West County Weekly (CA)
April 18,
2003
Section:
news
Edition:
Final
Page:
x06
Column:Community Theater
'VAMPIRES' HAVE BITE IN
LA VAL'S DARK, MANIC SHOW
JACK TUCKER, STAFF WRITER
THE FIRST WORDS of "The
Vampires" burst from the off-stage darkness of La Val's Subterranean
Theatre with the ominous rush of compressed energy like a locomotive
bearing down on you from the mouth of a tunnel:
"I'M UNHAPPY!" |
| Beth Donohue, as CC, comes
into the light in a forbidding all-black outfit, soon to be shortened into
a frilly short skirt underneath. She turns on her husband, Ian, a drama
critic, played by Patrick Dooley.
In the space of those fewng minutes, the tone and color of
Harry Kondoleon's play is set: Shrill. Delivered at a whirlwind pace.
Tunnel-dark in its manic comedy, yet oddly light as the train of quixotic
situations unfolds.
Ian's brother, Ed (Dave Maier), a carpenter turned playwright, has
his self-styled "masterpiece" trashed by Ian.
Canned as a critic when one of his vitriolic reviews caused an
actor to commit suicide, Ian decides he's a vampire. He sinks his fangs
into his wife's neck.
Ed's supportive wife Pat (Kimberly Wilday) appears and it's
fang-time again - figuratively, that is - as she and CC verbally get at
each other's throats.
Ed and Pat's 13-year-old daughter, Zivia (Nina Auslander), hooked
on heroin and mysticism, marries the guru (Robert Martinez) of an ashram
where she's placed for detox.
A high-spirited directorial debut by Shotgun member Joanie McBrien,
"The Vampires" has a well-chosen cast, good performances, great costume
design by Marilyn Stanley, lots of laughs along with the sting of
Kondoleon's wildly flung word darts. But to what effect? An absurdist
romp? No problem. The real underside of middle America, its dreams, its
follies? Big problem.
Plays at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; 7 p.m. Sundays,
through May 11, Tickets are $18 regular, $12 for seniors, youths and TBA
members, La Val's is at 1834 Euclid, Berkeley. Call .
A DIFFERENT UNIVERSE: "Annie," playing weekends through May 24 at
Contra Costa Civic Theatre, is about as far from "The Vampires" as it
could get without orbiting Venus - which stands for love, of course.
The depression-era musical, based on the comic strip "Little Orphan
Annie," is huge both in its cast, including loads of talented kids, and
its massive Matt Flynn-designed sets.
Thomas Meehan's book is sometimes overly sugary and cutesy, but
overall it provides a family-oriented plot with character development,
conflict, humor and heart. The script also provides a look back at
historical figures of the times, including FDR and some of his cabinet.
The music by Charles Strouse, with lyrics by Martin Charnin,
includes such hits from its 1977 Broadway run as "Easy Street" and
"Tomorrow."
Jan Brown is the director, with musical direction by Joanne Gabel,
and choreography by Anjee Norgaard.
Standouts in an energetic and well-focused cast include Kelsey
Wunderle in the title role, and Ken Ray as Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks, who
made the ultimate sacrifice for his role by shaving his head to match the
billionaire of the old strip. Good show!
One of the funniest highlights of the show is provided by Phil Reed
as the oily host of a wonderfully created radio talk show of the era.
Daniel Morgan as Rooster and his girlfriend Lily (Alexa Eurich),
along with the nasty Miss Hannigan (Carol DeChaine), manage a rousing turn
to the tune of "Easy Street."
Bob Knop is a believable Franklin D. Roosevelt, with his long
cigarette holder at a 45-degree angle as he met with members of his
cabinet, including a real-life look-alike Louis Flynn as the trenchant
Harold Ickes, secretary of the interior.
Annie's dog Sandy, superbly played by Rufus, an Irish Wolfhound
making his stage debut, proved that you can teach an old pooch new
theatrical dogma.
"Annie" plays at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m.
Sundays, April 20 and 27 and May 4 and 11, through May 24. Tickets are $20
regular, $12 for youths 16 and under. Contra Cost Civic Theatre is at 951
Pomona Ave., El Cerrito. Call , or for group sales at
.
SOLO RAP AT THE REP: "Surface Transit," a collection of monologues
written and performed by Sarah Jones, begins previews tonight at Berkeley
Repertory Theatre's Thrust Stage, 2025 Addison St.ng is set for
Wednesday, April 23. Call for times and ticket prices.
Recognized as an up-and-coming African American poet and
spoken-word performer, Jones weaves savvy political humor and arresting
language to craft this body of work detailing the disparate yet cosmically
linked lives of eight idiosyncratic New Yorkers.
Hailed as "Off-Broadway's goddess of the quick change," Jones
dissects prejudice through hilariously provocative stories. Tony Taccone
is directing.
PINOLE GOES IMPROV: East Bay Improv is a group
of quick-witted, off-the-cuff performers that has been creating
spontaneous comedy for audiences in the Bay Area for the past six years.
Now they are "crashing" - their word, not mine (but I can believe
it) - Pinole Community Playhouse one weekend every month.
Next shows coming up are April 25 and 26, and May 9 and 10. Shows
start at 8 p.m. and tickets are only $5. The playhouse is at 601 Tennent
Ave., Pinole. Call or see the Web site at
www..
Send theater items of interest to Jack Tucker c/o the West County
Times, 4301 Lakeside Drive, Richmond, CA 94806; e-mail
jtucker; fax to , or call . Include a
contact name and number.
|
Photo. The
undead don't stalk Contra Costa Civic Theatre's production of the upbeat
family musical "Annie," which stars Kelsey Wunderle as the eponymous
orphan and Rufus as Sandy. (Lou
Parada/Contributed).
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Copyright (c) 2003 West County Weekly.
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