Probably Ibsen’s most famous play, A Doll’s House is a domestic story – which may seem the norm today, but was the exception when it was written in 1879. One of the earliest realist plays, and some say the first feminist play, Ibsen tells the story of Mrs. Nora Helmer (this time glowingly portrayed by Kate Cares), a woman who finds herself ever-more trapped by the societal norms and laws of the Victorian Era.
Three Tall Women is a most truthful look at the arc of a life from the point-of-view of three generation – the youth, age 26 (C) (Maura Kidwell); in middle age women, age 52 (B) Mary Beth Fisher; and at age 92 on her death bed (A) Lois Markle. This play is a tour de force for all three women as each had several tellingly poignant moments to dominate the stage.
Eclipsed is a quietly powerful and poignant work that puts a face on the horrible role of women in a war environment. Playwright Gurira demonstrates the only viable alternative for these woman – either become sexual slave to a commander or his troops or grab an AK-47, start killing, usurping your power and control. Quite a choice.
Caroline Neff plays Rachel most effectively as she moves Rachel from questioning child to shallow teen to a determined to survive woman. We buy Neff in all these transformations. This tour de force performance carries the drama. Neff gets help from Joey deBettencourt’s manic, yet fun Billy and from Andrew Swanson’s strong yet understated Danny.
Lakeboat is a semi-autobiographical work first performed in 1980 based on Mamet’s experience as a cook on a Lake Michigan freighter (probably an ore boat) that ran from Gary to Duluth and back. We meet the crew of the T. Harrison, peopled by a crusty bunch of lonely losers. This early David Mamet play is an 85 minute slice-of-life plot-less drama filled with telling monologues, funny tidbits, and graphic sexual encounters by the crew as the monotony of sea life fans heavy drinking and rich imaginations.
This is an over produced, over amplified, out of date material (the office of 1979 complete with typewriters!) filled with a pastiche of pop songs with a couple of country tunes. The mostly forgettable score, with the exception of the rousing 9 to 5 opening tune, is a tacky and sometime crude flashback into the female oppressive office culture of the lat 1970’s before
This 85 minute show is a creepy look into the world of insanity played out as a fairy tale more like a Brothers Grimm than Disney tale. We see Odradek emerging as a physical threat to Kyle as his body becomes one with the monster. Director Bullard’s production nicely builds the dramatic tension helped by the bass music underscoring. Joe Steakley is most effective as the stoic, cold-blooded teen whose emotional core is stilted and hidden only to be attracted to the obscure monster.
The two women, bound by blood but driven by desperation, will do anything to survive. Pato’s brother Ray (Kevin Viol) provides the light relief in this potent family drama. Full of universal themes as it applies to any place where people are trapped by circumstances, whether family or social; this play redefines ‘dysfunctional families.’
The production I witnessed was a mixed bag of attempted horror and tongue-in-cheek humor that neither was scary nor funny. With disjointed writing, poor acting and atrocious accents, Six More Scary Tales comes off as amateur night at the theatre.
…this Carmilla is a mixed bag of boring melodrama and predictable and ill-timed horrific bloody vampire fight and biting scenes. There are stiff performances, loads of screaming, and wild blood letting that unfortunately fails to either scare nor thrill. Some of the dialogue was so poorly written or translated and/or delivered by the cast that the audience reacted with belly laughs. That is not what you want if your trying to build enough suspense to scare audiences.