SHARON WHO? CYGNET’S LATEST MYSTERY OR “WHO THE F**CK IS SHARON”

 There’s a mystery brewing in and around Cygnet Theatre in Old Town. Everyone seems to be looking for Sharon. Well, there’s a Sharon living in a rundown apartment building inside the theatre. Sharon (Deanna Driscoll) lives there with her son Jake (Rafael Goldstein). At least that’s the talk. When we meet up with Jake, he’s painting one of the walls in the apartment. There’s a clue in there that something’s not right. Jake keeps painting the same wall over and over again, never getting past it. 

In case you were wondering, Keiko Green, who penned ”Exotic Deadly: or The MSG Play” seen recently at The Old Globe, has a new world premiere out and it’s about Sharon and she is somewhere in the theatre. Rob Lutfy directs with I’m sure, a gleeful eye and a taste for the over the top. Pardon, it’s quite loud!

Deanna Driscoll and Rafael Goldstein

In an interview, Green said that she was inspired to write about Sharon and Jake after she got fed up watching stories about ‘rich New Yorkers’. During the pandemic, and feeling claustrophobic in what seemed like a dead industry and  being in the same room day after day…’I decided to write a play about people who were poor, who were  scraping by, and  left behind by Seattle’s (Everett, Wash) best…and to top it off were in a transactional relationship.’ All this happens in 2 plus hours. But don’t bother looking at your watch. The scenes move back and forth too quickly and you might miss a hint or two of what’s really going on.

Former San Diegan, Driscoll (excellent as Sharon) came down from the Bay Area, her new digs, just to do this play. “I have a tendency,” she says, “to play mothers who are not mentally healthy. I even asked my own child ‘This isn’t, like, art imitating life, is it?” Could it be that simple? If so, she’s damn good at it. And as for Rafael Goldstein’s Jake, it’s like a match made in heaven. Without revealing too much, both mother and son have familiarity about their relationship, but yet, a hesitancy, a question mark that makes you want answers.

Deanna Driscoll and Keiko Green

Jake works in a supermarket called Jackson’s. Every night he brings groceries home. When we first meet up with him, nothing has changed; he’s carrying a bag full of groceries. One of his co workers is Tina (Keiko Green). She is at  the information table. She has a bit of a crush on him, and he on her. In fact, all of Jakes acquaintances seem to be drawn to him. 

Various people come and go into and out of the lives of Sharon and Jake. There is a social worker Sabrina, (Kat Peña)who seems to have a huge file on Sharon, but Sharon never shows up for her appointments. 

Then Sharon takes Jake to the bank for a loan on the apartment building (that has been in the family for generations) because of a fire. Convincing him of that is a sight to see. Gregg (M.J. Sieber) is the questionable banker who later shows up for diner at Jake and Sharon’s for some homemade chicken parmesan and salad while trying to convince each other why they are all at Sharon’s dinner table. 

Rafael Goldstein

Making it all possible, Yi-Chien Lee’s messy looking apartment with large windows off one wall, a kitchen for Sharon to cook and a room off to the side,  Bryan Ealey’s rather dark and moody lighting, Steve Lefue’s sound design (“Happy Together”) and Zoë Trautmann’s costumes give the look and feel of exactly what Green intended.  

All this sounds lighthearted, but don’t be misled. Along with the dark humor, there are underlying psychological challenges festering in both Sharon and Jake. There is more here or there than meets the eye. It’s worth a look see.

Cast of Sharon

Keiko Green, well on her way as popular playwright and screenwriter is currently working on commissions for The Old Globe, MTC, and Seattle Shakespeare Co., is someone to keep our eyes on. BTW She is also one hell of an actor as witnessed in “Sharon”.

This is one mystery you will want to be a part of.

See you at the theatre.

When: Showtimes 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through July 2.

Where: Cygnet Theatre, 4040 Twiggs St., Old Town State Historic Park

Tickets: $32 and up

Photo: Karli Cadel

Phone: (619) 337-1525

Online: cygnettheatre.com

Presenting The Elegant Kandis Chappell as “Eleanor” In North Coast Rep’s One Woman Show.

 Neither Kandis Chappell nor Mark St. Germain is a stranger to San Diego theatre’s although Ms. Chappell, I believe, has been absent much too long from our stages. Before Eleanor she appeared on NCR’s stage in “Collected Stories”, “King O’ The Moon”, and “Lion In Winter” to name a few. She is also an associate artist at the Old Globe having appeared in over 30 productions. She is always always at the top of her game and “Eleanor” is no exception. 

The same can be said of playwright Mark St. Germain, again no stranger to NCR stages having penned “Freud’s Last Session”  “Becoming Dr. Ruth” and ”Camping With Henry and Tom”. Artistic director and director of “Eleanor” David Ellenstein, completes the troika that makes this production of “Eleanor” hum along flawlessly, easily and endearingly. It has already been extended through July 9th. 

Since the former first lady has been dead for some 57 years, admitting that to the audience was a bit of an eye opener, since it seemed like yesterday that she was acting as her husband’s change maker, pacifist, political advisor and activist during her years at the White House from 1933 to 1945 (he was Pres. for almost three terms). 

Franklin called her ‘his eyes and ears’ although he was not always in agreement with her ideas and questioned  some of her decisions as she traveled to the front lines where politicians dare not be seen. 

Chappell’s delivery of St. Germain’s 90 minute script brings to life the one woman who can convince us flawlessly of her knowledge of Eleanor. We understand who she became and how she lived her personal and professional life in the shadow of her husband before, during and after he met his tragic fate of contracting Polio, a children’s disease, at the age of 39. They were  married at the time and had already grown children who were out of the ‘house’.  

The setting takes place in Rock Creek Park Cemetery in Washington, D.C. where Anna Eleanor Roosevelt begins her story by telling us how she and Franklin were related,(fifth cousins once removed) met and later married. Confessing that she was a plain child with buck teeth, no chin to speak of and topping it off, she was unloved and ignored by her own mother and was loathed by her mother- in -law Sara is heartbreaking.  As can be expected, Sara was adored by her son Franklin; they were close as two peas in a pod. For Eleanor, the one person she cherished the most was her father Elliot. But Elliot, who later took his life leaving her orphaned at 10, always left an empty hole in her heart.

She took her duties one step further by personally visiting poor neighborhoods, meeting and being photographed with the folks who lived there and was not afraid to speak out. Once in a meeting with Churchill, (she recalled) who visited the White House to ask for war supplies from FDR, she recounts how he came out of his room in the ‘altogether’ and announced that he had ‘nothing to hide’. 

There were other important men and women in her life including reporter, presidential adviser and ‘the man behind Roosevelt”, Louis Howe who befriended her and advised her to hold regular press briefings, something no first lady had ever done. He  gave her political advice even going so far as to coach her on what to say. 

In her storytelling, Chappell seamlessly segues from childhood to adulthood to painfully learning that her husband had a long term affair with the First Ladies personal secretary, Lucy Mercer. Much to her chagrin and with the aid of their  daughter, Anna who was taking direction from her ailing father, she contacted Lucy and urged her to stay with her father in Warm Springs, Georgia. 

Lucy was with him at the time of his death in Georgia.  Eleanor was devastated and barely recovered from his callousness. All this was happening while she out doing his diplomatic work. She even alluded to some of her own extra marital jaunts with her bodyguard, assigned to her by Roosevelt and close journalist friend Lorena Hickock. Yes, she lived in the White house for a while. 

Confessing that theirs was an ‘in marriage only’ arrangement and slept in separate rooms; she with him on invitation and only on condition she agreed.  Ironically, it was Franklin who insisted they be  buried side by side with Fala, his dog, in Hyde Park, Dutchess County, New York.

Among her accomplishments, and there are too many to list in this 90 minute tell all, (she served a stint from 1945 to 1951, in its earliest years), she was  a U.S. delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. She subsequently served on the UN Human Rights Commission, where she helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was signed by the nations of the world on Dec. 10, 1948. She spoke out, railing against segregation and she urged her husband to allow the Jewish refugees from the Holocaust be allowed to enter the states while the ship carrying them sat outside American waters.

 Her senses of justice and loyalty were never questioned except by then, F.B.I. Director J. Edgar Hoover who had a 3,000 page  file on her accusing her of being a communist because she fought for liberal causes. How could one get that so wrong? Well, just look at politics today.  

The setting,  from D.C.’s Rock Creek Cemetery with projections (Aaron Rumley), of Churchill, F.D.R., Louis Howe, Lorena Hickock and her  favorite  statute of Augustus Saint- Gaudens’ behind her, helps define some of her favorite places and people brought to the fore by set designer Marty Burnett, lighting designer Matt Novotny , sound and projection by Aaron Rumley and a smart looking but plain dress designed by Elsa Benzoni and Peter Herman designed the wig and hair design. 

How does one manage to capture an audience for a 90 or so minute monologue without losing interest or being over -whelmed by the facts ? If you are Kandis Chappell channeling Eleanor Roosevelt, I’m not going to say is easy, but just following along makes you feel you are in the presence of  a very involved and dignified first lady. 

If you’ve never seen the monument to both FDR, Eleanor and Fala in D.C., Neil Estern's sculpture of Franklin Roosevelt and his dog Fala is just part of this large memorial. It is  located in West Potomac Park between the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials.

Closer yet, there’s no excuse to miss “Eleanor” now on stage at The North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. You wont regret it. 

Dates: Extended through July 9th

Organization: North Coast Repertory Theatre

Phone: 1 858 481 1055 

Production Type: One Woman Show

Where: 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive 

Suite D 

Solana Beach CA 92075 USA 

Photo: Aaron Rumley

Ticket Prices: Start at $54.00

Web: northcoastrep.org

“TWELFTH NIGHT “ CHARMS ON FESTIVAL STAGE DESPITE STEADY DRIZZLE

“The Wind And The Rain,”

“A great while ago the world begun,

With hey, ho, the wind and the rain,

But that’s all one, our play is done,

And we’ll strive to please you every day”

“ The show will goeth on”, so sayeth artistic director Barry Edelstein in his welcoming first nighter’s to the Globe’s opening  season on the Lowell Davies Festival Stage. The rain will not stop the show. 

Those with umbrellas had less concern that those of us without, but we were blanketed, wrapped in rain gear, and prayed the actors on a wet stage would be safe. They  cautiously, but without notice, went about their roles with confidence: no falls, no slips just a bit wet. 

This isn’t the first time  it rained on the Festival stage’s parade at an opening night performance of “12th Night”. If memory is correct, it happened once in 2015.  

But so much for the history of rain on San Diego’s plain. We’ve had our own share recently.

Biko Eisen-Martin

“The Twelfth Night” is said to be one of Shakespeare’s most favored romantic  cross dressing comedies. It resembles “Comedy of Errors” in that both are plays about identical twins, separation and reunion, mistaken identity, boys playing girls and vise-versa , and shipwrecks. As the tale goes Viola is washed ashore on the Island of Ilyria when her ship is wrecked and broken, tossing her and her twin brother, Sebastian onto the same island.  She thinks he’s dead but unbeknownst to her, he’s still alive. As soon as she’s found, Shakespeare puts her in male attire so everyone thinks she is a man/boy in order for her to get around the island er…safely.  Over time, this creates a love triangle among Viola/Cesario, Orsino and Olivia. 

Now if it sounds complicated, consider Olivia in love with Cesario who is really Viola. Orsino is in love with the boy Cesario who is really a woman dressed as a boy, and Viola, dressed as a boy is in love with Orsino, the macho Duke who shows signs of being attracted to Viola /Cesario as well

It doesn't get much better than that. While cross-dressing was a common plot device in Shakespeare's time, cross-dressing was  considered to be natural since women’s roles were played by men. Same-sex relationships were promptly terminated once the masquerader's true gender became known.

There were indications that Antonio (Jude Tibeau) was in love with his good friend Sebastian, but that was really a no- no! The play is a sexual mess without saying so. Everything in time though gets somewhat cleared up, while questions about some of the characters still leave doubt.

I

Medina Senghore and Naian Gonzalez Norvind

Biko Eisen-Martin and Naian Gonzalez Norvind

hree time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall directs with the  great gift of timing and style with Michael Krass’ elegant costumes, Lawrence E. Moten III eye pleasing and rotating set with benches and a little crook for the talented musicians to entertain the Duke. (Morgan Carberry violinist and music director), Stephen Strawbridge’s lovely lighting design, Melanie Chen Cole’s sound (Unfortunately too much farting) and 

Miriam Strum and Michael Bodeen’s beautiful and original music (six songs in all) is a feast to the ears.

Jose Balistrieri and Esco Jouley

There isn’t a weak link in the bunch and the play rolls along with one mistaken identity after another getting each of the players more deeply embroiled in their own mire just as, I’m sure, Shakespeare intended. Sir Andrew, Aguecheek (O’Connell)  and Feste kept the audience on their toes. O’Connell, who is the biggest clown without knowing he’s funny, takes the prize for his silliness and idiocy. As Sir Andrew he fits the bill perfectly while working the audience taking his character to the limits and even ending up in jail for his shall we say, his ignorance.  

As the head honcho of Olivia’s household, he comes across with the holier-than-thou attitude making him the least liked character and nemesis of Belch and Maria (Sarah Joyce) Olivia’s housemaid.  They can’t stand the guy, so they hatch a ridiculous scheme and actually convince him that Olivia is in love with him. The contortions they convince him to go through to gain her attention and his pulling it off with panache is the true test of a real pro. 

Greg Germann as Malvolio with Jason O’Connell as Sir Andrew Aguecheek, Bernadette Sefic as Fabian, and Cornell Womack as Sir Toby Belch 

Naian González Norvind is a walking contradiction as she weaves between her roles as confidant and page to the duke and love object to both countess and duke all the while a woman in a man’s disguise. Watching her walk that tightrope and then seeing both duke and countess vie for her affection and attention is as convincing as can be and that’s all the play requires. Both Eisen-Martin  as Orsino and Norvind are a hoot as they try, coolly enough without tripping all over themselves, to romance Olivia. All three are plusses in this cross gender, mistaken identity and highly improbable yet exceptionally well-done production of Shakespeare’s comedy,  “The Twelfth Night” 

And so “If music be the food of love, play on”.

Enjoy.

See you at the theatre.

 

When: 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays and July 3. Through July 9 (no performances June 17 or July 4)

Where: Lowell Davies Festival Theatre, The Old Globe, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego

Tickets: $29 and up

Phone: (619) 234-5623

Photo: Jim Cox

Online: theoldglobe.org

 

La Jolla Playhouse Shines A Light on Billie Jean King's Accomplishments In “Love All”~ A World Premiere.

 

There was feeling of excitement outside The La Jolla Playhouse on opening night of the world premiere of “Love All”, the tell all story of one of the greatest tennis stars of all time, Billie Jean King. And yes, she was in the theatre, mingling with members of the audience before, during intermission and at plays end. 

Written by Anna Deavere Smith and directed by Marc Bruni the play will by showing through July 2nd on the Mandell Weiss Stage. 

There are so many wonderful things about BJK to say. In particular, her fight for equity for  women in sports, her number one standing in Wimbledon winning twenty one titles, thirteen U.S. Open titles, four French Open and two Australian. And her big win in 1973 against male chauvinist Bobby Riggs, beating him in consecutive  sets, (he claimed she could never do it). Yours truly watched with glee along with the other million or so on T.V. as she whipped his arse. No doubt she is a legend in her own right. 

The one thing that was not evident in “Love All” was warm and fuzzy; real feelings, emotions. What we saw in "Love All" was what many of us could have read about or already knew: her concentration on being the best of the best, her quest for equality, putting her goals above all as family, children, self was all consuming and she was willing to risk it all for being # 1, which she did. 

Rebecca S'Manga, Bianca Amato, Chinila Kennedy as as BJK

 In

In the theatre world, Anna Deavere Smith is best known for her one woman shows where she plays multiple characters in her stories. Her first Broadway debut being “Twilight in Los Angeles”, 1992 about the riots in L.A. including victim’s politicians, and police. “Fires in The Mirror” about the deaths of a Black American boy and a young Orthodox Jewish scholar in Crown Heights where she interviewed over fifty members of the Black and Jewish communities. Most of her works are docudrama’s. 

The two together with director Marc Bruni, who directed “Beautiful: The Carole King Story”, “Music Man” on Broadway, “Other People’s Money” among  others, are a treasure trove of talent. Combine the above with Robert Brills animated sets, Ann Hould-Wards period costumes, Jiyoun Chang’s lighting design, Darron L. Wests sound, and S. Katy Tuckers projections and a full cast of 11 or so, some playing multiple roles, should make for exceptional, spectacular theatre.

Unfortunately, it was not. 

It wasn’t just one thing. It was too much documentary, too many actual news clips chronologizing the entire upside down sixties with the shootings of J.F.K to Muhammad Ali refusing to be drafted, to M.L.K Jr. being assassinated  to Robert Kennedy’s assassination, Rodney King, Nixon congratulating B.J.K.  to news -reels of interviews. So much of that stopped the flow of who this woman was and is and it sucked the energy out of the room, up to and  including her abortion. Once again no emotional involvement was rendered, shown or given. 

Chilina Kennedy and Justin Withers

It did show how her parents were supportive especially from her mother. She actually made a pair of shorts for her to wear,  for a photo shoot. Unfortunately  shorts were barred from wearing them. Girls were relegated to wearing skirts.  It showed BJK. testifying before the Senate to get Title IX passed (Equal access to sports education: a biggie).and she did. But wait! Even today women are still fighting for equal pay; think Women’s Soccer.   

What was missing ?  Heart. Emotional tugs. Connection to anything outside her being #1.

The acting overall was rather strong from Rebecca S’Manga Franks’ Althea Gibson, to Elena Hurst as Rosie Casals to Chilina Kennedy as B.J.K  and others,  Justin Withers as Arthur Ashe the first Black tennis athlete to gain stardom,  he did not support King at first in her bid for equal pay (shame on him), Allison Spratt Pearce as Margaret Court, King’s rival on the court, John Kroft as Larry King, Billie’s long term business partner and husband who was the only one in the show to show kindness and vulnerability. 

In an interview she once said, ‘I’m going to be No. 1 in the world and I want to make a difference and be a change agent,” and she was.

Billie Jean King with Chilina Kennedy

No doubt, with some tweaking, culling and perhaps a little more heart and emotional tug, “Love All” may go on to other venues where the audiences will love King as much as they do in San Diego. Example: When Ms. King was introduced to the audience, she got a standing ovation. It was noted that it might be a first; getting a standing ovation before the show even began. BTW she also got another one when the show ended. We never did see the "The Battle Of The Sexes". Bummer!

The ball is now in their court  to change or not. 

See you at the theatre. 

When: Through July 2nd

Showtimes, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays

Where: Mandell Weiss Theatre at La Jolla Playhouse, 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla

Tickets: $25-$85

Photo: Rich Soublet II

Phone: (858) 550-1010

Online: lajollaplayhouse.org

Neil Simon’s “Lost In Yonkers” A Great Fit For Scripps Ranch Theatre.

 

Cast of "Lost In Yonkers"

Frank Rich of The New York Times said of “Lost In Yonkers”, “The wounds run so deep that one feels (this) just may be his most honest play”. It won four Tony Awards, including best play, and the 1991 Pulitzer Prize. It opened in New York at the Richard Rodger’s Theatre on Feb. 21, 1991. It was his twenty-fourth play to reach Broadway. 

For so many years Simon’s plays, comedies and rat-tat-tat repartee were at the forefront of every local theatre’s marquee. They were his trademarks. They grew tiresome and soon disappeared but not before folks were Neil Simon-ed out. For a time, Simon even tested some of his new works at The Globe before they went on to Broadway. Now, 'Yonkers' is considered to be a ‘classic’ and a fine fit to be mounted at Scripps Ranch Theatre. 

Katee Drysdale and Jill Drexler

 I must agree, it is timeless, and while still using his formulated one liner’s and rat-tat-tat give and take, “Yonkers” is quite different from his semi -autobiographical triple “B” plays;  “Brighton Beach Memoirs”, “Biloxi Blues” and “Broadway Bound,” and /or his later plays “Rumors” and “Jake’s Women”. The latter two were mounted at The Globe in their early stages. 

Director Jacqueline Ritz, with care and attention to detail, brings to life the trials and tribulations of two young, coming of age brothers, Jay and Arthur (Arty) Kurnitz (Giovanny Diaz de Leon and JP Wishchuk just 15 1/2 and 13 ½ respectively, Brooklyn boys, who are put into a situation that will rock them out of their senses of normalcy; they will be  spending about eight or nine months living with their grandmother and aunt Bella (Katee Drysdale) who live in Yonkers just above “Kurnitz’s Kandy Store”, and family business. 

Their Dad Eddie (Kenny Bordieri) is in dire need of a cash infusion to pay off some loan sharks he was forced to borrow from because when his wife, their mother was dying of cancer he did everything possible including borrowing money, to keep her comfortable. It’s payback time now and Eddie has to come up with seven thousand dollars he doesn’t have.

JP Wishchuk, Katee Drysdale, Giovanny Diaz de Leon

The time is 1942, war time and there were wartime jobs in the south in metal scrap yards that help the war cause, but it involves being on the road for months at a time. The boys need a place to stay because Eddie gave up their apartment to save money and to travel to find work. 

When we meet up with Jay and Arty they are in the living room (Alyssa Kane) of Grandma Kurnitz’s (Jill Drexler) apartment waiting for their Dad, who is speaking with grandma in her room to give the thumbs up for them to stay with her. Every now and then he pops his head out to make sure the boys aren’t wrinkling the doilies, or ‘putting their heads on them because it gets grease on them’. “She just laundered them, he admonishes.” Arty counters back to Jay, “You mean only people who just had a shampoo can sit here?”

To say that things just aren’t right at Grandma Kurnitz’s is an understatement. You see Grandma is a woman of steel and nothing penetrates her outer armor. She grew up in Germany where Jews were the scapegoat for everything. She learned at an early age not to cry. “I was raised to be strong,” she tells them. “When they beat us with sticks, I didn’t cry”. “You don’t survive in this world without being like steel.”

Two of Grandma Kurnitz’s offspring died in childhood (she hasn’t cried since) and the four remaining are scarred, scared, repressed, lonely, eccentric, damaged and suffering from an overall lack of good old fashioned nurturing and the feeling of being loved. 

Aunt Bella, who has grown into her woman’s body in reality has a child’s mind but with all the emotions of what a woman needs; to be held and loved. Her sister Gert (Melanie Mino) has a breathing problem when she’s around her mother, brother Louie (Eddie Lebovic) is a two bit gangster who comes home to hide because he’s on the run from his enemies and Eddie their father, is labeled the weak one because he still shows emotions like crying.    

JP Wishchuk, Kenny Bordieri, Giovanni Diaz de Leon

So, is Grandma going to change her ways, take the boys in because they are her only grandchildren and are in need of a place to stay? Her first reaction is a flat out “NO!” She’s old, likes being alone, doesn’t listen to the radio after the six o’clock news, goes to sleep at nine, and neither she nor Bella has friends (She’s lived in Yonkers thirty years and has not one friend) and Yonkers is no place for them. 

But Bella, their mentally challenged aunt will hear none of it, threatening her mother that she too will leave and go to ‘the home for mentally ill if she does not let the boys stay’. Stay, they do and we have the opportunity to be witness to their coming of age in the most peculiar, often in the most -funny and unusual of circumstances given the dysfunction of the family dynamic.

Katee Drysdale is simply superb as the ‘slow sister’. We watch in amazement her arc as she sputters, jumps up and down like a child, gets mixed up, reveals her secret trips to the movies to escape while gradually finding her footing as more woman than girl/child who wants and needs what she claims every other woman needs to be held, loved touched and set free from her mother’s iron fist to be happy.  

Both Diaz de Leon and Wishchuk  are spot on excellent as Jay and Arty learning the ropes of helping out in the family store to finding ways of defending themselves against grandma’s ‘teachings’ or her verbal assaults. Both represent a new generation for the Kurnitz family, but not without their own set of scars. 

Wishchuk is funny and adorable as the younger of the two who seems less involved in the complicated ups and downs of the dysfunctional families’ goings on. He is more of a foil and comic to Diaz de Leon’s Jay is borderline boy/ man bears the brunt of his grandmother’s harshness while wanting to be respected and treated like a young man. 

Eddy Lukovic and JP Wishchuk

In the end though, it’s Bella and Grandma Kurnitz who get one more chance at redemption, but it will take work on both fronts. Watching their breakthrough is enough to break anyone’s heart. Bella begs for what she must have to survive and her mother, embarrassed and uncomfortable by being put in this position yet pooh-poohing all the while not quite absorbing the real ramifications of her daughter’s pleas, is a hold your breath moment.  

Both Drexler  and Drysdale are more than up to the task of watching each other break the cracks in the walls that separate them. And Lukovic is a wonder as the gangsta uncle who, in his own way, helps the boys to grow up a bit faster. Both Mino and Bordieri have small but significant stories to tell. They round out the rest of the talented cast, lending credibility to their imperfect family experiences and brings to the fore two more broken spirits.  They, as the other systematically damaged siblings, make this Simon work one of the ‘classics’ to be to be brought out, dusted off and told over and over again just for a reality check.

Dawn Fuller’s period costume design is spot on and Robert Mays 1940’s radio music brings back memories. 

 In case you hadn’t noticed, Anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head once again, and we cannot allow any more Kurnitz, Frank other like families be allowed to suffer as did they. 

Call me a sentimental old fool, but I was moved to laughter and tears sitting through Simon’s “Lost In Yonkers”. Bring tissues.

It will be at SRT through June 11th. 

See you at the theatre.

Dates: Through June 11th

Organization: Scripps Ranch Theatre

Production Type: Comedy/Drama

Where:  Alliant International University

9783 Avenue of Nations, San Diego, CA 92131

Phone: 858) 395-0573

Ticket Prices: $42.00

Web: scrippsranchtheatre.org

Photo: Ken Jacques