BEAU JEST” OFFERS UP A LAUGH A MINUTE

James Sherman’s romance comedy “Beau Jest” is now being shown at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. It opened on Broadway in 1991 and for all intents and purposes it should be dated but for some reason, it still resonates as a thoughtful essay on truth, overcoming basic fears, being yourself and listening to your heart. 

Simply put, it’s about a nice Jewish girl whose committed Jewish parents expect her to marry a nice Jewish boy. Easy-peasy, right? Well not so much for Sarah Goldman (Katrina Michaels) who happens to be dating a nice non-Jewish boy, Chris Cringle (Benjamin Cole is right on in character). 

Benjamin Cole, Katrina Michaels and Sam Ashdown

Trouble is, she can’t tell her parents about Chris, so she hires someone from a dating agency,  Bob Schroeder (Sam Ashdown who is without question perfect for this role) whom she thinks is Jewish and invites him to meet her parents, Miriam and Abe Goldman (Jill Remez and Joel Polis) at their annual Passover Seder.  She introduces Bob as David Steinberg a heart and brain Dr. Sarah’s psychologist, judgmental  and opinionated brother Joel (an excellent Josh Cahn) into the mix, and what we have is Tzores with a capital T!

Josh Cahn, Jill Ramez, Joel Polis, Sam Ashdown and Katrina Michaels

Bob, on the other hand, when not ‘escorting’ women to the opera or dinner or what have you, is also an actor, therefore much of his performance as ‘the Jewish boyfriend’, like knowing the blessing over the wine at a Shabbat dinner, is a flashback from roles in musicals he was in, like “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Cabaret”. 

However, putting too much horseradish on his Matzo, during the Seder, should have been a direct giveaway. “They’ll know. They can spot a Jew a mile away. It’s like radar.”  But being the actor that he is  Sara’s parents bought it hook, line and sinker.  

Joel Polis, Jill Remez, Sam Ashdown and Katrina Michaels

Broadly directed by a nice Jewish director Omri Schein it registers about a laugh a minute; oft times over done and oft times well deserved. Schein’s ensemble is well balanced for this fast paced rom-com with the exception of Katrina Michaels who is so tightly wound up it’s un-nerving. She  can’t seem to find a good balance for herself. Making her parents happy is a full time job and telling the truth to them is even more difficult.  

The chemistry between Jill Remez, Miriam and Polis’ Abe worked for me. They are completely true to form. Abe is committed to kvetching about parking in Sarah’s Chicago neighborhood and she refuses to have Sarah ‘warm the kugel’ in the oven as opposed to the microwave. It’s a long- standing joke 

Sam Ashdown, Benjamin Cole, Joel Polis, Katrina Michaels, Jill Remez and Josh Cahn

In a compelling second act turn -about after Abe finds out that David/Bob is not Jewish, his rant about Miriam lying, brings about chest pains, 911 emergency and a ‘come to Jesus’ (pardon the expression) moment for the entire group. But for a rom-com, happy endings are a must and Sherman’s “Beau Jest” has just that. 

As stated, it’s dated, it’s predictable, and if it resonates outside a Member of The Tribe (MOT) community, remains to be seen. 

Marty Burnett’s set is neatly designed as Sara’s well kept apartment. Matthew Novotny’s lighting design, Evan Easton’s sound design (Snippets of Fiddler), Jennifer Brawn Gittings costumes are period correct, Peter Herman’s wigs  look great and whoever made the Kugel, it smelled wonderful. 

No question, “Beau Jest brings out some stereotypical mishegas about the Jewish experience. It’s fun, entertaining and will definitely take your mind off the goings on in Washington for about two or so hours.  

See you at the theatre.

Have fun. 

 

When:  Runs through May 24. 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8  p.m. Fridays; 2  and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. and Sundays

Where: North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach

Photo: Aaron Rumley

Tickets: $53.50-$68.50

Phone: 858-481-1055

Online: northcoastrep.org

 

“ALIEN GIRLS”

 “Alien Girls” by Amy Berryman, playing in the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre at The Old Globe, now in a world premiere, was developed in part with Center Theatre Group’s L.A. Writer’s Workshop. 

Berryman explores the relationship between two women over the course of  about a decade sharing with each other their desires, whims, career choices, and intimacy. Tiffany (Brittany Bradford) and Carolyn (Emma Ramos) both want to be writers: their career choices. They share ideas and read each other’s works and are committed to writing with the hopes that one day one of them will write a book that will be a best seller.

Emma Ramos and Tiffany Bradford

When we first meet up with them, they are college roommates and lovers until Tiffany tells Carolyn that she is pregnant. What? But? Yup! She no longer feels that way and now wants this baby because she believes motherhood is the most important job in the world. 

Although Carolyn tries to support Tiffany through her pregnancy, in a moment of questioning her motives and how Tiffany could do this to her, Carolyn writes a piece about her feelings: about Tiffany being pregnant and how betrayed she feels. The piece is accepted by The New Yorker Magazine and goes viral before Carolyn has a chance to tell Tiffany. As turnabout is fair play, Tiffany outs Carolyn to her mother, robbing Carolyn the chance to say goodbye to her on her deathbed. You can imagine the all together tight relationship the two developed over the years, goes south. 

Brittany Bradford and Karina Curet

Making an appearance in several different parts, Karina Curet is just what the doctor ordered. She is a friend to both women, editor of The New Yorker, bride to be, Karate teacher and Carolyn’s new lover. Many years later she too wants a child claiming that motherhood is the most important thing a woman can be. But!!! She wants Carolyn to carry the baby. OY! 

Directed with a light hand and allowing all the humor and sadness shine through, Jaki Bradley allows the actors room to grow and mature over a period of about ten years. Also making this all female friendship work so well is the chemistry between both Bradford and Ramos. They are each-other’s yin and yang. 

Emma Ramos and Friend Puppet

Added to this all female friendship are alien puppets. Yup! puppets from another planet, that may or may not add to Berryman’s story. They are fun to look at and are manipulated by both Bradford and Ramos but to these ears, difficult to understand. And while I’m at it, some in the audience couldn’t stop LOL as if every line was a laugh line. Not so much folks! Yes, there are many scenes that come off as funny, but going overboard just gets in the way of what the actors might say next.

Jason Sherwood takes credit for the spaceship looking set, with  flashing neon light around the perimeter by Rui Rita. Helen Q. Huang is credited for the puppet design and costumes. Sinan Refik Zafar an almost interplanetary sound design.

Brittany Bradford and Emma Ramos

I left the theatre feeling that “Alien Girls” was not my most favorite show. But writing about all female relationships, the good, the bad and the ugly isn’t always so wonderful either. 

Take yourself on a planet ride, never leave the ground, and have fun. “Alien Girls” is after all, part comedy part serious business. 

See you at the theatre.

Enjoy.

 

When:  Runs through May 10. 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays

Where: Old Globe Theatre’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego

Tickets: $41 and up

Photo: Rich Soublet II. 

Phone: 619-234-5623

Online: theoldglobe.org

“FENCES”: WILSON’S PLAY THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.

Sobering is what one might call August Wilson’s “Fences” as directed by Delicia Turner-Sonnenberg now showing at The Old Globe Theatre through  May 3rd. Many years ago, Ms. Turner Sonnenberg directed this very same show when it was co-produced at Cygnet Theatre. Why not get the best for the best? And so here we are with another top notch production which says mountains about her.  

August Wilson’s “Fences”, is he sixth in his Pittsburg Cycle or his Century Cycle. The first nine of the ten are set in Pittsburg depicting the Black experience. This reviewer has seen the entire cycle over the years, but for some reason, “Fences” has held the longest memory and taught the most defining lessons.

Dorian Missick and Rondell McCormick 

Troy Maxson (Dorian Missick) is a bigger than life character who not only dominates the stage as the head of his family in this powerful production, but as an actor who knows his subject matter and excels at it. His deliverance is impeccable as is his persona as Troy Maxson. As his wife Rose (De'Adre Aziza)  remarks, “When he walks through that door, he fills up the house. He sucks the air out of the room”. That about sums up his extraordinary presence. 

The son of an abusive sharecropper, Troy Maxson now lives in Pittsburgh with his wife Rose and their teen son Cory (Omari K. Chancellor). He works as a sanitation worker and ruminates  on all the things he never got to do because… of  his unsuccessful baseball career, which he simply cannot get over.

Rondell McCormick, De'Adre Aziza and Dorian Missick 

A former Negro League baseball star, he never quite benefited from the likes of Jackie Robinson, (he was too old), with whom he compares himself. It  is in this context, that almost every reference Troy makes about himself and his life are in baseball terms most of which are metaphors describing his philosophy and his outlook on life: the fastball/death metaphor in a reference to different forms of death or his reference to death as an easy pitch; perfect for hitting a homerun; or his three strike punishment of his son Cory when he defies his father, and finally death ain’t nothing but a fastball on the outside corner.

Troy Maxson isn’t any man, no, he’s everyman who thinks he knows what’s best for himself and his family. And therein lies the rub; Troy thinks he knows it all, but in doing so he drowns out everyone else’s dreams as he does to his son Cory  who is good enough to be drafted as a football player with a scholarship,  but he refuses to sign the draft papers. Instead he wants him to get a job at the local A&P market wedging a bigger gap between father and son who have a tenuous relationship as it is.

(l to r) Donathan Walters, De'Adre Aziza, Rondell McCormick(in background) Oman K. Chandler and Dorian Missick 

His other son Lyons (Mister Fitzgerald), from another marriage and is a no worries musician who comes around every payday for a handout. Troy is not having it. He needs his son to find a paying job and stop asking for money. No one ever gave him anything.

Two things are constant in his life; his friend Bono (Rondrell McCormick) and Troy’s brother Gabe (Donathan Walters). Bono works with Troy and acts as a confidant, someone Troy can share a drink with every payday, and knows pretty much everything the good, the bad and the ugly, about him. 

Troy’s brother is a wounded WWII vet with a steel plate in his head from combat in Vietnam and is psychologically damaged and  half crazed thinking himself the archangel Gabriel. Turned out by the Veterans Administration, with a three thousand dollar pittance which Troy used to build his house, Gabe is as happy go lucky as Troy is as serious as the day is long. 

De'Adre Aziza and Dorian Missick

The more the layers of Troy’s personality are revealed, the more vulnerable, human and tragic a figure he becomes. His relationship with his wife and family, by second act begin to crumble. Even his friendship with Bono deteriorates when he admits he can’t stop seeing a local woman who “makes him laugh” amidst the protests by his best friend that he has a wonderful wife in Rose. 

De’Adres  portrayal  of Rose, the cement that holds the family together, is nothing short of perfection as she shows us an emotional range from passionate mother, trying to protect her son as he grows to manhood and ready to conquer his own demons, and of caring wife. Her ‘coming of age’ speech if you will upon hearing of Troy’s infidelity, is heartbreaking as she unleashes all her pent up frustrations about her own struggles and wants, suppressed by the desire to be the perfect wife, while she directs her anger at the husband she loves but who betrayed her. (“You not the only one who's got wants and needs. But I held on to you, Troy. I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams... and I buried them inside you....Cause you was my husband.”)

Dorian Missick and De'Adre Aziza

Beautifully set on the Globe’s large proscenium Donald and Darlene Shiley Stage is the back part of Troy’s two story house, a large front porch and open screen door with kitchen windows lit.  Two steps off the porch is the playing field . On the other side of the house is an old, rather dead looking tree with a baseball tethered to it and off to the side a baseball bat. Partially surrounding the yard is a half finished fence Troy has promised Rose he would finish. (credit Lawrence E. Moten III) There are no secrets in this little ghetto but there are fences to either keep the family in or changes out. 

Sherrice Mojgani lighting design signals night fall with orange coloring and Leon Rothenberg’s sound design brings laughter and grief when needed and Yvonne L. Miranda designed the period looking clothes. (Justus Alexander and Ariele Maye Rivers alternate the role of Raynell.)

As mentioned earlier, “Fences” is a sobering experience that, at play’s end leaves you with tears of joy and sadness. 

See it!

Enjoy.

See you at the theatre. 

When:  Runs through May 3. 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Fridays; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays

Where: Old Globe Theatre, 1363 Old Globe Way, Balboa Park, San Diego

Photo: Rich Soublet II

Tickets: $40 and up

Phone: 619-234-5623

Online: theoldglobe.org