GOOD PEOPLE - Review

When I saw "August: Osage County" on Broadway back in 2007, and it won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, I realized that an entirely new genre in theater had arrived. No longer entertaining or emotionally moving, now we were being exposed to somewhat cynical domestic dramas. Author David Lindsay-Abaire, born in South Boston, is grimly determined to reveal the pain in everyday life in this poor area. He was privy to the desolation and crushing of spirits among the people there, and he certainly brings that to our attention in this often bleak but also amusing comedy-drama.

 As reported formerly: " Margie is a white woman from the working-class neighborhood of South Boston. She’s a single mom caring for a grown, severely autistic daughter. Mike, her former high school beau, has gotten out of South Boston, become an M.D., and moved to the tony suburb of Chestnut Hill with his beautiful Black wife and their daughter. Now Margie has recently been fired from her job and is facing eviction. Some friends at the local church Bingo game suggest that she look up her old fling and ask him for a job. When Margie arrives at his doorstep, what will she ask and what will he do?"

 

Yes, this is a play that resounds today as its about contrasts, about those who 'make it' and those who don't. It's casting an eye on the unlucky in life and the now privileged, and what happens when they collide because of a long ago claim of kinship. It's so now when in essence one character says, in pleading desperation - you have all the luck, and I had all the hard knocks - now help me… and if you won't then I'll bring you down - maybe!

We are flies on the wall when Margie (a quixotically funny but tragic Alison Blanchard) is first mistaken for a domestic by the elegant Black lady of the house (a dazzling Charlotte Williams Roberts) in an ironic turnaround. We see the embarrassment and resentment that her old boyfriend, now a successful doctor (seething volcano Scott Facher) is driven to by his buried past. The scene between these three is riveting and the alternate pleading, threatening, placating, resounds through the house.   

The lead up to this confrontation is adroitly brought to life by clever director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky. My only concern is that much of the dialogue was lost due to the intimacy between the actors, especially Facher and Blanchard, who dug so deeply into their battle that they forgot they were onstage in a theatre, not in an actual living room.

Let's not overlook the rest of this excellent cast: Michael Kerr was wonderfully bewildered as a man caught in the crossfire between work and compassion; Suzan Solomon was delightfully casual as a friend with some clever suggestions, and Mariko Van Kampen was airily ditzy as a landlady with no heart of gold. Photos by Amir Kojoory and Eric Keitel.

Produced by David Hunt Stafford for Theatre 40, in the Reuben Cordova Theatre, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills. Free Parking. Strict Covid protocols. Tickets: (310) 364-0535 or  www.theatre40.org

 

 

THE WICKHAMS: CHRISTMAS AT PEMBERLEY - Reviewed by Cosmo Murphy

Well, I had a fun time at the show and am having even more fun writing this review as this sequel to "Pride and Prejudice" is a holiday treat where Jane Austen meets "Downton Abbey." This comic-drama, written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, is about the events leading up to a Christmas party at Pemberley. 

   Housekeeper Mrs. Reynolds has hired a new maid named Cassie and another character, Brian, has a crush on the girl. He spends a lot of time showing off his “inventions” to her, such as a device that makes baking biscuits easier. (It’s a roller combined with a biscuit cutter so she can roll dough and then immediately cut it into shapes for biscuits).

Meanwhile, Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have invited their friend, Lydia Wickham, who is married to George Wickham, who no one likes because of his toxic behavior. They all talk about how they don’t want George to show up and spoil their Christmas party.  So of course, George shows up belligerently drunk with his head bleeding from getting beaten up at a bar. To keep George’s arrival secret from Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth occupies his time by having sex with him upstairs, while Mrs. Reynolds occupies Lydia's time by shoving biscuits in her face and having her go to her room to eat them.

Then the maid, Cassie, discovers a letter addressed to George that reveals he had got another girl pregnant, and he owes a bunch of people money. (It was the brother of the girl he got pregnant who found him and beat him up). George realizes he lost the letter, that has now made its rounds to everyone in the house except for Lydia, his wife. George, eager to leave Pemberley, tells Lydia they ought to go abroad and she’s excited since she really wants to go to Paris. 

Lydia gets money from her dad, George and Lydia pack their bags and get ready to go, but just before they leave, the bombshell of George's behavior is dropped on Lydia. Although heartbroken, Lydia gives George the money her dad gave her for their trip abroad and George leaves the house alone. The final scene shows Brian giving Cassie a gift of a music box and they do a little dance to the music and that’s the end of the play.

    My favorite actor was Chelsea Kurtz for her portrayal of Lydia that had me laughing when she acted like a bimbo, and I empathized with her after she got her heart broken by George. Kyle T. Hester as George did an excellent job of being the antagonist but as his character was toxic I understood why no one wanted him around. Will Block played Brian with a schoolboy crush that had the audience laughing whenever he would introduce an invention. Kodi Jackman's Cassie strives for independence while her job as a maid allows her to have freedom from societal norms. 

 Nike Doukas as Mrs. Reynolds was the backbone of Pemberley, doing everything she could to ensure everything was fine and going well. Rebecca Mozo as Elizabeth was a moral person, a good friend to Lydia and a loyal wife to Mr Darcy. Adam Poss, was a badass Mr Darcy, charming towards the girls and didn’t take any nonsense from George while on the staircase.

Directed by Michael Butler, it's a fun show and an emotional experience as there were parts where I laughed and parts where I gasped. I enjoyed how the stage was set and how the characters used the space to tell the story. I recommend this play for Santa Barbarians that want to go out, be entertained, and cruise State Street after the show!  Photos by Zach Mendez.

Ensemble Theatre Company at The New Vic, 33 W. Victoria Street, Santa Barbara. For tickets or info: (805) 965-5400 or www.etcsb.org

THE GAMES AFOOT review

If, like myself, you are an avid Sherlock Holmes fan this rousing comedy, full of mystery and suspense, is the chance to visit with the super sleuth. 

Playwright Ken Ludwig's script is cleverly based on the 19^th century actor William Gillette who donned a deerstalker hat and smoked a crooked pipe when he performed Holmes over a thousand times. Gillette was one of the biggest stage stars of his day, extremely wealthy, and lived in Connecticut in a 24-room mansion that he designed himself to look like a medieval castle.

 

This play is a mystery thriller with many characters, and anyone present could have done it! 

After an attempt on his life, Gillette has invited members of his theater company there for a Christmas weekend.  His actor-guests are a delightful bunch, flirting and teasing each other mercilessly with sly digs, even as they grandly quote from Shakespeare. All are extravagant characters with underlying motives and superb comic timing so, when one of his guests falls victim to foul play, the evening darkens and becomes a double whodunit. 

 Neil Thompson is calmly clever as the enigmatic Gillette; Clara Rodriguez is sweetly dotty as his carefree mother; Sascha Vanderslik and Troy Whitaker are delightfully devious as newlyweds with a dark secret; Patrick Skelton and Barbara Brownell are a joyful married couple who enjoy fun and games, and Susan Priver is hilarious as a glamorous but vindictive theater reviewer (hmmm) who admits with great glee that she has panned everyone there. Also delightful is Michele Schultz as the local police inspector who forgets her badge at the precinct and is suspicious of everything that moves.

Bombastically directed by Larry Eisenberg, who emphasizes the tongue-in-cheek nature of the comedy with larger-than-life emotions and theatrical gestures. The set by Chris Winfield is superb, and colorful costumes by Angela M. Eads capture the era. Bravos to producer Lloyd Pedersen. At The Group Rep's Lonny Chapman Theatre, 10900 Burbank Blvd. NOHO. Tickets: 818-763-5990 or http://www.thegrouprep.com