carol Shulenburg, Bettebelle Libke and Suzanne Allen deserve recognition for their efforts.

Overall, the costumes by Sheila Sandoval evoke the period, although Raynell's nightclothes are conspicuously modern.  The Theater Babe was also distracted by the fact that although his wife changed clothes, Troy remained in the same distinctive rust-colored plaid shirt during certain scenes that were supposed to be on different days.  Presumably Troy does not change because of time constraints – unlike Rose, he is onstage without reprieve – but the Theater Babe suggests that either he should be given different shirts that have Velcro basted over the button-hole side and under the button flap to facilitate a quick costume change ... or Rose should not change her dress ... because as it is the visual disparity serves as an unnecessary distraction from a wonderful performance.

Bottom line?  Make the time and buy a ticket to this first-rate production.  Congratulations to all!

Performances run thru May 20^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

at the Peninsula Community Theatre,
10521 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia 23601.
Tickets are $16 and can be obtained by
calling the box office at (757) 595-5728 or online at pctlive.org.

© 2012 Hampton Roads Theater Babe.  All Rights Reserved.