Woolly Mammoth 2013-2014 Season: One from the Heart—Theatre

If Woolly’s upcoming season is one-half as entertaining as was the presentation of the shows-to-be, DC-area theatre-goers are in for a great ride.

Artistic director Howard Shalwitz addressed an audience of subscribers Monday night, March 11, and spoke briefly about the upcoming season. For the past few years, Woolly plays have followed a theme. This season will be no different, featuring the theme “America’s Tell-Tale Heart.” No, Edgar Allen Poe will not be part of the offerings, but but delving into America’s heart…what makes us tick…will be. Resident company member Emily Townley emceed the evening event, which showcased readings of the 2013-2014 plays—some had her performing monologues, others had her working with fellow resident member Dawn Ursula. Townley also interviewed some of the directors and playwrights for the new season.  All in all, it was a great night at the theatre and bodes well for the future.

The 2013-2014 season will present:

September 9 – October 6, 2013

Detroit by Lisa D’Amour and directed by John Vreeke, D’Amour’s play revolves around two neighboring couples living life in suburbia with secrets.

November 4 – December 1, 2013

Appropriate by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Liesl Tommy,  centers on an estranged Arkansas family in dramatic fashion.

 December 10 – January 5, 2014

Just the Two of Each of Us, created and performed by The Pajama Men, blends improv, wit and humor into who knows what?

February 10 – March 9, 2014

We Are Proud to Present a Presentation…about the Herero of Namibia, formerly South West Africa, from the German Sudwestafrika, between  the years 1885-1915, by Jackie Sibblies Drury, directed by Michael John Garcés, is an innovative new play which features a group of American actors telling a story that’s not American and getting tripped up in their own “Americaness.”

March 31 – April 20, 2014

Arguendo, created and performed by Elevator Repair Service, directed by John Collins, takes the actual text from a case argued before the Supreme Court—Barnes vs. Glen Theatre—about freedom of expression and the right to say what’s in your heart…albeit doing it naked…and show us the wit and wisdom of the Justices.

 June 2 –June 29, 2014

The Totalitarians by Peter Sinn Nachtrieb, directed by Robert O’Hara, was commissioned by the New Play Network (NPN), and focuses on politics in Nebraska and asks,” how do you come to believe than an eye is not evil…how do we come to believe in things without facts?”

For more information about the upcoming season, go to woollymamoth.net.

Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company

641 D Street, NW, Washington, DC 20004

Beautiful Creatures: Acting Beautifully—Movie

Vampires, witches, werewolves, zombies, warlocks, fairies. Who knew there were so many other-worldly beings walking the streets of the United States? “Beautiful Creatures” offers up yet one more for our consideration—casters.

While “Beautiful Creatures” might not be everyone’s cup of tea, no one can deny the outstanding performances of its two leads, Alden Ehrenreich and Alice Englert. These relative newcomers to the screen are absolutely fantastic, especially Ehrenreich…more about him later.

Written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and based on the novel by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, “Beautiful Creatures” is another take on Romeo and Juliet. Romeo in this instance is Ehrenreich as Ethan Wate and his Juliet is Englert as Lena Duchannes. Alternative rock band, Thenewno2 featuring Dhani Harrison (Beatle George Harrison’s son), has scored the entire movie and it is outstanding, complementing “Beautiful Creatures” perfectly.

Set in Gaitlin, SC, a stereotypical, small, redneck town, Ethan meets Lena on his first day as a high school junior. New to Gaitlin, she’s immediately on the receiving end of some malicious talk and gossip because her family is rumored to be devil worshippers. Ethan, however, is more enlightened than most of his peers. He finds her back-story intriguing (the fact that she’s pretty cute doesn’t hurt either) and after a hellish first day of school for Lena, the two have a near miss car accident on the way home. This almost-collision leads to some of the smartest, wittiest dialogue between two people that I’ve heard in ages. It’s perfection! Are these two in any way believable as 16- and 15-year olds? Not in the least? Do I care? NO.

As a real connection develops between the two, Lena reveals that she is a caster and that she comes from a family of casters. Casters are beings that are capable of performing magic spells…they can change weather, cast allusions…just to name two. The movie doesn’t go into a lot of detail about what else casters can do, but you are led to believe it is a lot and much of it not good).  As a caster, when Lena turns 16 in a few months, her true nature will emerge and guide her to either the light or the dark side. Lena is afraid that she will turn evil like her cousin, Ridley (Emmy Rossum), or her mother, Sarafine (Emma Thompson). Her uncle, Macon Ravenwood (Jeremy Irons) has purposely brought Lena to Gaitlin to keep her safe and lead her to the light, but he is fighting the two-pronged attack from Ridley and Sarafine as well as the unwitting interference from Ethan. How Lena and Ethan battle all these various forces makes for a sometimes confusing, but always fascinating story.

Some of the acting may appear over the top, but given the nature of the story, it works. Emma Thompson, in particular, seems to have a lot of fun with her role, and that just serves to make the movie better. Jeremy Irons is also well cast as the concerned uncle. The rest of the supporting cast—Rossum, Viola Davis,Thomas Mann, Eileen Atkins and Margo Martindale—is  terrific and not what one might normally expect from a movie targeting teens.

Ultimately, however, “Beautiful Creatures’” success rests with its two leads—Englert and  and Ehrenreich.

As Lena, Alice Englert is not your typical ingénue.  The daughter of director Jane Campion, she’s attractive in a Lily Collins kind of way, and she can act.

But the real find of “Beautiful Creatures” is Alden Ehrenreich. He’s not conventionally attractive, but he is adorable. As  a precocious intellect, his way with the Southern dialect, his handling of his fast, quippy dialogue… Ehrenreich‘s just utterly fabulous…even if he doesn’t seem 16. I felt like I was discovering a young Dustin Hoffman…and hopefully someday soon I will learn how to pronounce his name.

3 ½ nuggets out of 4

The Motherf**ker with the Hat: Not As F**king Great As It Could Be—Theatre

An outrageous title does not a great play make. Despite terrific performances by all, Studio Theatre’s “The Motherf**ker with the Hat” falls short…although at 2 hours and no intermission it doesn’t feel that way.  An explosive study of relationships—the yings and yangs, trust, deception and the many facets of love, “The Motherf**ker with the Hat” starts off well. However, the constant fighting, bickering and speechifying ultimately weighs the play and audience down and keeps it from becoming as terrific as it should be.

A five-person play with a minimalistic set, “The Motherf**ker with the Hat” takes place in New York City. Jackie (Drew Cortese), on parole from prison and committed to sobriety, has just landed a job. Armed with flowers and other goodies, he rushes to the apartment he shares with long-time girlfriend, Veronica (Rosal Colón) to celebrate the good news. All is well until Jackie notices a man’s hat in a corner of the room that doesn’t belong to him. He demands to know who’s the The Motherf**ker with the Hat” and when Veronica doesn’t come clean, he rushes off to seek lodging and comfort from his sponsor, Ralph D (Quentin Maré).  Ralph and his wife, Victoria (Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey), have their own volatile relationship and keeping Jackie in their midst doesn’t help their situation. Added to the mix is Jackie’s Cousin Julio (Liche Ariza), a fitness freak and the play’s voice of reason.

Written by Stephen Adly Guirgis and directed by Serge Selden, “The Motherf**ker with the Hat” is a play of huge personalities, save one…Ralph D. His low-keyness is very deceiving and it’s his actions that actually serve as the catalyst for much of the play’s conflict. It’s a tricky performance to pull off and Maré nails it. Drew Cortese and Rosal Colón are great together and their scenes are cringe-inducingly realistic. Gabriela Fernandez-Coffey has a smaller role than the other actors, but her work with Cortese and Maré are especially good and she portrays the role of put-upon, betrayed wife with genuine disgust and weariness.  Liche Ariza’s Julio provides much-needed comic relief in a volatile, tense play, but as his stage time increases, we realize that there is more to his performance than first meets the eye.

“The Motherf**ker with the Hat” is not bad…it’s just not as great as one thinks it will be. Ultimately it eventually betrays the audience and its terrific actors.

Through March 10

Metheny Theatre in the Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC

Hughie: Is That All There Is?—Theatre

In what is a pretty underwhelming, fairly short play (slightly under an hour), Eugene O’Neill’s “Hughie” does provide the theatre-goer with two good performances.

Presented by the Shakespeare Theatre Company and directed by Doug Hughes, “Hughie” is set in a 1928 New York City third-rate hotel lobby. When the play opens we gaze upon the hotel night clerk, Charlie Hughes (Randall Newsome), who’s bored beyond belief. To pass the time he imagines himself engaged in the various activities he hears outside. This is relayed to the audience through the play’s constant voice-over. His boredom is broken when Erie Smith (Richard Schiff) enters the lobby.

Over the course of the play, Erie unburdens himself to Charlie…and burden it is. From Erie himself we learn that he’s a gambler–horses in particular–whose luck has taken a turn for the worse since the former hotel night clerk, Hughie, died. In fact, he’s in mourning and hasn’t been himself since Hughie first went to the hospital. Charlie is more than anxious for Erie to go up to his room so he can get back to daydreaming, but after a few fits and starts, the two begin to take to one another. As that happens, Erie begins to feel his luck might be changing for the better.

And that, my friends, is “Hughie.” In short, out with the old, in with the new.

Schiff is very good as the down on his luck gambler. You can literally feel the loneliness…the weariness…oozing out of his bones. As the new night clerk, Newsome compellingly portrays tolerance turning into interest and friendship as he begins to take a shine to Erie.

But good performances aside, this feels like a slight of a play. When it’s over, you’re left wondering, “Is that all there is?” The short answer is, “yep.”

 

Through March 17

Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC

Glengarry Glen Ross: Always Be Closing; Just Be There—Theatre

The Round House Theatre’s production of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” is a testosterone-filled theatrical experience that should not be missed. Directed by Mitchell Hébert, this play features brilliant performances by all with not one dead minute that allows you to think about plans for the next day. It’s just that great.

Set in 1984, “Glengarry Glen Ross” is the story of Chicago real estate salesmen, scratching to make a living, hunting for sales leads and doing whatever it takes to get those leads. It’s not a pretty picture, but boy, is it fabulous to watch.  The play begins in a Chinese restaurant as we follow three different sets of two salesmen or clients and then the action seamlessly moves to the office. No one seems happy with their lot in life. Selling is hard. The highs of a sale are euphoric, but the downs can be more traumatic…where’s the next sale…who has the good lead…have I lost my mojo?

As noted earlier, all the actors give tremendous performances, but Rick Foucheux, Kenyatta Rogers and Alexander  Strain must be singled out for special kudos. Foucheux is no stranger to DC audiences and as Shelly Levene, the down on his luck salesman who needs just one good lead to turn things around, or so he believes, literally reeks of desperation. This is one of Foucheux’s best portrayals ever. Strain’s Richard Roma simply astounds. He masterfully handles Mamet’s dialogue and his inflections are sheer perfection.  Kenyatta Rogers’ character, John Williamson, the sales manager, starts off slowly and we wonder what he’s all about. But once he gets going, watch out. His scenes with Foucheux are especially dynamic.

Mention must be made of James Kronzer’s scenery. The Chinese restaurant is spot-on and when it transforms into the sales office, you will gasp in awe.

When you watch “Glengarry Glen Ross,” you can’t help but think of the other terrific play about salesmen, Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.” Both provide pretty bleak pictures of the salesman’s life.  “Death” looks at the lonely life of the salesman on the road, while “Glengarry” showcases the inner working of the office and its camaraderie and competitiveness. I don’t know why anyone would choose the life of sales, but that life has inspired dramatic masterpieces.

When you exit the Roundhouse’s “Glengarry Glen Ross,” you’ll have witnessed theatre in all its richness. It’s what theatre is all about.

Through March 3

Round House Theatre
4545 East-West Highway
Bethesda, MD 20814

Jane Eyre: Not Your Grandmother’s Version—Movie

 Jane Eyre has been given a fresh coat of paint and it’s stunning to behold. Directed by Cary Fukunaga, based on Charlotte Brontë’s novel, with screenplay by Moira Buffini, Jane Eyre 2011 is romantic, eerie, and very well-acted.

Mia Wasikowska, seen most recently in The Kids Are Alright, is perfectly cast as Jane. She infuses her character with just the right amount of quiet spunk to stand up to Mr. Rochester and all other obstacles that come Jane’s way.

Michael Fassbender is a revelation as Rochester. My only point of reference for Rochester is in the form of Orson Welles from the 1944 version I’ve enjoyed countless times on television and Orson Welles is no Michael Fassbender. Welles played the role as sinister and brooding. Fassbender‘s Rochester is more eccentric than sinister and more lonely than brooding. Not to make less of Orson Welles, but Fassbender’s interpretation is more entertaining to watch and complements Wasikowaska effortlessly. And wow, is he gorgeous in a Daniel Day-Lewis kind of way.

But I digress. The supporting cast is impeccable, too. Jamie Bell as St. John Rivers, Jane’s rescuer and potential suitor, brings just the right touch of denseness and sweetness to his role. He’s proven to be a very versatile actor. Judi Dench is just right as Mrs. Fairfax, Rochester’s housekeeper, and is far more likeable than was the 1944 version. Sally Hawkins, so bubbly and perky in Happy- Go-Lucky, is nearly unrecognizable in looks and tone as Jane’s heartless, greedy Aunt.  Finally, Amelia Clarkson as the young Jane and Romy Settbon Moore as Mr. Rochester’s charge, Adele, are very real and unprecocious in their respective roles.

Fukunaga is a former cinematographer and it shows. Although Jane Eyre 2011 is more bare-bones than other productions, it has a melancholy splendor about it that is highlighted by the hauntingly beautiful piano and violin solos throughout the film.

Jane Eyre 2011 is not your grandmother’s Jane Eyre, but it’s destined to be a classic on its own.

Landmark Bethesda Row Cinema 7235 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD

Landmark E Street Cinema  555 11th Street NW, Washington, DC

Loews Shirlington 7 2772 South Randolph St., Arlington, VA

3 ½ nuggets out of 4

Joan Rivers at the Strathmore: Offensive, Foul and FUNNY

Joan Rivers: Where does the stamina come from? Does nothing embarrass you? How do you keep your material fresh? How do you manage to have any friends? Those are the four questions I want answered come Passover time.

In a sold-out performance and an audience of every race, gender and age, Joan Rivers took the stage at Strathmore’s Music Center Thursday, March 24, and  for 60 minutes brought on the zany and the profane. With the energy of a 25 year-old, the limber 77 year-old Rivers literally leapt on stage in some sort of gold and black ensemble and began insulting everyone near and far.

 And it was hilarious.

She began with her “can we talk?” and we were off to the races from there. Rivers is an equal opportunity offender. No one is off limits…not even her late husband. But to quote her,”grow up.”  With no notes, no breaks for sips of water, Rivers worked every part of the stage and even mimed sexual acts on the floor.

And it was hilarious.

Her potty mouth makes Sarah Silverman seem virginal. Whether it’s describing some of the men she’s “met”, talking about her friends’ children or ripping the celebrities she’s encountered in person or just watched over the years, she says what we think , only it’s a lot funnier coming from her.

Since her winning run on Celebrity Apprentice, Rivers’ career has been given new life. She’s the host and real wit on the weekly Fashion Police, her reality show with her daughter Melissa, Joan Knows Best has just been renewed, and her line of QVC jewelry remains a best-seller. But as her documentary, Joan Rivers, a Piece of Work showed, she works very hard at her craft. She didn’t wake up one day, snort tons of coke, utter two catch phrases in some sort of manic episode and have the keys to Radio City Music  Hall handed to her.  She’s earned every laugh she’s gotten and received more than her share of hard knocks along the way.

No gig is too small for Joan Rivers.  With the Strathmore she got the venue and the appreciative crowd she deserved.

And it was hilarious.

Strathmore
5301 Tuckerman Lane North Bethesda, MD 20852

 

An Ideal Husband: A More than Ideal Production–Theatre

A witty Oscar Wilde play, a terrific cast and breathtaking costumes and sets make for a highly entertaining production of the Shakespeare Theatre’s An Ideal Husband.  Under the direction of Keith Baxter, Oscar Wilde’s wry humor comes to life and feels as fresh today as it might have when first produced in 1895. And certainly politicians with skeletons in their closet are nothing new…today’s rogues just don’t handle their misdeeds with the same panache as Wilde’s Sir Robert Chiltern.

An Ideal Husband’s cast is one of the best the Shakespeare Theatre has assembled in quite some time. Many of the area’s premier character actors are doing their finest work in this production. Nancy Robinette never disappoints and as Lady Markby she’s in top form. Floyd King as Phipps, the servant, is an absolute joy to watch. King does more with a shrug of the shoulders or the lifting of an eyebrow than most actors do with a page of dialogue. Not to be outdone is Shakespeare veteran David Sabin, as the Earl of Caversham, K.G. He is perfect as the worried, demanding father of Lord Goring.

And what of the leads? Cameron Folmar is wonderful as the happily unemployed raconteur, Lord Goring. In lesser hands Goring could be very difficult to convince as a romantic heterosexual, but Folmar  somehow manages to do it. Emily Raymond is terrific as the devious Mrs. Cheveley. As Lady Chiltern, Rachel Pickup is perfectly cast as the wife with the difficult task of softening her steely outlook on everything she holds dear, particularly that of “the ideal husband.” And Gregory Wooddell as Sir Robert Chiltern, the politician with a past, does a very good job in bringing to life a somewhat stodgy character. The only false note in the cast is Claire Brownell as Mabel Chiltern, the sister of Sir Robert, who has a not so subtle crush on Lord Goring. She literally screams her lines and I found myself covering my ears every time she came on stage.

According to the play’s notes, Oscar Wilde, when summoned to the Prince of Wales’ box following the play’s opening, apologized for its length. Yes, An Ideal Husband is long. But we’re in agreement with the Prince who reportedly replied, “Pray, do not take out a single word.”

Runs through April 16

Sidney Harman Hall 610 F Street NW, Washington, DC

The Trip to Bountiful:Get on Board NOW—Theatre

The Roundhouse Theatre’s production of The Trip to Bountiful is a must-see for anyone who loves terrific acting, a wonderful script and just an all-round fabulous theatre experience.

Director Timothy Douglas has gathered as close to perfect an ensemble cast of actors that one can imagine and he does Horton Foote’s play proud. The fact that the cast, all but one, is  African-American is beside the point, other than giving actors a chance to shine. And shine they do.

There aren’t enough words of praise that one can heap on Lizan Mitchell as matriarch Carrie Watts who just wants to visit her Bountiful hometown once before she dies. Mitchell literally sparkles in her role. It’s as if the part was created just for her. It’s one of the most amazing performances that I have ever witnessed. But the rest of the Bountiful cast also astounds. Howard Overshown as Ludie Watts and China J. Hardy as his wife Jessie Mae feel like a real couple. As off-putting as Hardy’s character is, she makes you understand where Jessie Mae’s pain and anger comes from and that she is more than some disgruntled shrew. Jessica Frances Dukes is mesmerizing as Carry’s traveling companion, Thelma. Rounding out the cast is Doug Brown as the patient bus attendant and Lawrence Redmond as the empathetic Sheriff. Their parts are small, but important, and they both make the most out of them.

The Trip to Bountiful is one of the best productions to be staged in metropolitan DC in years. It’s a trip that should be taken immediately.

Runs through April 3

Round House Theatre  4545 East-West Highway  Bethesda, MD

Cymbeline: Shockingly Terrible—Theatre

There’s no good way to say this: the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Cymbeline is a mess. Miscast, shockingly acted in the negative and poorly conceived and directed, this whole production is completely unworthy of the Company.

Some of the problem is the play itself–it’s all over the place. Part tragedy, part comedy, part romance…Cymbeline ultimately fails at all three. For the theatergoer, it’s like watching at least three plays at once…nothing weaves seamlessly together. 

In order for Cymbeline to work, it’s heavily dependent upon excellent, believable acting. This production of Cymbeline does not have that. But thankfully it does have four good performances– Gretchen Hall as Imogen, Cymbeline’s daughter and Michael Rudko as Morgan,  Justin Badger as Polydore and  Alex Morf as Cadwal, father and sons respectively. Over the course of 2 hours and 20 minutes, these are the only actors who actually act and are right for their parts. Gretchen Hall is wonderful as the wronged daughter and wife, but there is only so much she can do. When Morgan and his two sons enter the play and interact with Imogen we finally feel as if the clouds have parted and the light of good acting has entered.

At the beginning of the play, when we learn that Imogen has sacrificed the love of her father to marry Posthumus, we expect there to be a good reason for such devotion.  Then we see and hear Posthumus, performed by Mark Bedard.  Him? This is your great love? This pipsqueak of a man with a tinny voice?  This role is so miscast it detracts from the entire play. Equally wrong for his role is Leo Marks as Cloten, one of the play’s villains and son of the Queen. Marks plays his part for cheap, easy laughs. The only shtick he doesn’t use is the twirling of his mustache. And what to make of veteran actors Ted Van Griethuysen as Cymbeline and Franchelle Stewart Dorn as the Queen?  Van Griethuysen seems to have phoned in his performance and Stewart Dorn is just painfully awful. Finally, what have they done with Andrew Long? This terrific actor would have been wonderful as either Posthumus or Cloten. He could have elevated Cymbeline to something special. Instead Long is relegated to an insignificant part as ambassador Caius Lucius. He does what he can with this role, but comparatively speaking, it’s still an insignificant part.

It’s hard to know what to say about the directing of Rebecca Bayla Taichman. The insertion of the Vespa from out of nowhere pretty much says it all.

I can’t remember when I’ve been this disappointed on so many levels in a Shakespeare Theatre Company production. Enough said.

Lansburgh Theatre

450 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20004

Runs January 18 2011—March 06 2011