Tag: Theatre

by Michael “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

One man shows are notoriously difficult. There are very few one man shows that are captivating and engaging. “Buyer and Cellar” comes close to hitting the high mark; set astonishingly high in the very same theatrical space by Teagle F. Bougere in last year’s “An Iliad.”

The success of “Buyer and Cellar” is mostly due to its star, Tom Lenk (finally overcoming his pigeonholed status as the ne’er-do-well-nerd-seeking-redemption on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”). In “Buyer,” Lenk plays a myriad of characters amazingly well. Say goodbye Andrew and hello Alex.

WATCH/LISTEN: ‘Burgh Vivant’s interview with Tom Lenk, Actor.

Playwright Jonathan Tollins takes an already preposterous premise; the astonishingly true life tale of Barbra Streisand’s cavernous basement that contains a movie set mall to store all of her precious mementos, annotated from her book, “My Passion for Design.” Then, Tollins adds a new level of insanity by wondering, “What if someone worked in that basement mall?”

Enter Alex, our beleaguered protagonist, the main face of Lenk’s repertoire of characters. For the record, Lenk also portrays his own agent, the dude that gets him the gig; a cantankerous caretaker and major domo, Sharon (sounding suspiciously like Leslie Jordan in his own one man show, “My Trip Down the Pink Carpet”); Alex’s boyfriend Barry, a neurotic screenwriter (is there any other kind?); squinty yet masculine Mr. Streisand, James Brolin (from a million movies and TV shows, most notably “Marcus Welby, M.D.”) and the woman who put the ego in EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner), Barbra Streisand herself. Lenk is a whirling dervish in denim and blue cardigan on a baby powder white stage, sparsely set by Michael Schweikardt (there’s a table, chair, chaise and the only other star of the show, the eponymous tome penned by Streisand, “My Passion for Design”).

The show gets absurd when Alex must wait on his one and only customer in the aforementioned mall. In the story, and most likely in real life, Streisand is a complex character. Lenk doesn’t seek to mimic or impersonate, but he does capture Barbra’s essence. There are a few moments of this play where you forget you’re watching just one man having multiple schizophrenic conversations with himself and start to believe the room is full of people.

There is the prerequisite poignant moment, all one man shows have them (it must be in the Big Book of Theater Rules somewhere), but the show is hilariously funny, especially when Lenk is fully committed to his characters (there are a few shaky moments when he peters out, but they are easily ignored).

Don Stephenson coaxes nuanced performances (yes, plural) out of Lenk. It’s a masterful job by both director and actor. The role was originally performed by Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) in the Barrow Street Theater Off Broadway, but, after seeing Lenk, it’s nearly impossible to imagine anyone else in the role.

There’s really only one flaw. One that rests squarely on the playwright. It is overlong for a comedy. Thirty minutes of the show could be trimmed off and it would be absolutely brilliant. There is a prologue that could easily be jettisoned, it over explains the oncoming action and deflates some of the humor, but watching Lenk transform himself from character to character is worth the extra time in the seat.

“Buyer and Cellar” runs through June 28 at the O’Reilly Theater, Pittsburgh Public Theater, 621 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

-MB.

MCMURRAY, PA, – Little Lake Theatre Company announces that The Best of Everything, based on Rona Jaffe’s novel of the same name, will officially kick-off its run on May 28th as the second installment in Little Lake’s 67th season. The production also officially marks Roxy MtJoy’s directorial debut after taking the helm as Artistic Director at Little Lake Theatre.

“This is a great play to officially launch my Little Lake directing career,” said Roxy MtJoy. “It’s set in Manhattan and centers on the ‘many goings on’ in a 50’s-era secretarial pool at a publishing company. It’s reminiscent of ‘Mad Men’ but funnier – it’s light and frothy but with some serious bite, so it has a little bit of everything for our audiences.”

The Best of Everything follows the women of Fabian Publishing as they navigate career ambitions and romantic adventures. And MtJoy teases, Little Lake patrons should pay particular attention to the men at the Christmas office party. They’re kind of stiff. Sure, they’re tall, dark and handsome; but they’re so much alike that they could have rolled off an assembly line. They may as well be made of cardboard.

MtJoy’s wants Little Lake’s audiences to feel as if they’ve transported back to the early 1950s – from the women’s hairstyles to the music, complete with the politics (both office and sexual) that harken back to a half-century ago. But it’s not all serious – as Little Lake Theatre invites patrons to join them before each performance when doors open at 6:30 for a 50’s-style Cocktail Party, featuring some of the same Gin- and Scotch-based cocktails and desserts that the characters will partake in throughout the play. A mixologist was consulted to help recreate the cocktails from this era. Patrons are advised that there will be no intermission during this play; it runs for approximately 90 minutes.

The cast that brings these women and men to life features six newcomer actors to the Little Lake stage:

• Jane Joseph as Caroline Bender
• Mary Brodland as April Morrison
• Hollie Kawecki as Amanda Farrow
• Rebeka Hukill as Brenda
• Teresa Harrold as Mary Agnes
• Vincent Marshall as Mike Rice/Mr. Shalimar/Ronnie Wood/David Wilder Sagage

In addition to the six newcomers, there are two veteran Little Lake actors cast in The Best of Everything, including Jason Dille in the role of Eddie Harris; and Lindsey Bowes as Gregg Adams.

The Best of Everything runs May 28-30; June 4-7; and June 11-13. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.littlelake.org/box-office/ or by phone at 724-745-6300.

Little Lake Theatre Company, a 501c3 non-profit organization, was founded in 1949 by Will Disney. Its mission is dedicated to presenting a thoughtful, well-balanced offering of plays appealing to an audience of mixed social, economic, educational, and generational levels; providing comprehensive training and hands-on experience in theater arts to emerging, as well as experienced actors, designers, and technicians; involving the community in outreach programs designed to provide accessibility and to encourage appreciation of live theater.

by Mike “Buzz” Buzzelli, ‘Burgh Vivant.

The Saints have marched in, staked their claim in Braddock, and are ready to show you a mystical, magical world that takes place right here, right now, around us, among us, in “The Saints Tour,” an immersive theatrical journey through deserted industrial spaces, burgeoning gardens and decaying cemeteries.

Since we first learned to communicate, humans gathered together around the fire, in the cave, and in sacred oak groves to tell and hear stories. It’s an ancient communal ritual. In Braddock, the Tour Guide (Bria Walker) spins Homeric yarns about the people in the blighted-but-rebuilding neighborhood.

This time, humans gathered outside a desolate dog park, the Tour Guide marches in, bedecked in a black dress, a delicate silk scarf in vivid earth tones swirled around her head and shoulders. After a short introduction, the audience follows her down Braddock Avenue, and the extraordinary expedition begins.

The Tour Guide leads her charges through the New Guild Art & Design Studio; the shop is laden with beautiful glasswork and the stunning, saintly iconography. The group exits through the rear of the building. Fifty or so people are directed to a yellow school bus.

On the bus, the Tour Guide is a tigress, hunching down, ready to pounce, listening to an imperceptible, ephemeral, unseen thing; translating the language of saints.

There are many weird and wonderful stops along the way on the tour. At one point, the bus snakes through the serpentine pathways of the Monongahela Cemetery, a gnarled passageway rising upward to the highest point of the hilltop, past crooked markers of the dead. The view from the top of the cemetery is spectacular. The tourists looked down at the tiny, disfigured community below, an urban diamond in the rough. In the distance, the purple flame from an impossibly tall smoke stack burned bright. On the top of another hill, the bright lights of Kennywood Park sparkled in the distance. An aerial silk performer dances on the limb of a tree; she writhes and contorts on a bolt of orange fabric.

The best part of the tour was when the stoic Tour Guide gently dispenses humor. Most of the audience/tourists couldn’t see past the veneer, but a small, plucky group of us snickered on the back of the bus, especially when the Tour Guide told the crowd to look right and then left, as if she was instructing them to swivel their heads for the first time in their lives.
There are some excellent stops along the way. On one particular bright spot, TeaAjah Cannon asked the tourists to dig in the dirt for trinkets, talismans of the Braddock Saints. Cannon is adorable with her dark skin and bright green hair. She is ebullient, effervescent, a joy to be in her company. It was stunning to discover she was only a sophomore at Propel Andrew Street High School.

The play theatrical experience is a massive undertaking for Bricolage and Real/Time Interventions, involving local artists such as Vanessa German, Lindsey Scherloum, David Pohl, James Simon, and Zena Ruiz. Playwright Molly Rice makes artful use of her surroundings. Rice’s tale is mystical, magical, but peppered with small moments of hilarity.

“The Saints Tour” is a tour de force, and a multitude of hands brought this project to life, but the success of this show lays squarely on Walker. She is electric, engaging, exciting. It’s difficult to even imagine anyone else in the role. She commands the bus with a paradoxical booming voice and quiet dignity. Near the end of the tour, she tells the tragic story of one young man and almost brought the audience/tourists to tears.

Bravo and brava to Artistic Director Jeffrey Carpenter and Producing Artistic Director Tami Dixon for shining a bright, heavenly light on Braddock.
“The Saints Tour” runs Wednesday through Sunday through June 13. For directions, additional information and more, go to http://www.bricolagepgh.org/events/saints-tour-0

-MB.