Author: VivantAdmin

by Claire DeMarco, ‘Burgh Vivant

Sibling rivalry has been around since Cain and Abel.  “True West” continues that tradition with the two main characters, Austin (Max Begler) and Lee (Evan Saunders).

Both brothers, who have always had a troublesome relationship, find themselves together at their mother’s house in Southern California in the early 1980’s while she is vacationing in Alaska.  Austin is house-sitting. Lee, who normally hangs out in the desert, also ends up at mom’s place.

Austin is the younger brother embracing a traditional life. He is college-educated, married with children, and enjoying a successful screenwriting career.   Lee is a loner, an excessive drinker, and always confrontational.  He is also a petty thief (with a penchant for stealing household appliances).

Tensions escalate between the brothers when Hollywood producer, Saul Kimmer (Hayden Lounsbury) visits to discuss potential opportunities for Austin.  Through sheer nagging and persistence, Lee ingratiates himself into convincing Saul that he, too, can write a screenplay.

Conflict grows between the brothers as Lee threatens to break into Austin’s settled, controlled world.

How will this heightened conflict change the brothers’ relationship?  Or will it?   Does one of them change? Just wait till their mother (Christina McElwee) shows up!

Begler takes Austin from a relatively quiet, controlled figure to someone more belligerent and outspoken like his brother, while Saunders sustains the energy and intensity of Lee throughout the production.

McElwee and  Lounsbury complete the cast with shorter, but clever character interpretations.

One of the many toasters that Austin pilfers actually worked. In the second act, the entire theater filled up with the familar smell of toasted bread.

Michael Makar skillfully directs this production of  Sam Shepard’s American classic, “True West.”

“True West” runs through to April 30th at the Genesius Theater, Duquesne University, 600 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA. For more information, click here.

 

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

A bunch of Pittsburghers are trapped on the T as it takes a late night ride from Station Square to the South Hills in Steve Hallock’s “Lights Out.”

“Light’s Out” is a character study, filled with some decidedly odd characters. The smart aleck, Sam Alec (Connor McCanlus), a cheating husband, Stanley (John Michnya), a drunk girl, Nadine (Jenny Malarkey), a Bucco’s fan, Mick (Michael Lane Sullivan), and a host of misfits.

There’s no plot except that the trolley is stopped in the tunnel and the passengers start to panic. It was a modern take on “Lifeboat,” with a black and gold twist. It’s as if “Bus Stop” collided with “No Exit” on the Red Line. Consider the title: “One train, not running.”

They are trapped on the T in the Mt. Washington Transit Tunnel; on a magical trolley car that makes stops out of order; the trolley travels to the Potomac stop and circles back to the Arlington stop for some reason (see www.portauthority.org).  It’s a small detail to get wrong, but an important gaffe. It was, after all, a play set in Pittsburgh with an audience full of people from Pittsburgh, and an easy thing to correct. If the play were mounted in Chicago, no one would have noticed.

In “Lights Out,” each passenger gets their own moment to shine. Some stay in the spotlight longer than others, but there’s a good cross section. The passengers are ethnically diverse, varied incomes and intellectual levels. Oddly, many of the passengers share an extensive knowledge and love of jazz and the blues, and not one passenger said, “Geez. I hate this music,” which probably would have happened if the scenario were real.

Sam Alec gets a lion’s share of spotlight.  He’s narrating the story as he types his observations out on his laptop. He is also annoying his fellow travelers with his snarky remarks. Sam Alec continues to chat up a young man (Arjun Kumar) who just wants to read his book in silence.

Bits of McCanlus ooze out of Sam Alec. The wall between character and actor is porous here, like a loosely woven gauze. It’s one of the smarter choices in the play. McCanlus exudes charm even as he’s pontificating on the scientific demise of the solar system. He also produces some of the biggest guffaws in the show, actual belly laughs.

The other passengers get some nice moments. A romance develops between buzzed hottie Nadine and sports enthusiast Mick. It’s a meet-cute story right out of Paramount Studios Rom-Com Division.

Stanley is a dichotomy. At first, you’re rooting for him, but, towards the end, his character takes a sharp turn. Michnya does a great job slowly revealing Stanley’s layers.

One passenger, also named Sam (Nik Nemec), mostly sits around and complains. Spoiler: He complains with just cause; for some unexplained reason, Sam ends up at the Eat N’ Park at South Hills Village on a Saturday night. Nemec’s performance, mostly frustration and annoyance, is laudable.

Another passenger, Anita (Melissa Franklin), spouts bible verse. She memorized scripture very well, but doesn’t really get a chance to reveal any depth of character.

Manny (Sam Lothard) is the voice of reason, a construction worker clad in a reflective vest. Lothard does a fine job as the affable every man.

There’s just so many of them. Nine passengers (actors) and three additional non-speaking roles (department store mannequins) and the conductor (Thomas Hammond). Hammond is rarely seen but his deep voice emanates throughout the show.

It’s hard to focus on the passengers. Once you are sympathizing with one character, you’re immediately thrust into a different story.

Kudos to director Cheryl El-Walker who cast the show so perfectly. Each character fit each actor extremely well.

Side note: El-Walker not only directed, she was the costume and makeup designer.

Special mention to Mark Whitehead for sound design. The noises of the trolley reverberated through the house. It certainly sounded like the whole audience was going along for the ride.

The plot of “Light’s Out” may stall on the tracks, but the characters are stimulating. It just seemed they each had more interesting places to go.

“Lights Out” runs till April 15, 2017 at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre, 937 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. For more information, click here.

– MB

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

Are we the masters of our own destiny, or do the fates conspire against us? That is the question that Sophocles posits in “Oedipus Rex.” His answer isn’t a pretty one. According to the Athenian playwright, man is locked into his own fate from birth to death, and the more he tries to wrangle out of it, the closer fate comes running up beside him and kicking him in the balls.

You will not get a spoiler warning, because this ancient tale is almost 3,000 years old: A tyrant named Laius took a child bride, Jocasta (Shammen McCune), but as soon as she gives birth, he hears of a prophecy that his son will murder him and marry his wife. He rips the child from his mother and orders the child to be killed.

Plot twist!

The child, Oedipus (Justin Wade Wilson), is taken away to be raised by Polybus and Merope, the king and queen of Corinth. There, young Oedipus learns of a prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother (sound familar?). He flees Corinth to deny his fate, assuming that Polybus and Merope were his biological parents. On the way, he gets into a dispute with a surly man on the road. He kills the man. Any guesses who it is?

If you guessed Laius, move to the head of the class.

Oedipus arrives in Thebes, where the town is under the curse of the Sphinx (Karen Baum). Oedipus defeats the Sphinx by answering its riddles. The townspeople are thrilled. They are so overcome with joy, they marry him off to the wife to the deceased king.

Dunt dunt da!

That’s when things get all Jerry Springer. The couple live in peace for a time, having four children, two boys and two girls (daughter Antigone gets her own spinoff).

Then another plague hits Thebes. It turns out the gods are displeased again. Those Greek gods are always stirring the pot. They want Laius’s killer brought to justice. Oedipus vows to capture the miscreant who committed regicide. The new king puts his wife’s brother Creon (Johnny Lee Davenport) in charge of searching for the eyewitness who saw the king die, and the mysteries begin to unravel.

Obviously the audience gets to the truth a few steps before Oedipus, but it’s not complex, especially if you’re familiar with the Oedipal Complex. Watching the play unfold is a little bit like watching a car crash in slow motion. You know it’s going to be devastating but you can’t pull your eyes away.

Woe, there was never a more ill-fated love affair than that of Oedipus and Jocasta. You’ll blanch every time Oedipus and Jocasta kiss and embrace.

Wilson plays Oedipus with a bold intensity. He commands the stage with a royal presence befit for a king. He is matched in power and charisma by McCune.

Creon is strong, powerful and angry. Davenport plays him stately poise and tremendous self-confidence. He is amazing in the role.

They are surrounded by a chorus of actors, all who excel in their roles, especially Linda Haston and Kevin H. Moore.

Haston leads the chorus. Her voice formidable, potent and full of authority.

In a flashback, Moore gets a brief turn playing King Laius, and it is a hell of a performance, even though it is wordless.

Two special guest stars, Karen Baum and James FitzGerald, grace the stage with brief but memorable roles.

Note: Sophocles, one of the world’s first and best playwrights, is aided here by director Alan Stanford. It’s a masterful adaptation of the text. It is simple without being simplistic. The actors pantomime the actions. The words become more potent as the exposition is played out before us. The chorus members each speak with their own distinct voice, instead of blending into one monotone amalgam. They become fiery, passionate beings with their own desires. The words ring true and as relevant today as they were written more than 2,500 years ago (in 429 BC to be exact).

Stanford’s adaptation should be the standard-bearer for the twenty-first century. Don’t be embarrassed to laugh. There are a lot of witty moments. Much of the humor comes from its relevancy in modern times. The chorus scolds Oedipus for living so publically. It’s almost as if the Greek king had a Twitter account.

The set and lighting were also expertly done. Johnmichael Bohach’s design looks like a temple out of an old episode of the original Star Trek. It is eerily lit by Antonio Colaruotolo, with a lot of deep blues, reds and purples.

The only drawback were conditions of the venue. It is stiflingly warm in the theater space, and the seats are not very comfortable. One patron (apparently a subscriber) brought her own cushion.

All things considered, Oedipus rocks! It is still an important work of art. It’s one mother of a show.

The Union Project, 801 North Negley Avenue, Highland Park, Pittsburgh, PA 15206. For more information, click here. 

 – MB 

By Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant

A long-suffering married couple, George (Brett Sullivan Santry) and Martha (Joanna Lowe), invite a younger, newly-married couple, Nick (Tom Kolos) and Honey (Hilary Caldwell), back to their home for an unwitting evening of intense psychological warfare in Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

The eponymous title is a quip Martha may have coined at a party, a literary spin on the child’s nursery rhyme. The true author of the intellectual joke is unclear, but the pun reverberates throughout the play. The witty song changes intent from humor, to accusation to, finally, a sad treatise of the events, a commentary on truth and illusion.

George and Martha are lost, spiritually and emotionally, but they both retain their keen mental prowess. Their wit is searing as they tear each other apart. Most couple’s play charades with their guests, George and Martha play devastatingly maniacal games such as “Get the Guests,” “Hump the Hostess” and “Bringing Up Baby.”

Nick and Honey are, at first, mortified by the couple’s churlish behavior, but, eventually, they become enmeshed in the acts of verbal carnage.

Santry and Lowe are brilliant as George and Martha. Their performances are flawless. They cajole and vex each other for nearly three hours (there are two intermissions, before the second and third acts). They are land mines in the living room, with megatons of explosive energy.

Kolos and Caldwell are capable sparing partners. Kolos gives a terrific performance as Nick. He seethes with righteous anger, beams with pride, reveals his own dark secrets and is eventually humbled by his hosts.

Caldwell’s job is a little easier. She’s the drunken comic relief. She has a few moments of clarity and quakes with fear, but her role is not as dark and dense as her fellow performers. She plays it with aplomb.

The most amazing thing about this production of “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is the venue. George, Martha and their guests, Nick and Honey, tear and claw at one another in a modest living room in the middle of a Point Breeze home. The audience sits on folding chairs inches away from the actors. It’s an immersive experience. The closer you are to the performance, the more intimate it becomes. It’s slightly uncomfortable, but fully engaging. In small audiences of twenty, sometimes a laugh spills out at inappropriate time. It can be uncomfortable and self-conscious, but you should feel right at home in this production. The wit pours out almost as frequently as the alcohol.

The cast huffs and puffs and eventually blows down the house. They are impeccable performances.

Everett Lowe’s frenetic pacing makes the three hour running time seem short. There’s something about the immersive venue: the play feels urgent, momentous and important.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is dark and twisted, like black licorice. Much like onyx braids of Twizzlers, the bitter aftertaste isn’t for everyone. For the rest of us, it’s downright delicious.

“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” is performed in an undisclosed location in Pittsburgh’s Point Breeze neighborhood. For more information about tickets, or to make reservations, e-mail cupajo.woolf@gmail.com or call (412) 334-3126. Additional information can be found here.

– MB