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Regional Reviews: San Francisco A Variety Mix of Three Plays at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival In addition to four plays by Shakespeare and two British farces, the Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents the world premiere of Nino Cruz's Lorca in a Green Dress at the small New Theatre running through November 2nd, August Wilson's dramatic Pulitzer Prize winning The Piano Lesson at the Angus Bowmer Theatre running through November 1, and a new and more realistic Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen running at the Angus Bowmer Theatre through November 2nd.
Jerry Turner has adapted a new and more modern translation of Henrik Ibsen's classic tale of a woman who is heading for a tragic ending. This is a role that every dramatic actress longs to play; I have seen many takes on the role and some of them have failed completely to capture the inner person of this fascinating character. She is the center of the drama and the actrees who portrays her must give an exceptional performance to make it work. And the good news is, Robin Goodrin Nordli is a brilliant Hedda. She is amazing in the role of the wife who wants more from life than a dull existence. This Hedda is an intelligent, impulsive, indulged woman who, given her love of luxury, has made choices that will seal her tragic ending. Nordli gives the character an ironic sense of humor and she is utterly believable. This version of Hedda is less melodramatic and more natural. The speech is modern and Ms. Nordli has made the character softer, more wistful and funnier than has been portrayed in other productions. We understand her pain and her panic from a boring marriage and the creepy attentions of Judge Brack. It is a superb performance. Hedda Gabler's cast is exceptional and they all play their parts without too much melodrama. Jeffrey King plays the husband as a big, droopy puppy dog who is enthusiastic about everything but lacks wit or refinement. He is just the wrong man for Hedda. Richard Farrell is properly reptilian as Judge Brack. Jonathan Haugen as Lovborg is untamed, dangerous and exciting as the unstable author of a best selling book on the human condition. Rachel Hauck's set is excellent, with large and sharply angled curves and meager and uncomfortable furniture. The house looks very sterile with a lush gold of trees outside. The set is a metaphor for the Hedda's life.
This is my second time to see August Wilson's 1990 Pulitzer Prize winning play, and the cast is first rate in this riveting production. Needless to say, Mr. Wilson is one of America's foremost playwrights and he writes about the black experience in this country. The Piano Lesson depicts part of the life of African Americans in the '30s. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1936 is the scene of this play, and Boy Willie is coming north to his sister's house in an old truck to sell a load of watermelons so he can purchase land from a white man named Sutter who has recently died. The Sutter family owned the ancestors of Boy Willie and his sister during the slavery days, and now Willie can have his dream fulfilled by owning that farmland in the south. The sale of the watermelons will help pay for the land, but Willie also needs his sister Berniece's piano, which has been a family heirloom for years. Berniece has no intention of selling the piano, and a collision course is set between the two. Involved in this dramatic play is the ghost of old Mr. Sutter and other mysterious happenings in the sister's home. There is a lot of heart and a touch of magic in this presentation. G. Valmont Thomas provides a tour de force portrayal as Boy Willie. He shouts, swaggers, fights, dances and exhilarates. Crystal Fox as sister Berniece is amazing. She is splendid in the role of a gutsy woman whose husband was killed and who is now raising a daughter on her own. The rest of the cast gives strong performances, especially Josiah Phillips, giving the role of Doaker a quiet dignity. Chris Butler is pleasantly naïve as a country boy coming to a big city. The interplay among the actors is remarkable. The play is finely and faithfully directed by Timothy Bond. The dialogue is music to my ears.
The final play of my series of reviews is the world premiere of Nilo Cruz's new poetical drama, Lorca in a Green Dress. The playwright had great success with his play Two Sisters and A Piano last year, and this new work will be seen in many regional theaters in the future. It has already been scheduled for presentation at South Coast Rep later this year. Lorca in a Green Dress is a lyrical, two hour with intermission production playing at the small, three sided New Theatre. It is based on the death of one of Spain's greatest poets and playwrights, Federico Garcia Lorca, who was assassinated by the Fascists in 1938 during the Spanish Civil War. The Fascists killed him because he was a "socialist" poet and a homosexual. The story follows Lorca's death as he ascends to a room for a forty day process to prepare himself for ascension to a higher level. He is faced with many "Lorcas" from various stages of his life, from a young child to a well known poet and playwright. Most of the small cast take on various stages of the playwright during the performance. The play is not a dirge, as there are many wonderful lyrical scenes, such as Lorca with Salvadore Dali, his best friend at a seaside during his happy times, and his great successes in Buenos Aires and New York before the Civil War. There is a dark, adventurous and sensuous feel about the work. And there is a certain Our Town feel about the play, especially when Lorca requests to return to earth as a ghost (only to find that this is a big mistake). The drama resonates with the sound of Andalusian songs, rhythmic words, and the clatter of boots in flamenco dances. There are many moving passages, especially in the second act. Armando Duran plays the blood poet coming to "Lorca's room" after his death. He is excellent as a confused person in this role. Chistofer Jean steals the show by giving a sterling performance as a younger homosexual Lorca (he wears the green dress throughout most of the play), Juan Rivera LeBron makes a wonderful boy Lorca and Jonathan Haugen is good as the intellectual Lorca. There is even a woman who plays the poet - Heather Robison represents the feminine side of the playwright. Ray Porter makes an excellent General of the Fascist Army plus a "director" of the life of Lorca. He is a stern Von Stroheim figure. La Conja is grand as a flamingo dancer. The set is very interesting with the audience sitting on both sides facing the floor. The set has a rollerdome feel about it, with both ends curving up to vertical heights. The actors make entrances and exits at either end. It is a fast paced production. For tickets call 541-482-4331 or visit www.osfashland.org. |