Cloud 9

Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT

www.hartfordstage.org

through March 19

by Jarice Hanson

Caryl Churchill became an internationally recognized playwright with her 1979 gender-bending satire of politics, both sexual and political. Hartford Stage’s Associate Artistic Director Elizabeth Williamson’s directorial debut at Hartford Stage is successful on many fronts, with a cast of exceptionally fine actors and creative use of the theater from multiple playing spaces, including the back brick wall of the theater. Actors make entrances and exits through aisles only to show up moments later with complete costume changes in another area of the theater entirely. The energy of the actors and the multi-directional staging works to keep the audiences slightly off-kilter, which seems to be a theme of the play.

Act I takes place in colonial Africa as we are introduced to Victorian themes of sexual expression and gender performance. “Betty,” the wife, is played by a male performer and “Edward,” the son, by a woman. “Joshua,” the African native, is portrayed by a White male, and one female performer plays two female characters, almost magically becoming transformed with complete costume change in seconds. Act II takes place in London, with some of the same characters having grown up and expressing their new sexuality (and sexual confusion) in more contemporary terms. In a fanciful, farcical performance, Clive the father from Act I, becomes his own niece, “Kathy,” in Act II. 

It takes fully committed performers to find the truth in each of these characters, and “Cloud 9” is blessed with a strong, ensemble cast, though two performers are standouts. Mark H. Dold as Clive/Kathy is one of the most impressive actors working today, and he is complimented by Mia Dillon, as Edward/Betty, whose Act II monologue is told with heartbreaking clarity and insight for the sexual mores and attitudes that span the two time periods.

“Cloud 9” is a complicated play that can be difficult for some audience members. It does, however, underscore how powerful Caryl Churchill’s voice has been in demonstrating how theater can lead us to face emotions and relationships that are hard to talk about, and to understand. Almost 40 years after its debut, “Cloud 9” is still effective. Whether you like it or not, “Cloud 9” gives the audience plenty to think about and appreciate.

Painting Churches

Majestic Theater, West Springfield, MA

www.majestictheater.com

through April 2, 2017

by Mary Fernandez-Sierra

“The question he frames in all but words

Is what to make of a diminished thing.”

-Robert Frost, The Oven Bird

Tina Howe’s “Painting Churches,” a play about the relationship of an aging poet, his distracted wife and up-and-coming artist daughter, is performing now with grace and style at The Majestic Theater in West Springfield.

Director Rand Foerster has created a lovely, authentic portrait of the diminishment which growing old brings, and the powerful effect the decline has on family. Foerster has kept the tone of this show light, though the subject is rather sad; there is far more joy than sorrow in the Majestic’s fine production.

Ellen Colton’s comic timing and facial expressions as Fanny Church, the long-suffering and somewhat savage wife, lay waste an audience. She is especially superb in the interplay with her failing husband, alternately berating and cherishing him. Some actors can get you to smile through your tears; this one makes you laugh.

Anderson Matthews is equally amazing in his role as Gardner Church, the fading poet. His performance never stoops to caricature or sentimentality, though his character gets a little foolish at times. Gardner’s dignity always shines through; and one of the highlights of this production is hearing Matthews recite serious poetry, especially Yeats.

As Margaret, the artist daughter of this remarkable pair, Eve Passeltiner is engaging, passionate and completely believable. She portrays the next generation of gifts in her waning family with sincerity and conviction, and is a pleasure to behold onstage.

More kudos: Dawn McKay’s costumes are both lovely to look at and cleverly designed. They move beautifully to suit the actors’ actions, and complement the story being told (Fanny’s hats are incredible).

Set designer Greg Trochlil has built a gorgeous set complete with architectural details of a fancy townhouse in Boston, on walls that don’t exist. Sound Designer Justin Letellier plays elegant piano waltzes as the backstage crew make complicated scene changes. Meanwhile, Lighting Designers Matt Cowan and Amber Tanudjaja create lighting suggestive of a child’s crayon drawing over the entire set…and lovely effects throughout the rest of the show, too.

Majestic Theater’s “Painting Churches” has the makings of a masterpiece. Go see it for yourself!

Lowell in the Winter of 2017

By Shera Cohen

Surely, there are enough sites in the country to venture to in the winter months than Lowell, MA. Yet, I had particular reasons for this visit; 1) I had never been to Lowell, 2) I could “bunk” at a friend’s nearby condo, 3) I was heartily invited by Merrimack Repertory Theatre, and 4) now that I’ve taken a surprise liking to National Parks, it was an opportune time to go to Lowell’s Park. As it worked out, I hadn’t realized until arrival that, indeed, Lowell area hosted even more cultural venues to experience. Who knew?

New England Quilt Museum
Housed in what appeared to be a renovated factory building was a world-class exhibition

of quilts of all sizes, shapes, materials, and history. We were free to roam the second floor, and the docent who seemed to magically appear was happy to guide us. At near-closing hour, there was a lot to see when rushed. I would return, for another of their changing exhibits, and to spend time in the large gift shop full of fabric, threads, spools, and other apparatus that I knew nothing about, yet. The Museum boasts the collection of the most historically important and beautifully preserved antique quilts in America.

I discovered that quilt makers and historians eat, sleep, and breath quilts, and have done so for centuries. It was/is a communal activity melding social aspects with culture and an actual purpose/need for products; i.e. bed quilts in New England winters in days of old. The Museum changes its main exhibit nearly every month, and hosts lectures, lunches, discussion groups, and competitions. For information contact www.nequiltmuseum.org

Worcester Museum of Art
I have mentioned this is other articles, and will repeat my thoughts -- a docent or tour guide can make or break a cultural experience. Fortunately, not only did this lovely woman have an exquisite French accent, but she knew her stuff, imparting that knowledge passionately and seriously to her assemblage of visitors. One woman in our group stated, “I’ll never look at art the same way again.” And I thought, “I’ve got to finally sign up for that nearby Art Appreciation course.”

Our guide was particularly proud to tell the story of the John Freake family, who were represented in two paintings, dating back to the 1670’s, which were the first ever painted in the Americas.

I’m not sure why I had the preconceived idea that this museum was petite. I was wrong. Again, I would return, because there wasn’t nearly enough time to see all exhibits. The highlight was “The Remarkable Ed Emberley,” renowned storybook artist. Admittedly, I was not familiar with his talent – an indescribable whimsy appealing to children and to adults. www.worcesterartmuseum.org

Merrimack Repertory Theatre
For several years, my Lowell friend had encouraged me to come to Merrimack. She was an avid fan and usher. In looking at flyers from many seasons, Merrimack has mounted an excellent variety of drama and comedy. Kudos to them, that their repertoire included many premiers, and did not rely on old chestnuts.

The venue looks as if it has been a prominent theatre house in its day. Upon entering, I met several of Merrimack’s artistic and administrative staff. All were so gracious and welcoming that you might have thought that I represented the New York Times.

Opening night of “Women in Jeopardy” by Wendy Macleod, just happened to be the first sell out performance of any opening in Merrimack’s history. Bravo to them!

This questionable-murder, mystery, comedy focused on a trio of middle-aged women who were, or so they thought, “in jeopardy.” Ahh, what to do about it? The plot was thin, the actors sharp, the set perfect. The audience spent two hours laughing, came home without cerebral wonderings, and simply enjoyed the evening. That’s good enough for me. www.mrt.org

Mill No. 5
I admit my fear walking on a stony parking lot pathway under a highway in near darkness. Then, things got worse -- the dead end. Fortunately, an elevator door squeezed into the side of the building opened, taking us to the third floor. I felt as if this was a speakeasy and/or I was dealing some nefarious product. In any case, some teenage girls entered the elevator as well. For some odd reason, I felt safer.

The smells of incense and various candles through a wide corridor greeted the visitors/customers into this little culture tour of small art studios (some sold desserts, as well). The painters and musicians were young. I felt a bit out of place, as I could easily have been anyone else’s mother or even grandmother. But these “kids” were all gracious with their, “Come on in.” I have no doubt that millennials loved these studios, and loved supporting each other’s talents.

Lowell National Park
Because I have been affiliated with another National Park for the past eight years, a stop at Lowell’s park was a “must” on my list. I already realize that this is just the first of at least two visits for the future.

Sometimes, guests skip the introduction film at “my” park (Springfield Armory National Historic Site). That’s a mistake. Take the 15-minutes or so to get an overview of what you will then see throughout the museum, up close and personal; the textile industry in New England. By the way, this is the best produced Park video that I have ever seen.

What I hadn’t realized was the campus of the Park included three museums/homes, the entire property, and in the summer months, a guided cruise on the adjacent river. The Park is free. So, here’s my pitch. Please take advantage of discovering far more about our country, one-on-one; just you and history.

Five Women Wearing the Same Dress

Suffield Players, Suffield, CT

www.suffieldplayers.com

by Stuart Gamble

The last few months in the U.S. have shown us the infinite power of women to raise and discuss issues intelligently and non-violently, such as the political campaign of a woman for President and the recent Women’s Marches. It seemed utterly logical to showcase dramatic works about women and their unique perspective on love and life. The Suffield Players recently staged production of Alan Ball’s (of “American Beauty” and “Six Feet Under” fame) comedy “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress” was a fine case in point.

Directed in a relaxed, natural style by Kelly Seip, the show featured a quintet of VERY different women: Naïve Frances (Amy Lambert), high-strung Meredith (Tina Sparkle), blowsy Georgeanne (Trish Urso), cerebral Mindy (Jen Rawlings), and sensible Trish (Karen Balaska). These women, reluctant bridesmaids at a swanky wedding in Knoxville, Tennessee, hideout and pour their hearts out in Meredith’s upstairs bedroom.

Each one tells her story in humorous and touching ways. Act I, with all of its exposition, paled when compared to the much livelier Act II. Among the fine cast, Urso, Rawlings, and Balaska stood out. Urso’s bellowing Georgeanne swilled her champagne and bragged of her sexual conquests with comic aplomb. Rawling’s lesbian Mindy downed platefuls of appetizers and offered well-played wittiness. Balaska’s maternal Trish stood her ground against bible-thumping Frances and the advances of the play’s lone male character (nicely played by Shaun O’Keefe) with bawdy verbal jousts like a modern Mae West.

Though most of the characters expressed their dislike of their bridesmaids’ dresses, costume designer Dawn McKay’s melon taffeta garb sparkled like glasses of a fine, summer rosé wine in stark contrast to the play’s darker issues of rape, STD’s, and drug abuse. Set in the early 1990’s, set designer Seip enhanced the look of this era with boom boxes and cross-fit machines, along with references to the Julia Roberts film, “Pretty Woman.”

Although it resembled “Steel Magnolias,” Ball’s play was a refreshingly more adult, R-rated vision of the camaraderie among a group of diverse women.

A Moon for the Misbegotten

Playhouse on Park, West Hartford, CT

www.PlayhouseOnPark.org

through March 5, 2017

by Stuart W. Gamble

Eugene O’Neill, one of the finest dramatists of the 20th century, unfortunately seems to be underappreciated now in the 21st one. Apart from his greatest work, Long Days Journey into Night, few of his plays are regularly produced. This is unfortunate, because his last play, A Moon for the Misbegotten, is a show full of top talent, monumental drama, and most surprisingly, truly timeless comedy.

Set on a rock-strewn farm in rural Connecticut during the early 1930’s, the story opens with Josie Hogan (Elise Hudson) a lanky, tough-talking farm woman helping her younger brother Mike Hogan (Michael Hinton) escape from the control of their “tyrannical” father. Phil Hogan (Conan McCarty), the father, is a scrappy Irish immigrant who knows the land and his whisky (both bonded and moonshine). The Hogan’s precarious existence as tenant farmers is further complicated by conflict with their wealthy neighbor T. Stedman Harder (Thomas Daniels) whose ice pond is perpetually invaded by the Hogan’s hogs. The play’s major catalyst comes with the arrival of James Tyrone Jr. (Anthony Marble), their landlord who threatens to sell the home to Harder. Plot complications multiply bringing the play to a not quite happy, yet perhaps melancholic close.

Although the Hogans face opposition from the outside world, it is the conflict between Josie and her father Phil that stirs our emotions and most rewardingly tickles our funny bones. Elise Hudson is marvelous as Josie. She calls herself “an ugly, overgrown woman,” The audience sees a strong-willed, independent woman who could oppose any male, including her father. Conan McCarty’s Phil Hogan is a wily and blustery. The love-hate relationship between these two is evident as they endearingly refer to each other with derogatory descriptions. The two both evoke the strong, spirited existence of people who till the land on a back-breaking daily existence.

The evening’s dramatic highlight is provided by Anthony Marble’s James Tyrone Jr. Marble’s theatrical, ne’er do well man of the world who breaks down in the play’s climactic third act, is truly touching. Clutching to Hudson’s tender yet grounded Earth-Mother, Marble literally lays to rest after an evening of binge-drinking.

Apart from the splendid cast, under Joseph Discher’s direction, the show’s other feats demand attention. Emily Nichols’ simple, yet timely farmhouse set evokes its time and place. Collette Benoit’s costumes further reflect the sepia-toned 1930’s. Both Joel Abbot’s sound design filled with Irish fiddle music and lighting designer Christopher Bell’s soft, romantic blue moonlight and blazingly hot sunshine further enhances the play’s contrasting long night’s journey into day.

At three hours, this play is well worth time spent at Playhouse due to its beautiful performances and the richly poetic language that is Eugene O’Neill’s legacy to the American Theatre.

A Life in Opera – Celebrating Leontyne Price

Springfield Symphony, Springfield, MA
www.springfieldsymphony.org
February 18, 2017
by Michael J. Moran

Othalie Graham

To honor Black History Month and the recent 90^th birthday of trailblazing African-American soprano Leontyne Price, Maestro Kevin Rhodes and his soloist, Canadian-American soprano Othalie Graham, devised an imaginative program of excerpts from operas associated with Price’s distinguished career, highlighting some unfamiliar fare by famous composers.

There was also much familiar fare, beginning with the arias “Ritorna Vincitor” and “O Patria Mia” from Verdi’s “Aida,” a favorite role on the opera stage for both Price and Graham, who invested the first aria with dramatic ardor and the second with tender poignancy. Between arias Rhodes and the SSO presented the rarely heard “Sinfonia,” a ten-minute overture which Verdi composed for “Aida” but ultimately rejected. The musicians provided sensitive support in the arias and played the “Sinfonia” with blazing intensity.

Next came a sinuous and highly charged orchestral rendition of the “Dance of the Seven Veils” from the opera “Salome,” by Richard Strauss, whose music Price performed more often in concert than on stage. One of her favorite Strauss arias was the “Second Wedding Night” from the little-known opera “The Egyptian Helen,” in which the lustrous tone of Graham’s powerful, full-bodied voice easily carried over the dense and colorful orchestration. 

A Puccini segment followed intermission, with a radiant account of the moving orchestral “Intermezzo” from “Manon Lescaut” preceding the title character’s central aria, “Vissi d’Arte,” in “Tosca,” which Graham rendered with searing desperation in a role that both she and Price have portrayed with distinction on stage.  

The concert concluded with two excerpts from Samuel Barber’s seldom performed operatic setting of Shakespeare’s “Antony and Cleopatra,” commissioned for Price as the first production at the new Metropolitan Opera House in 1966. Graham segued effortlessly from the light-hearted playfulness of “Give Me Some Music” to the somber tragedy of Cleopatra’s death scene.

The evening was immeasurably enhanced by Rhodes’ engaging introductions to the music and by an insert of lyrics and translations in the program book. In a classy closing touch, Graham bowed to Rhodes out of respect for him as an “all-too-rare singer’s conductor.” 

The Book of Mormon

The Bushnell, Hartford, CT
www.bushnell.org
through February 19, 2017
by Stuart Hawk

The Broadway smash “The Book of Mormon” fills the Bushnell with uplifting songs and slapstick comedy. At the same time, the script explores the dark topics of intense poverty, religious proselytism, and societal acceptance.

“Mormon” was written by South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez of Avenue Q fame. Any audience goer who is familiar with either of these shows will not be surprised to hear that there’s quite a lot of vulgarity in this musical. Though crudeness is used as a comedic device and is not central to the story, if you’re offended by foul or non-politically correct language, this may not be the play for you. The writer’s voices clearly come through, thematically, musically, and occasionally even through a distinct tone, which diehard fans will pick up on immediately.

The songs are gorgeous and fun, as well as hilarious. Though the show is stylistically rooted in traditional musical theater, the writers occasionally break away into other genres. In “Joseph Smith American Moses” the song moves through popular styles of 1970’s West African music --  Afrobeat, Juju, and Highlife -- while staying true to the theatrical nature of the scene. On a different note, the song “Baptize Me” takes us to a tone reminiscent of 1980’s movie love scenes.

After opening on Broadway almost six years ago, the show is currently on its second U.S. tour. The ensemble cast sells the show, with the secondary actors playing multi-roles. The leads are perfectly cast; those who especially stand out are Gabe Gibbs as Elder Price, Conner Pierson as Elder Cunningham, Leanne Robinson as Nabulungi, and PJ Adzima as Elder Mckinley. Each talent is equally strong between dialogue, song, and the big dance numbers.

Fans of South Park and/or Avenue Q will find similar style and humor in the signature comedy and social commentary which is alive and well in “The Book of Mormon.” Though the play certainly has moments which devout Mormons could find blasphemous, it is not an attack on religion. For those open-minded and not offended by some vulgar language, they’ll find a story about people born into very different worlds, struggling to find joy and faith in difficult circumstances. The message is surprisingly positive and uplifting. Lovers of musical theater, who don’t happen to also enjoy South Park, can still love this production.