Category: The Shaker

Review by Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

 

A luxurious beach house becomes a battleground in Molly Smith Metzler’s “Elemeno Pea.” When Devon (Ariel Woodiwos) comes to visit her sister, Simone (Robin Abramson) at the aforementioned beach house on Martha’s Vineyard, the day after Labor Day, they chip away at the veneer, and we’re not talking about the original wainscoting.

Simone is enthusiastically grateful to her boss Michaela (Kimberly Parker Green) for lending her the home, but Devon is already suspicious of Michaela’s largess. When Simone dresses down a disgruntled handyman Hos-B (Tony Chiroldes), Devon sees that her sister has adopted the worst traits of her elitist employer. Simone then informs Devon that she is dating a 1 Percenter named Ethan (Anthony Comis). It’s almost more than Devon can bear. She watches her sister submerge herself into the lifestyles of the rich and affluent, unaware that she isn’t really one of them. Simone is secretly drowning at that glorious beach house and Devon doesn’t know how to save her.

Suddenly, Michaela’s life explodes and she runs to her assistant for help, ruining the sister’s weekend. Boy, does she ruin things! “Elemeno Pea” is a comedy of Schadenfreude, most of the humor comes from the laughing at the misfortune of the characters. There’s plenty of misfortune and, therefore, plenty of laughs. There’s also a cathartic moment when Hos-B sticks it to the “Man” or “Woman” in this case.

Michaela appears to be the biggest, richest villain this side of Cruella De Vil, but she has a soft, vulnerable center. Parker Green gives her the requisite nuanced performance the character deserves. It’s a blast watching her smack down Devon with backhanded compliments.

Though Devon quickly gets the upper hand. Woodiwiss is particularly adept at delivering sarcastic bon mots.

Abramson shines. The woman has charisma oozing from every pore. She’s even able to pull off a Shamrock green and Pepto pink ensemble. Costume Designer Robert C. T. Steele gets a good deal of jokes in with the wardrobe, particularly Ethan’s “Saved by the Bell: Bayside goes to the Beach” outfit.

This is mostly the women’s show. Comis and Chiroldes have minor roles, but they handle them with flair. Listen to Chiroldes carefully. Bilingual audience members are in for a special treat.

There is sort of Pop Culture Twitter-speak poetry to Metzler’s words, and Director Tracy Brigden does a superb job with them.

“Elemeno Pea” have a superior cast, but the real star of this show is the set. Scenic Designer Tony Ferrieri steals the show with the most beautiful beach house in Pittsburgh (probably the only beach house in Pittsburgh). An elegant pad with a wall of windows overlooking a turquoise sea and azure sky. After the show, many audience members remarked, “I want to live in that house.” It’s a true testament to Ferrieri’s talent.

This Cape Cod comedy is the perfect thing to break Pittsburgh free of the winter blues. You don’t even have to take a ferry to get there (just hop on the 48 Arlington/South Side).

(“Elemeno Pea” runs through March 22 at the City Theater, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203)

 

– MB.

 

 

by Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

 

The ghosts of Ibsen’s “Ghosts” are metaphorical not ectoplasmic. They are the memories that haunt us. Those thoughts and feelings that creep sideways into our lives. For Helen Alving (Virginia Wall Gruenert), the ghosts surround her.

The widow Alving has chosen to build an orphanage in the memory of her late husband. For the grand occasion, her son, Oswald (Shaun Cameron Hall) returns to the Rosenvolde estate in Western Norway.

The play starts in a dubious manner. In theater, one usually fears a maid brandishing a feather duster. It invariably means that there’s going to be a huge info-dump at the top of the play, but Ibsen was a masterful craftsman. He eschews the cliché and goes for an abrasive confrontation between a father and daughter. He still manages to get out a good deal of exposition while the maid, Regina (Sarah Silk), argues with her devious dad, Jacob (Weston Blakesly), as she continues to clean.

A local religious leader, Reverend Manders (Ken Bolden) arrives to dot i’s and cross t’s. When he meets his old friend Helen, all hell breaks loose (the hell is metaphoric as well). There’s a whole thing about venereal disease that would have been believable in Ibsen’s time, but, now, not so much. It doesn’t matter. Just as you don’t have to believe in the Greek gods and goddess to enjoy “Medea” or “Antigone,” you don’t have to believe the antiquated notions in this play. Suffice to say, secrets and lies are revealed.

There’s a plethora of secrets and lies in “Ghosts.” Like Norway itself, play goes into some dark, dreary places. Don’t be afraid of it. It has a few, light moments. It’s commentary on morality is witty, subversive and downright genius. At one point, Mrs. Alving lays it all out to the uppity Reverend Manders, and I wanted to jump up and yell, “Stick it to him, girl!”

Ibsen exposes a barrage of hypocrisies with a Gatling gun of truth. It’s interesting to watch Bolden’s Reverend Manders twist and turn things so the outcome always favors the patriarchy. No matter where Alving goes, Manders counters her with pious platitudes all designed to keep women down.

The Off the Wall Theater has always championed female empowerment. Choosing to perform a play by a 19^th Century Norwegian playwright would, on the surface, appear to stray from their mission, but it does not. This is Helen Alving’s story and Gruenert is firmly planted at the steering wheel (Gruenert adapted the work as well as stars in it). She adds the requisite gravitas to the meaty role of Helen Alving.

Director Simm Landres does a magnificent job of keeping things moving. The play runs 95 minutes with no intermission. Though the play is dialogue heavy, it moves briskly.

Silk does a marvelous job playing Regina, a woman determined to guide her own fate. Spoiler alert: the odds are stacked against her. Oswald straddles the line between man and boy, and Hall plays him deftly.

While the entire cast performs admirably, special mention must be made of Blakesly. He is riveting as Engstrand. The actor commands the stage as a corrupt and contemptible man who easily gives in to his baser natures. He’s a joy to watch. There is a moment when Silk’s Regina verbally lacerates him and you almost begin to feel sorry for the wretch, but he smiles wryly and you know he’s almost indestructible in his villainy.

Aside from a terrific and talented cast, Rich Preffer makes the most of the set. The scenic designer’s Victorian drawing room seems expansive in the intimate space. The gorgeously rendered wooden lattice set goes a long way to making the space feel bigger and broader than it is.

(“Ghosts” runs through March 14 at the Off the Wall, 25 W. Main Street, Carnegie, PA 15106. For more information, go to www.insideoffthewall.com )

 

-MB.

 

 

 

Pittsburgh, PA – City Theatre Artistic Director Tracy Brigden has announced the first three plays of the 2015-2016 season, scheduled to kick-off October 10, 2015.  City’s 41^st season will feature six exciting new works as well as one special event. New and returning subscribers can receive over 25% off regular prices and the first opportunity to purchase. “Our loyal subscribers continue to be the lifeblood of our organization,” commented Brigden. “They allow us to program boldly and bravely and they truly embrace the exciting journey of a full season of new plays. The three plays we are announcing today represent the best work of these terrific contemporary storytellers who have a keen pulse on the world around us. They are immediate, important, smart and very entertaining.”

The three regular season plays, all Pittsburgh premieres, are The Night Alive by Conor McPherson, Sunset Baby by Dominique Morisseau, and Sex With Strangers by Laura Eason. The remaining shows for next season will be announced in April. New and renewal subscriptions are currently on sale through the City Theatre box office.

THE NIGHT ALIVE by Conor McPherson

Tommy has made a mess of things: he’s living low in Dublin, just getting by on odd jobs, and doing his best to avoid his wife and kids. But when he rescues a mysterious woman, an escape out of the squalor is possible—if only they can shake their checkered pasts. This award-winning play from the author of The Seafarer (City 2008-09) ripples with humor and heart and wrestles with the complicated task of being human.

SUNSET BABY by Dominique Morisseau
For Nina, it’s easy to be hard. She’s a smart and sexy hustler who has rejected everything her parents fought for in the black liberation movement.  When her estranged father wants to reconcile—but then tries to run a hustle of his own—negotiating her past and present becomes a revolutionary act.  From one of the most exciting young voices in the American theatre, this dynamic new play about fathers and daughters sears with wit and wisdom and the brutal politics of freedom.

SEX WITH STRANGERS by Laura Eason

When 40(ish) Olivia, a talented but unrecognized novelist, gets snowbound at a writers’ retreat with 20-something Ethan, superstar sexcapade blogger and king of the Twitterverse, the chemistry is hot and the sex electric. But if each desires what the other has, and online and offline personas meet, how strong is the connection? This sensuous and provocative comedy about fame, cyber identity, and big ambitions asks: what would you do, and who would you become, to get what you want?

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR TRACY BRIGDEN ON THE PLAYS:

“I am thrilled to bring these powerful new plays to Pittsburgh next year. All are captivating stories with gripping human moments—but also with lots of laughs as well. Choosing a season is one of the most important duties of an Artistic Director; it’s a responsibility I take seriously, but also with tremendous joy. I cannot wait to share them with our patrons.

“We had such success with Conor McPherson’s The Seafarer a few seasons ago, so I jumped at the opportunity to program The Night Alive and kick-off our 41^st season with it on our Main Stage. It’s a lyrical and riveting portrayal of a few down-and-out Dubliners. It has all that wonderful Irish sensibility—lots of laughs, startling events, and a dash of angst all bundled up in a gripping story with a lot of heart.

“We’ll be converting the Hamburg Studio into a gritty Brooklyn apartment with Sunset Baby—an edgy, sexy, absorbing drama from one of the most prolific and powerful emerging voices writing today. With Sunset Baby, she has created a character that is tough, smart, and on a mission to get her life in order, but the past just won’t let her escape. I’ve been tracking Dominique’s career for a while now and I cannot wait to produce her here at City.  We’re in for a real treat—her plays pack a punch.

“And finally, we’re announcing Sex with Strangers. Despite its provocative title, the play is really a smart and funny take on human connection in the modern world. Laura Eason has given us a story about the art of writing with a unique and genuine voice in an era when it’s hard to be heard above all the noise of society and technology. Our audiences are really going to enjoy this sexy romp through the digital age.”

ALSO ANNOUNCING: A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT AND SPECIAL PRESENTATION:

SISTER’S EASTER CATECHISM: WILL MY BUNNY GO TO HEAVEN?
by Maripat Donovan, featuring Kimberly Richards

The next installment of this wildly popular series makes its Pittsburgh DEBUT and invites you to celebrate the Easter Season with Sister as she answers the time-worn questions of the season like “Why isn’t Easter the same day every year like Christmas?” and “Will My Bunny Go To Heaven?” Part pageant, and wHOLY hysterical, this latest of the sinfully funny Late Nite Catechism event unearths the origins of Easter… bunnies, eggs, bonnets, baskets, and, of course, those yummy Peeps. Classroom participation is a must, so don’t forget to wear your Easter bonnet and join Sister for this seasonal treat!

TICKET INFORMATION:

Season subscriptions are available beginning February 28, 2015. Customers who subscribe by March 22 have the chance to win a $500 Amazon gift card.  All subscribers save 25% or more.

Three Ways to Purchase:

On-site:  City Theatre Box Office, 1300 Bingham Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203

By phone:  412.431.CITY (2489)

Mail-in order form:  Available at CityTheatreCompany.org

Season Subscription Packages:

$162 (Tuesday 7:00pm; Wednesday 1:00pm or 7:00pm; Thursday 8:00pm)

$252 (Friday 8:00pm; Saturday 5:30pm)

$189 (Saturday 9:00pm; Sunday 2:00pm and 7:00pm)

 

Flex packages—choose your own schedule!:

$216 (six Basic Flex vouchers, good for Tuesday through Thursday performances)

$276 (six Premium Flex vouchers, good for any performance, any day)

Single tickets for season plays range from $36 to $56 and go on sale September 8, 2015.

City Event (Sister’s Easter Catechism: Will My Bunny Go to Heaven?) pre-sale for subscribers begins February 28, with $40 discounted tickets. Discounted group tickets will be available for sale starting April 1. Regular sales begin June 1, with $45 tickets.

City Theatre is now in its 40th anniversary season which has three productions remaining: Elemeno Pea by Molly Smith Metzler (now playing), Oblivion by Carly Mensch (March 21 – April 26), and Midsummer by David Greig & Gordon McIntyre (May 9 – 31). Its annual gala and silent auction is May 18 at the Heinz Club. Located on Pittsburgh’s historic South Side, City Theatre specializes in new plays, commissioning, and producing work by playwrights such as Daniel Beaty, Jessica Dickey, Christopher Durang, Michael Hollinger, Willy Holtzman, Tarell McCraney, and Madeleine George. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Tracy Brigden, Managing Director James McNeel, and a 40-member Board of Directors, City Theatre’s mission is to provide an artistic home for the development and production of contemporary plays of substance and ideas that engage and challenge a diverse audience.  CityTheatreCompany.org

 

Review by Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

 

Set Sophocles’ “Antigone” to the tune of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” and you get Lissa Brennan’s “For the Tree to Drop,” a dark, haunting microcosm of murder and injustice in the Deep South.

A slave, Henry (Justin Lonesome) attempts to escape his bonds and run away. Unfortunately, there is no escape for the doomed slave. He is brought down by a pack of dogs. Edgar (David Whalen) is compelled to set an example of Henry and hangs him from a tall tree yards away from the main house of his vast plantation.

Henry’s sister, Estella (Siovhan Christensen) stands vigil over the rotting corpse dangling from the tree. She forgoes her duties as a laundress in the main house and digs into the earth with her fingers, insisting on a proper burial for her brother’s body.

Another house slave, Theenie (Linda Haston), realizes that Estella’s defiance will have horrifying consequences for the other slaves at the plantation and seeks to dissuade the young girl from her course of action. Edgar is enraged by Estella’s disobedience, but cannot deter her from her mission. He is reluctant to inflict punishment on the girl. Suffice to say, he has his reasons.

From the window of the main house, Clarinda (Karen Baum), Edgar’s wife, is repulsed by Henry’s hanging body on her front lawn and wishes to aid Estella in burying him, even though it will incense her husband.

Aside from “Antigone” and Abel Meeropol’s poem (the original composition of Holiday’s song), “Strangefruit,” Brennan’s play reverberates with echoes of literary giants. It is peppered with Shakespearean references and allusions, and there is a familiar conceit from Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town.”

The play is a brisk 65 minute opus, with no intermission. The dialogue smolders with intensity. It’s an important piece of work. Not only because reflects on the horrors of the Antebellum era, but it pulsates with commentary on contemporary society.

Best of all, it is a play written by a local playwright performed by local actors, and it is triumphant. Proving that Pittsburgh isn’t just for sports enthusiasts anymore. There is a plethora of local talent and director Alan Stanford mines that eponymous talent expertly.

Christensen is able to go toe-to-toe with Whalen. It’s no easy feat, but she accomplishes the Herculean task with aplomb. Her performance is heart-wrenching.

Ironically, I first encountered Lonesome in a local production of “Antigone” last season at the Pittsburgh Playhouse. He is charismatic and charming as the ill-fated slave.

Haston depicts Theenie with style and grace. At first, Theenie seems to be the comic relief, but Brennan (with Haston’s help) takes the character to darker and more mysterious places.

It should go without saying, but Whalen and Baum are treasures in Pittsburgh’s burgeoning theater scene. Praising them has become redundant. Whalen is frightening as the vengeful plantation owner, and Baum is luminescent as Clarinda. It would be gauche to say that Clarinda is equally trapped by her circumstances, but there is a deep sadness behind the bored belle’s eyes. Baum executes the unspoken anguish flawlessly.

The setting is sparse, picture Cosmo Kramer’s perfect apartment (it’s all about levels). The set, however, is enhanced by Jessi Sedon-Essad’s multi-media projection design, as well as the gorgeously crafted costumes from Joan Markert.

While Twitter and Facebook buzz with trendy aphorisms like “Black Lives Matter,” Brennan is pulling back the veil and remembering a time when black lives mattered even less, and the result is a powerful, thought-provoking play. “For the Tree to Drop” reminds us that we will someday transcend our cruelty and barbarism as we inch up the evolutionary ladder. There will always be heroes and heroines who strive for a more just and egalitarian society. Someone must make the first, painful step upward.

(“For the Tree to Drop” runs through February 28 at PICT’s new downtown location, inside the Trust Arts Education Center, 805-807 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh)

 

-MB.