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Regional Reviews: San Francisco Tiny Kushner, The Creature and The Little Dog Laughed
This is a series of five plays by Tony Kushner which provide an absorbing window into the alcove of the playwright's productive mind. It is performed by four actors who handle Kushner's acute humor with winning self-confidence. The five plays are based on public figures, and they interact with fictional characters. There are topics ranging from suicide to the comedic inference of anal sex. The farce contains characterizations of famous persons such as Laura Bush, Howard Jarvis and even the Queen of Albania. Tiny Kushner contains flashes of piercing comedy, and the actors light up the stage in several of the short plays. The opening vignette is a wonderful parody involving Geraldine the deposed Queen of Albania (Kate Eifrig) and Lucia Pamela (Valeri Mudek) (Lucia was a real person who was an eccentric personality and entertainer; she claimed she went to the moon and did a musical documentary on her trip). Kate Eifrig gives a chilly likeness to the role of the queen, while Valeri Mudek is a hoot as the eternally optimistic Laura. At the end they break out in a song and dance number that is a hilarious. The second vignette is a very talky affair called Terminating or Sonnet LXXV or "Lass Meine Schmerzen Nicht Verloren Sein or Ambivalence". It involves a besieged therapist (Kate Eifrig) and a wearisome patient (J. C. Cutler). Hovering in the background is the patient's lover (Jim Lichtscheidl). It's a very loquacious scene that includes the wonders of anal sex and thoughts of suicide. The third scene involves a much too long and laborious 35-minute soliloquy on income tax evasion. It is based on Howard Jarvis, an influential anti-tax activist and an outspoken critic of the government. Jim Lichtscheidl is amazing, using rapid-fire speech when imitating sixteen characters, but it just goes on too long. The fourth short play is Dr. Arnold A. Hutschnecker in Paradise, based on a real person who was Richard Nixon's therapist. J.C. Cutler is excellent as the therapist who has a Hitler obsession. The doctor discusses the President's sessions with an all-seeing angel played by Kate Eifrig. This is a mixed bag of comedy and diatribes. The final play is the high point of this eclectic program. Kate Eifrig is charismatic as Laura Bush in heaven talking to three invisible Iraqi children who have been killed in the war. This is a deliberately provocative piece called Only We Who Guard the Mystery Shall be Unhappy. She talks about Dostoevsky's "Grand Inquisitor" that relates to the current state of our country. Kate Eifrig gives a wonderful, compassionate portrait of the First Lady. There are a lot of unanswered questions about the war in Iraq in this scene. Tony Taccone directs this confrontational production with ironic precision. Annie Smart uses only minimal props and sets. Tiny Kushner plays through November 29th at the Berkeley Repertory Trust Stage, 2025 Addison Ave. Berkeley. For tickets, call 510-647-2949 or visit www.berkeleyrep.org. Their next production will be Aurelia's Oratorio opening on December 4th. Photo courtesy of mellopix.com
Black Box Theatre is presenting the world premiere of a full production of Trevor Allen's adaptation of Mary Shelley's magnum opus at the Thick House through November 7. This is an exhilarating evening of theatre with a masterful performance by James Carpenter as the creature. This version opens in the middle of Shelley's novel, on an icebound ship in the Arctic. Dr. Frankenstein (Gabriel Marin) has been pursuing his creation since it has killed his wife and friends. His intention is to kill his monster so it will do no other harm to human beings. In his delirium, the fevered Dr. Frankenstein recounts the story of his overzealous thirst for scientific knowledge that has disintegrated into horror. James Carpenter gives a brilliant interpretation of the creature. He transforms himself into the monster with the jutting of his jaw and contorting of his limbs. His face looks harshly shallow. His voice is harsh, as if it is coming from somewhere in his chest. He makes the creature gruesome but compassionate as well. Gabriel Marin is outstanding as Dr. Frankenstein. He tells the tale of the creation and the death of his loved ones with passion. Both actors are terrific and without any cues do a dazzling tour de force of acting. Garth Petal shines as Capt. Walton. He plays other characters with engaging aplomb. Director Rob Melrose strengthens the counterparts of each actor with the help of Michael Locher's intriguing set of chemical bottles and a wonderful long glass cabinet showing a miniature windjammer trapped in a field of ice. Lighting by Stephanie Buchner helps the face of the creature become very horrific. Cliff Caruthers increases the action with music and groaning ice. Trevor Allen's script is exciting and provocative. The Creature runs through November 7 at The Thick House, 1695 18th Street (between Carolina and Arkansas) San Francisco. For tickets, call 415-401-8081 or visit www.thickhouse.org for more information. Photo: Alessandra Mello
The plot centers around an acid-dipped caricature of a female monster who is a top Hollywood agent. This same type character turned up in the playwright's As Bees In Honey Drown; however, this particular person is more of an ogre that you would love to strangle. Diana (Michaela Greeley) goes from an agent to a manager and then to a producing partner by purchasing a hot property and then tailoring it for her star client Mitchell (Matt Socha). Mitchell's sexually is in question since he is in love with a Manhattan rent boy named Alex (Justin Dupuis). He wishes to be seen in public with his lover and accept a gay part in the movie. The agent replies, "If an actor with a 'friend' plays a gay role, it's not acting, it's bragging." The hitch is that Diane doesn't wants Mitchell to play a gay character in the movie. She wants to persuade him to turn the play's gay lovers into a straight couple for the movie version. The Little Dog Laughed is reminiscent of my time in Hollywood, and the four characters in the comedy remind me of many persons there, especially the crude Hollywood agent. Ed Decker, who helms this fast-paced comedy, has come up with four amusing Hollywood-type actors. Michaela Greeley (The History Boys) is very good as the over-the-top agent. She has the bitchiest lines ("A writer with final cut?? I'd rather pass out firearms to small children!"). The woman is portrayed as half monster and half mother; her observations to the audience can tend to grade on your nerves. Matt Socha (Take Me Out) gives a pleasing performance as Mitchell. He plays the role as a straight but kind of curious guy. One of the best scenes in the two-hour ten-minute play is the highly deflecting restaurant scene in which Diane and Mitchell shamelessly flatter an unseen playwright in an attempt to secure the rights and soften him for the impending revisions. Justin Dupuis (Noises Off) is excellent as Alex ("I'm not a 'sex with guys' kind of person. I'm in it for the money"). His character is more fulfillingly developed, and Dupuis balances Alex's cocky, street-smart manner with a glimpse into an unguarded emotional rawness. Daniella Perata (All Well's That Ends Well at Santa Cruz Shakespeare) gives a nice performance as Ellen, the on and off girlfriend. This character is less defined by the playwright but Perata is appealing in the role. Ed Decker provides a jauntily entertaining account of Beane's play, and it is handsomely mounted on the small stage by set designer Emilo Rachinez. The Little Dog Laughed plays through November 8th at the New Conservatory Theatre Center, 25 Van Ness, San Francisco. For tickets, call 415-861-8972 or visit www.nctcsf.org. Also running is Jonathan Harvey's Beautiful Thing. Photo: Lois Tema
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