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*   WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT "BAD HURT ON CEDAR STREET"  
Media Contact: Steve Moyer @ 818.784.7027; moyerpr@earthlink.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DIRECTED BY SALOME JENS
PRODUCED BY MOLLY MILES & JOHN C. MOONEY

STARRING:
LISA RICHARDS, STEPHEN MENDILLO,
JEFF COLE, GRANT SULLIVAN,
IRIS GILAD & LAURENCE COHEN

-          “Best Bet!” – January 19, 2007 - LA.com, a division of the Los Angeles Daily News

-          “Recommended!” – Beverly Hills Outlook

-          “An outstanding piece of theatre!” – Martin Landau, Academy Award®-Winning Actor

-          “Theatre Pick!  A Must See!  ‘Bad Hurt On Cedar Street,’ directed by Salome Jens, the very personal memoir of Mark Kemble (‘Names’), is the painfully honest chronicle of Easter weekend in 2001, when his family was dealt a series of life crises that no family should ever have to face.  Brilliant performances by Lisa Richards as the harassed mother of a retarded, adult daughter, Phoebe, magnificently played by Iris Gilad; a traumatized, drug-addicted Vietnam veteran son (Grant Sullivan); a hapless, unmotivated son (Jeff Cole), who later became an award-winning playwright (aha!); a disenchanted husband and father (Stephen Mendillo); and a retarded boy, Willy Crum (Laurence Cohen), who is destined to become another family member by default.  This is painful drama, so honest that it hurts; cunningly funny and sad at the same time; written with incredibly clear vision and directed intelligently and unsentimentally; heart-breaking and at times devastating, but totally watchable.” – Madeleine Shaner, Park LaBrea News/Beverly Press and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle

-          “The Kendall family has problems that go way beyond dysfunctional.  Mom Elaine (Lisa Richards) chirpily presides over her disastrous brood with optimism – but she’s hiding a dark secret.  Dad (Stephen Mendillo) came home from the Vietnam War an angry alcoholic (also with a dark secret), and son Kent (Grant Sullivan) returned from the first Iraq war with Gulf War syndrome, a serious drug habit – and a dark secret.  Second son Todd (Jeff Cole) has never quite found himself.  And mentally challenged daughter Phoebe (Iris Gilad) is like a giant baby, too obstreperous to control.  She has a boyfriend (Laurence Cohen), also retarded….Salome Jens directs a top-notch cast with a sure and sensitive hand….James Eric and Victoria Bellocq provide the huge and finely detailed set of the Kendall home.” – Neal Weaver, LA Weekly and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle

-          “Rave!  I had the utmost pleasure of witnessing this masterfully written and brilliantly acted drama the other night, and was so thoroughly impressed, that I had to hop online and tell the whole web just that.  I would recommend this wonderful work of art to anyone and everyone.  It is honestly one of most beautifully crafted dramas I have seen all year!” – Gregor J, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles Times Online Reader Reviews

-          “It is a frank and beautifully forgiving portrait of a family struggling to survive their own frailties and the ones life has given them.”

– David Strathairn, Academy Award®-Winning Actor

-          “Scripter Mark Kemble has distilled his memories of his adult retarded sister…emotion-searing sojourn through the tribulations of a monumentally dysfunctional Irish-American New England family.  Kemble thrusts the burden of holding the ripped shreds of this family together into the weary but rigid hands of family matriarch Elaine Kendall, performed with heart-rending intensity and commitment by Lisa Richards.  Helmer Salome Jens impressively guides an excellent ensemble through the emotional chaos that swirls about Elaine, achieving a believable flow to the needs and deeds that afflict this woman’s daily life.  Eldest son Kent (Grant Sullivan), drug-addled from injuries suffered while serving in Desert Storm, is either comatose on his bed or screaming for pain pills. Twenty-something daughter Phoebe (Iris Gilad), retarded since birth, is physically unrestrainable when she gets upset, which is almost constantly.  Underachieving younger son Todd (Jeff Cole), a municipal bus driver, has been emotionally crushed by the unrelenting disapproval of his father, Ed (Stephen Mendillo).  And Ed’s idea of coping with the family’s problems is to retreat to his basement workshop where he is constantly tinkering with projects.  Elaine and Ed no longer sleep together.  Within this stupefying family dynamic Kemble inserts the jabbing concern of what to do about Phoebe who has been expelled from a funded social welfare work program because of her infatuation with a fellow worker, developmentally handicapped but physically imposing Willy Crum (Laurence Cohen).  Ed and Todd are outraged that Willy is ‘fingering’ Phoebe.  Naturally, it is Elaine who recognizes the true worth of having Willy in Phoebe’s life.  Kemble finally offers Elaine an unwanted ally in her struggle for survival.  An untimely death of a family member sets off a cathartic series of events that bring some level of resolution to life-long conflicts within the Kendall family.

Within an ensemble of excellent portrayals, Mendillo’s Ed stands out as an embittered Vietnam vet that is heartbroken because of what one son has become and what the other will never be.  Also noteworthy is Gilad’s unbridled commitment to inhabiting Phoebe’s damaged psyche.  Kudos to the production designs of James Eric and Victoria Bellocq (sets), Leeann Johnson (costumes), J. Kent Inasy (lighting) and Marc Olevin (sound) for making tangible the claustrophobic physical environment of the Kendall family of Cranston, R.I.” – Julio Martinez, Daily Variety and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle

-          “Rave!  It felt like Arthur Miller was in the wings at Greenway Court Theatre.  Mark Kemble has scripted a BRILLIANT family drama!  A slightly built mother has the Herculean duty to take care of a family whose daily grind takes your breath away.  When you finally are able to inhale again, a notepad and long buried affections allow you a glimmer of hope.  It was truly an honor to watch this perfect cast portray a raw, unrelenting reality.  Salome Jens’ direction lent a haunting quality to this modern masterpiece.” – Tracy G., Santa Monica, CA – Los Angeles Times Online Reader Reviews

-          “Durable material!  Family demons surface in ‘Hurt.’  As Mark Kemble would likely be the first to admit, his drama, ‘Bad Hurt On Cedar Street,’ is a Jesus-Mary-Joseph play – an oh so bittersweet tale of Irish-Catholic scrappers, stranded between the cross and the bottle, lurching from sadism to sentiment.  Even the spirit of JFK gets his due in the production at the Greenway Court Theatre.  The action takes place in a shabby tenement in Providence, 2001.  Elaine Kendall (an appropriately dish-ragged Lisa Richards) keeps the family body and soul jury-rigged by wrestling her mentally disabled adult daughter (Iris Gilad) into her clothes every morning, and slipping cigarettes and painkillers to her bed-ridden, Gulf War veteran son (Grant Sullivan).  Meanwhile, husband Ed (Stephen Mendillo), a Vietnam vet with his own demons, tinkers with his aquarium in the garage, dreaming of piranhas so desperate they feed on each other in blind lust for nourishment.  There are fine stretches of writing and a bold, affecting performance from Gilad.” – Charlotte Strout, Los Angeles Times

-          “An exquisite cast and outstanding direction by Salome Jens.  Inspired by growing up with a retarded sister, Kemble explores the trials of the Kendall family, who have been the victims of dual tragedies.  First is the plight of their young-adult daughter, Phoebe (Iris Gilad), who is mentally disabled and requires almost constant attention.  In the meantime, son Kent (Grant Sullivan) has returned from Desert Storm with a serious case of Gulf War syndrome that has left him incapacitated and drug-dependent.  Left to sort out these twin tragedies are the long-suffering mother, Elaine (Lisa Richards); embittered father, Ed (Stephen Mendillo); and more-normal brother, Todd (Jeff Cole).  When Phoebe falls in love with retarded co-worker Willy (Laurence Cohen) and Kent dies of an overdose, the play kicks into…ultimate resolution….Fabulous performances by all in the cast.  Gilad is transcendent and vivid in her portrayal of Phoebe; Richards is continuously bold and unflinching as the stoic mother; Mendillo is captivating in seizing on the shades of light and dark in the father; and Sullivan is mesmerizing as the Gulf War veteran caught in the spiral of despair.  Cole is terrific as the brother struggling to find some normalcy amid the ruins, and Cohen is outstandingly real as the retarded co-worker.  Jens directs this gifted ensemble with a magnificently light touch, highlighting the counterpoint of personality and plot.” – Hoyt Hilsman, Back Stage West and Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle

-          “A stimulating evening.  It’s the best thing I’ve seen in L.A.!” – Ted Mann, Circle In The Square

-          “A deeply moving exploration of a family’s heroic struggle.” – Mark Rydell, Producer/Director

-          “Beautifully written with involving, rewarding, gut wrenching heart and soul, by Mark Kemble, based on his own experiences with a retarded sister….

A hard-hitting, deeply involving, poignant slice of life triumph!  A beautifully produced production rich with all of the needed ingredients that makes up great theatre, this family’s personal life challenges will linger in my mind for some time to come.  The incomparable Salome Jens directs a superb cast here, with multi-dimensional vision and pulsating passion!  No stranger to the stage, her award-winning career, as a highly respected actress, surely contributes to the chilling realism of this production.  It is Easter weekend in 2001, at the Rhode Island home of the Kendall family.  (Fabulous and detailed split-level set design by James Eric and Victoria Bellocq).  Held together with loving determination and unfathomable patience by Elaine, the emotionally spent mother (a brilliant performance by Lisa Richards), this is a family in crisis.  While her troubled husband, incapable of dealing with the dismal family issues, putters in the garage (excellent work by Stephen Mendillo), Elaine bravely handles the insurmountable needs of Phoebe, her volatile and mentally retarded daughter, and Kent, her drug-addicted pain ridden son, homebound by Desert Storm war injuries.  Iris Gilad is unbelievably convincing as the spirited Phoebe, and Grant Sullivan is heartbreakingly effective as the deeply depressed Kent.  Laurence Cohen is delightful (offering comic relief) as the retarded Willy, smitten with Phoebe, and as the older brother, Todd, Jeff Cole is also dynamic!  This is a perfectly chosen, amazing ensemble that mesmerized us with their impeccably in depth depictions.  The lighting by Kent Inasy, costumes by Leeann Johnson, and sound by Marc Olevin, perfectly set the mood.  A staggeringly beautiful, thought provoking drama.  I do hope you will catch this one!” – Pat Taylor – The Tolucan Times and Canyon Crier

-           “An astonishing new play with an exhilarating cast!” – Barry Primus, Actor

-          “Mark Kemble’s play, ‘Bad Hurt On Cedar Street’ reminds me of why I love theatre.” – Peter Flood, Director

-          “I liked it even more the second time!” – Tom Musca, Writer/Director

-          “Ordinary lives made heroic in the Arthur Miller tradition!” – Ramon Menedez, Writer/Director

-          “With talk of deploying more troops to Iraq, Mark Kemble’s semi- autobiographical ‘Bad Hurt on Cedar Street,’ which examines the casualties of war (Vietnam, Desert Storm) in a Rhode Island family, is particularly poignant.  Directed by Salome Jens, the show had its World Premiere at the Greenway Court Theatre on Friday, January 19, 2007.  Over Easter weekend in 2001 the Kendall family searches for balance as secrets and foibles are revealed.  While the searing and numerous truths revealed are reminiscent of ‘Long Days Journey Into Night,’ unlike O’Neill, the Kemble play is ripe with humor and possesses a sense of hope.  The excellent ensemble of actors took the audience on an emotional, but ultimately uplifting rollercoaster ride.  Elaine Kendall, who is played with tenderness and strength by Lisa Richards, cares for her volatile mentally retarded daughter, Phoebe (Iris Gilad), while simultaneously looking after her son, Kent (Grant Sullivan) who returned from Desert Storm forever changed, as well as her disabled husband, Ed (Stephen Mendillo), who spends much of his time in the garage building an aquarium.  The ‘normal’ son, Todd (Jeff Cole) struggles to maintain his equilibrium in the midst of his chaotic family.  Some of the funniest moments in the play occur when mother and daughter share a ritual about what people do after they die.  These exchanges are one example of Kemble’s gift for dialogue.  Phoebe: ‘John F. Kennedy’ Elaine: ‘Mowin’ Jesus’ lawn.’  Phoebe: ‘The Pope.’  Elaine: ‘Mowin’ Jesus’ lawn.’  Phoebe: ‘The other Pope.’  Elaine: ‘Lawn.’  While sensitively portrayed, laughter is also elicited by Phoebe’s mentally retarded boyfriend, Willy Crum (Laurence Cohen), who imitates the frequent car alarms he hears.  Despite the wrenching subject matter, thanks to Jens’ deft direction and the especially touching performances of Gilad, Mendillo, Richards and Cohen, the action on stage seems very natural.  The beautifully rendered set design of James Eric and Victoria Bellocq is also worthy of accolades.” – Candyce Columbus, Core Media Group:  Arcadia Weekly, Pasadena Independent, Monrovia Weekly, Sierra Madre Weekly and La Cañada/Flintridge Weekly

-          “Seldom does one experience a play that scrutinizes a family in conflict as excruciatingly close as Mark Kemble’s gripping story of the Kendall’s.

Salome Jens directs the ensemble with wonderful sensitivity, emphasizing a sense of hopelessness without allowing it to get melodramatic.  The characters are exquisitely etched out by an amazing cast that creates people you can recognize and actually care about.  Just like the multi-tiered set that actually has two bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen/living room area, the story develops on multiple levels, each more compelling than the other, yet all coming together with seamless precision at the end.  Kent, the ex-marine, has a heart-breaking chronicle of a man who puts his life on the line for his country and then is tossed out by the military because of a lifestyle choice.  Todd is the younger brother who knows that he will never be as favored as Kent in his father’s eyes, but tries to carve out an identity within the narrow boundaries allowed.  Daughter Phoebe’s saga goes from hope to anguish to near exhilaration, with its child-like innocent discovery of simple human warmth and love.  The father is a former alcoholic who is on permanent disability and does little side jobs for money while Elaine tries to cope with the daughter and the drug-addicted, semi-invalid son.  This weekend brings news that the Health and Human Services department is canceling Phoebe’s sheltered work program because she is becoming disruptive on the job.  The cancellation also includes loss of medical benefits, which will force the family to find a way to provide somehow for the expensive medications.  Stephen Mendillo brings a powerful portrayal of the father who has reached the last ounce of patience and tolerance with the problems of his children and is on the edge of exploding.  His wife, Elaine, desperately struggles to keep the family going, even when her stubborn husband insists on drastic measures.  Lisa Richards is wonderful as the mother whose constant hope and determination is near inspirational even when revealing a horrid secret.  Iris Gilad is absolutely superb as the retarded Phoebe who finds kinship wand love within her very limited capacity with Willy Crum, (beautifully portrayed by Laurence Cohen), a young man seriously retarded and deeply in love with Phoebe.  Jeff Cole and Grant Sullivan play the brothers who discover an unexpected bond when Kent shares a deep secret that has been festering in his soul.  Though steeped in tragic events, the story hints of a better future, a happier ending and an important evolution by the main protagonists, who seem to discover that the answer to their greatest concern was facing them all the time.  Because of the sensitive and intimate way the characters are presented, this play could become an important piece in the ever challenging struggle to present those with mental disabilities as people with feelings, needs and desires, not much different from any one else, rather than some of the insensitive ways in which they are often depicted.” – Jose Ruiz, ReviewPlays.com

-          “Luminaries from the local theatre community turned out for the World Premiere of Mark Kemble’s ‘Bad Hurt On Cedar Street’ at the Greenway Court Theatre, just over the hill on Fairfax and Melrose.  Longtime Studio City resident Lisa Richards plays the matriarch of the dysfunctional Kendall family, and her real life husband Stephen Mendillo play her stage husband Ed in this new play by Mark Kemble.  The drama, inspired by Kemble’s retarded sister who needed constant care by his mother, was workshopped at the Actors Studio under the direction of Mark Rydell, Lyle Kessler and Studio City’s Martin Landau.  The play is directed by Actors Studio veteran Salome Jens, an original member of Elia Kazan’s company at Lincoln Center where she created the role of Helga in Arthur Miller’s ‘After The Fall,’ but she is perhaps best-known for portraying the female Shapeshifter on ‘Star Trek:  Deep Space Nine.’  Opening Weekend attracted Frances Fisher, Lesley Ann Warren, Cindy Williams, Roxanne Hart, Martin Landau, Alex Ebert (lead singer of Ima Robot and Lisa Richards’ son) and Kevin McCarthy, a Sherman Oaks resident who originated the role of Biff in ‘Death of A Salesman.’” – Marci Marks, Studio City Sun, Sherman Oaks Sun and Encino Sun

-    “An unforgettable and unusual play by a perceptive writer!  Director Salome Jens keeps the characters very honest.  Iris Gilad as Phoebe and Laurence Cohen as Willy are particularly memorable.  Veterans (Stephen) Mendillo and (Lisa) Richards ground the play as parents who almost lose all joy in the stress of devastating responsibilities.  Playwright (Mark) Kemble though not succumbing to the impossible attempt to craft a happy ending, indicates options for his characters and, best of all, ones they can create for themselves.  James Eric and Victoria Bellocq have designed an intricate multi-level set that gives scope to the constricted blue-collar world which this challenged family’s vitality keeps pulsing.” – Laura Hitchcock, CurtainUp.com

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REVIEWS FOR PERMANENT COLLECTION


VARIETY REVIEW - APRIL 21, 2005
L.A. TIMES REVIEW - APRIL 22, 2005
L.A. TIMES FEATURE ARTICLE - MAY 4, 2005


A provocative portrait of racial politics
By F. Kathleen Foley
Special to The Times

April 22, 2005

Playwright Thomas Gibbons plays both sides of the race card in "Permanent Collection" at the Greenway Court Theatre. Loosely based on the real-life controversy surrounding Philadelphia's Barnes Foundation, a financially beleaguered institution that endured charges of racism under the aegis of its controversial black director, the play examines the nature of racial politics in a politically correct age, when a single untoward utterance can destroy a career that took a lifetime to build.

Gibbons' intellectually charged drama is a beautifully balanced dialectic that treats a complicated and emotional issue without cheap conclusions. This West Coast premiere, presented by the Robey Theatre Company and the Greenway Arts Alliance, is heartening confirmation that good new plays are out there and that some lucky few, as in this case, are brought to solidly rendered fruition.

As the play opens, Sterling North (assured Ben Guillory), a prominent African American marketing executive, has just been appointed director of the Morris Foundation, a collection of Impressionist art compiled by eccentric Alfred Morris (Kent Minault), the museum's late founder, who appears in various flashback sequences.

Early in his tenure, North clashes with erudite art historian Paul Barrow (nicely underplayed by Doug Cox). Outraged that such treasures are kept out of the public's eye, North wants to display some of the fabulous African collection currently in storage. Equally passionate in his beliefs, Barrow is eager to honor the stipulations in Morris' will and preserve the collection unchanged. Both North and Barrow claim to be acting out of pure and unsullied love for art — but as their dispute grows ever more fractious, their unspoken resentments come to the fore.

Co-directors Harry J. Lennix and Dwain Perry ensure solid performances from these unfaltering actors, many of whom are double cast. James Eric and Victoria Bellocq's eye-catching set is a work of art in its own right. Despite a few line irregularities on opening night, Guillory proves a towering presence of classical dimension and strength.
However, it is Gibbons' play that is the true star of the evening. Sophisticated and deft, it is a provocative treatment of the unanswerable.



Ripped from pages of the art news
Thomas Gibbons explores issues of race and cultural ownership in a play inspired by a museum dispute.
By Julia M. Klein
Special to The Times

May 4, 2005

PHILADELPHIA -- About six years ago, on the way to the Los Angeles airport, Philadelphia playwright Thomas Gibbons was telling Ben Guillory, producing artistic director of the Robey Theatre Company, about the travails of the Barnes Foundation.

Collector Albert C. Barnes had willed control of his foundation, a trove of 19th and 20th century French paintings and other masterpieces in Merion, Pa., to Lincoln University, a small, predominantly African American school nearby. An African American lawyer named Richard H. Glanton took over as foundation president in 1990 and launched a series of lawsuits, including a civil-rights action against the Barnes' neighbors and local officials.

"You really ought to write a play about that," said Guillory — and, says Gibbons, "the idea really took root."

It blossomed into "Permanent Collection," which explores the issues of race and cultural ownership and the role of the press in the context of a dispute at the semi-fictional Morris Foundation. The West Coast premiere, a co-production of Robey and the Greenway Arts Alliance at the Greenway Court Theatre in Los Angeles, stars Guillory as foundation director Sterling North.

Gibbons, 50, an admirer of the British playwright David Hare, believes audiences are "starving" for plays that examine social and political issues.

"Most theater in this country is horrendously boring," he says. "Trivial. I have no interest in dysfunctional families. There are 26,417 plays about American families. There are other, far more interesting things to write about."

The connection, Guillory says, between Albert Barnes and Lincoln University, which stemmed from Barnes' long-standing admiration for African American culture and his friendship with Lincoln's president, "caused a conflict that is a natural for the play." "Permanent Collection" is "not just about art — it's about who has the power, who makes the choices in the world."

Gibbons first stumbled on race as a preoccupation when he wrote the 1993 documentary play "6221," about the infamous MOVE bombing that destroyed a West Philadelphia row-house neighborhood eight years earlier. Gibbons, playwright-in-residence at Philadelphia's InterAct Theatre Company and a medical editor by day, says he was struck by how differently blacks and whites viewed the event. "There was never a moment when I thought that was my subject," he says. "I just found myself being drawn to stories that explored that divide."

Gibbons, who is white, turned to the relationship between race and art in "Bee-Luther-Hatchee," in which a black editor discovers that a black woman's memoir was penned by a white man. The issue of cultural authenticity strikes close to home for Gibbons, who says he tries "to put myself aside" when writing. Guillory says black audience members are often shocked to learn "Bee-Luther-Hatchee," which Robey produced in 1999, and "Permanent Collection" are the work of a white man, so assured is Gibbons' dramaturgical ventriloquism.

Indeed, as Gibbons sat down to write this latest play, he says, "the first thing I had was Sterling's opening monologue," which describes the new director's reactions to being stopped by police while driving to the foundation on his first day of work. "I knew that the play was going to begin with the words, 'Put yourself in my place.' Once I had that part, I quickly realized that before I had anything else, I wanted Act 2 to begin with a monologue by another character."

That character turned out to be the foundation's longtime education director, Paul Barrow, who is white. Barrow clashes with Sterling North when the director wants to take eight African sculptures out of storage and display them, in defiance of the will of Alfred Morris. With the intervention of a seemingly ubiquitous reporter, the conflict quickly escalates, charges of racism fly back and forth, and the Morris Foundation — like its real-life counterpart — appears headed for ruin. (Backed by three local foundations, the Barnes received court approval in December to move its gallery to downtown Philadelphia, and a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision April 27 appears to have cleared away the last legal hurdle to the relocation.)

Gibbons says he explicitly modeled Alfred Morris on Barnes but invented the rest of his characters, as well as the conflict itself. The actual civil-rights suit developed out of local opposition to the foundation's desire to build a new parking lot to support increased attendance. But, says Gibbons, "what really drew my attention was the way in which a dispute about a parking lot became a dispute about something else … once an accusation of racism was made. Once I started to work on the play, I realized I didn't want to write about a parking lot."

In "Permanent Collection," whose title refers to the demand by Morris (like Barnes) that his works be displayed just as he left them, "what starts out as internal conflict becomes very public," Gibbons says. As a result, the characters "find themselves saying things that they may not necessarily believe and being pushed into ever more extreme positions."

Supported by the Continued Life of New Plays Fund, a project of the National New Play Network, "Permanent Collection" has had successful runs at regional theaters around the country since its critically acclaimed Philadelphia premiere in October 2003. Harry J. Lennix, who co-directed the L.A. production with Dwain Perry, recently played Sterling North at the Northlight Theatre in Skokie, Ill., outside Chicago.

"What's exciting about it is that it invites us to engage in a long overdue conversation," Lennix says of the play.

"I think the characters … are archetypes that are fairly recognizable. What becomes difficult as an actor-director is that the play is not really about those characters, the play is about ideas. You have characters serving ideas."

But Guillory says it's not a stretch for him to identify with Sterling North — a successful black professional who's sustained his share of injuries on his way up the corporate ladder. "There's a lot of rage in Sterling, and it's triggered often by some of the simplest things. For African Americans, there is a sixth sense that comes along with being someone who has to watch out most of their lives and wants to be a part of the mainstream. You can't fight the good fight every day," he says. "You have to pick your battles."

Permanent Collection
A Robey Theater Company and Greenway Arts Alliance presentation of a play in two acts by Thomas Gibbons, directed by Harry J. Lennix and Dwain Perry.

Sterling North - Ben Guillory
Paul Barrow - Doug Cox
Kanika Weaver - LaFern Watkins
Dr. Morris - Kent Minault
Gillian Crane - Kiersten Morgan
Ella Franklin - Elayn J. Taylor


    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    By JULIO MARTINEZ
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    This review was corrected on April 21, 2005
    Inspired by the actual events surrounding the litigious warfare plaguing the Barnes Foundation in suburban Philadelphia, scripter Thomas Gibbons has fashioned a wordy but compelling mano-a-mano between two flawed combatants whose failure to compromise threatens to destroy the institution both are dedicated to protect. Helmers Harry J. Lennix and Dwain Perry elicit impressive perfs from an excellent five-member ensemble but fail to overcome the scripter's heavy-handed need to oversell this sojourn through the multilayered dimensions of racial and artistic politics. Gibbons needs to seriously rethink his basic agenda if "Permanent Collection" is to move up to a large venue.

    The production opens with the reflections of successful businessman Sterling North (Ben Guillory) on his first day as director of the prestigious East Coast-based Morris Foundation, whose museum houses one of the most spectacular collections of Impressionist art in the world. For more than 10 minutes, Guillory's North soliloquizes on his morning's experience of having been stopped by a patrolman for no apparent reason other than that he was a black man driving a fancy car.

    North's unabashed self-satisfaction at vanquishing this racist representative of white America's ruling hierarchy sets the tone for his emotion-searing battles with anyone who disagrees with him, especially the museum's deceptively bookish, mild-mannered director of education, Paul Barrow (Doug Cox).

    The clash between North and Barrow centers on the new director's desire to elevate the museum's small but exquisite collection of African art from its current storage area in the basement to the main floor of the museum. Paul unequivocally opposes any deviation from the original vision of the museum's founder, Dr. Morris, whose will forbids any manipulation of the exhibit. The rest of this two-hour-plus legiter rehashes this standoff ad nauseam, escalating what should have been an easily resolved inhouse squabble into a community scandal that destroys the integrity of both men and nearly bankrupts the museum.

    Guillory invests North with a civil, barely concealed aura of contempt for a white power structure he has had to combat along his journey up the corporate ladder. Guillory also admirably imbues this character with a compelling charm and sense of humor that lends credence to North's stance that he is doing the right thing in battling this relic of one white man's vision of what art the public should be allowed to see in this museum.

    Barrow suffers in comparison. As played by Cox, he is a bloodless, humorless pedant whose life begins and ends among the beloved Renoirs and Matisses at the museum. He does communicate the sad impotence of a truly idealistic combatant who does not know how to deal with North's assertion that he is a racist. Staring hopelessly into space, he declares, "That accusation is its own truth."

    Adding some spice to the proceedings are the recurring comments of the great man himself, Dr. Morris, played to the curmudgeonly hilt by Kent Minault. Though obviously much more enamored with his collection of European art, he lends artistic heft to his collection of African pieces by offhandedly stating, "I'm addicted to the Negro."

    One annoying aspect of Gibbons' text is the overuse of perky but devious young reporter Gillian Crane (Kiersten Morgan), who seems to be able to manipulate the supposedly intelligent North and Barrow any way she wants. Whenever the scripter wants to move the plot in a new direction, he simply sends Gillian out to interview somebody. To her credit, Morgan makes plausible the reporter's insidious ability to get though the defenses of both men.

    Abetting the action are LaFern Watkins' heartfelt portrayal of North's down-to-earth assistant Kanika Weaver and Elayn J. Taylor as longtime museum employee Ella Franklin, who manages to survive everyone.

    The action is played out almost entirely on a re-creation of the main gallery of the museum, impressively wrought by James Eric and Victoria Bellocq.

    Sets, James Eric and Victoria Bellocq; lights, Ian Garrett; costumes, Naila Aladdin-Sanders; sound, Jeff Scott. Opened April 15, 2005. Reviewed April 17. Runs through May 15. Running time: 2 HOURS, 15 MIN.

 


    PHILIP SOKOLOFF
    Publicity for the theatre
    P.O. Box 94387
    Pasadena, CA 91109-4387
    (626) 683-9205
    fax (626) 683-9172
    e-mail: showbizphil@yahoo.com

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Written by Yehuda Hyman, this latest in Cornerstone Theater’s faith-based series of plays
strives, with spotty success, for a kaleidoscopic view of L.A.’s Jewish community. The piece
launches with “a Jewish walking tour of Los Angeles.” A sonorous-sounding guide (Peter
Howard) conducts an international assemblage of Jews on a slide-illustrated virtual tour of
the community’s past. Accompanying them is a no-nonsense professional photographer named Jackie (Lisa Robins), who joins the group only reluctantly. The meandering narrative touches on both history and ritual, its scattershot perspective eventually converging on three generations of a Jewish family. The drama gains momentum as the focus tightens on two sisters who turn out to be Jackie and her sibling, Elaine. Despite the production’s
pretentious aspirations to pageantry, under Tracy Young’s direction, four performers,
including child actors Arielle Ross and Debra Schuraytz, convincingly portray each sister
from childhood to maturity. The script’s emotional punch is propelled by strong
performances, including Robins as the bitter, alienated Jackie. Among other compelling
portrayals are Regan Forman’s driven, drug-addicted Elaine in her 30s, and Andrew Cohen as yet another wandering soul, whose connection to the sisters becomes clear only at the end.

Cornerstone Theater Company at GREENWAY Court Theater, 544 N. Fairfax Ave.; Thurs. &
Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 & 7 p.m.; thru Feb. 29. (323) 655-7679, Ext. 100. Written 2/19/04
(Deborah Klugman)

THEATER REVIEW
Connecting with L.A.'s Jewish roots
'Center of the Star' uses actors and amateurs to examine faith. A personal story pulls the elements together.
By F. Kathleen Foley
Special to The Times

February 13, 2004

"Center of the Star" is the latest production in Cornerstone Theater Company's Faith-Based Theater Cycle, an ambitious four-year series examining how faith unites and divides the larger community.

Presented in association with GREENWAY Arts Alliance at GREENWAY Court Theatre, "Star" amusingly encapsulates the history of Jews in Southern California. However, playwright Yehuda Hyman's far-ranging and magically alchemical drama successfully melds historical overview, cabalistic musings and an intensely personal story of one woman's spiritual reawakening.

Subtitled "A Jewish Walking Tour of Los Angeles," the play is narrated by a mysterious Guide (Cornerstone founding member Peter Howard), an angel in human form who escorts a vivid gaggle of Jewish tourists around various Jewish bastions, past and present. But this Guide's driving purpose is luring successful photojournalist Jackie (Lisa Robins) back to Los Angeles to reconnect with her Jewish roots and, in so doing, to forgive the sister responsible for a life-altering tragedy.

Tracy Young's in-the-round staging features original music by Shishir Kurup and David Markowitz and choreography by the playwright and Jennifer Li Aldridge. Scenic designer Rachel Hauck's integral slide projections are a particular triumph.

As with other Faith-Based productions, the cast is "community specific," a blend of professional actors and non-pros from the community at large. Under Young's astute direction, the divide is hardly noticeable. Especially effective are the droll Howard, the dry Robins and the passionate Andrew Cohen as a troubled young Jew whose connection to the action seems bafflingly extraneous — until Hyman's glorious denouement, which ties up all loose ends splendidly.

*

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Southern CA October 01, 2003


The most elaborate book report in history is now onstage, as Bryan Davidson and Kim Dunbar have penned a play based on novels that have come under fire for their presence on high school reading lists. Four books in particular provide the framework for the script, which strains to tie together disparate elements. Director Ayana Cahrr brings a solid foundation to the creaky construction. The closest thing to a central character is a librarian (Annette Murphy) detained in an FBI holding cell; she violated the Patriot Act by refusing to disclose the reading material of a suspected terrorist. She goes on a verbal tirade against censorship, invoking the titles Annie on My Mind, To Kill a Mockingbird, Johnny Got His Gun, and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. When each book is mentioned, the play dissolves into a recreation of that novel's more famous scenes, spliced with vignettes involving characters reading said tome. This device is at times used beautifully; at other times it drips with awkwardness. In every aspect, Banned and Burned in America is inconsistent. The lighting (Jeremy Pivnick) is at times evocative, yet it leaves some actors in shadows. The set (Victoria Bellocq) leads to sharp blocking and seamless changes, but too often it also leads to awkward staging. Some of the actors are distractingly bad, and some are disarmingly brilliant. Standouts include Mary Cobb, who brings unforced humor to each role she plays; Kiersten Morgan, visibly uncomfortable in her first role, hits her stride by her second and proves to be a fine actor--funny and believable--in her final scenes; Tangelia Rouse follows a similar arc, finishing with a strong performance as Marguerite in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Banned and Burned in America includes some beautiful, powerful moments. It brings to the stage an "important issue" but not a current one. The production leaves no doubt as to its viewpoint: Censorship is bad, books are sacred. Is there any drama in bringing that message to the stage?



BANNED AND BURNED IN AMERICA
10/2/2003 (Steven Leigh Morris)

Alternately intriguing and precious, Bryan Davidson and Kim Dunbar’s meandering chronicle of great scenes from banned books and the attitudes underlying American censorship starts and ends with a reference librarian (Annette Murphy) — busted under the PATRIOT Act for deleting the computer file of a Muslim reader.

“The library is like a sanctuary for me,” she tells the audience in a line swilling with righteousness, regardless of how right she may be.

And the melding of scenes from Nancy Garden’s banned lesbian potboiler, Annie on My Mind, with angst-ridden high schoolers (for whom the book is a beacon of light) is almost insufferably noble.

But when a black student (Donovan Knowles) refuses to read a scene from To Kill a Mockingbird, and is tried in an administrative hearing for slugging a peer who torments him, the twists and turns of political correctness through the halls of censorship become riveting.

Ayana Cahrr nicely stages the ensemble-oriented piece in all corners of the room, and when Gary Carter and Mary Cobb take the stage in their multiple roles, the drama sizzles.


GREENWAY Court Theater
THEATER REVIEW;
A lesson in censorship; 'Banned' recounts scenes from classic books and the battle against suppression
David C. Nichols
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles, Calif. Oct 3, 2003

Unmistakable integrity ignites Bryan Davidson and Kim Dunbar's "Banned and Burned in America," now premiering at GREENWAY Court Theatre, whose proximity to Fairfax High seems apt. Under Ayana Cahrr's visceral direction, this exploration of censorship's national implications conveys acute topical purpose and kinetic cohesion.

Inspired by Diane Ravitch's book "The Language Police: How Pressure Groups Restrict What Children Learn," "Banned" begins with bookworms lounging about Victoria Bellocq's stylized set. The prologue ends on a slammed cell door, courtesy of Fritz Davis' sound plot.

An FBI-hounded librarian (Annette Murphy) carries "Banned's" treatise, which emerges amid excerpts from targeted novels. Nancy Garden's "Annie on My Mind," Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," Dalton Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun" and Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" are folded into corresponding scenarios.

Authors Davidson and Dunbar surmount the academic contours with notable imagination. Amy Munroe Peterson and Tara Platt play out the teen lesbian courtship of "Annie," while an incendiary mob and free-speech activists battle over its subject matter.

The Act 1 climax combines "Mockingbird's" trial and a scholastic disciplinary hearing, with intractable teacher Mary Cobb and stereotype-resistant student Donovan Knowles silencing the house.

Act 2 moves from riveting to electrifying. In the magnificent "Johnny" sequence, Issac Bright is beyond praise as the war-torn protagonist's id. Tangelia Nichole Rouse and Kiersten Morgan are axiomatic as "Caged Bird's" abused child and renegade reader, respectively.

Pierson Blaetz, Jon Caligiuri, Gary Carter, Edythe Davis, David Haley, Diana Elizabeth Jordan and Penelope Lowder complete the seamless ensemble. Their group dexterity culminates in an unforgettable invocation of banned classic titles, culled from the 100 schoolbooks most frequently challenged by parents and pressure groups between 1990 and 2000.

Here, as everywhere, Cahrr's direction exerts invisible control. Besides Bellocq's and Davis' contributions, Jeremy Pivnick's lighting, Naila Aladdin-Sanders' costumes, April Larson's videos and Robert F. Trucios' music are staunch assets.

Everyone's efforts result in the most ingratiating consciousness- raiser since "Nickel and Dimed" at the Taper -- catnip for inquiring minds, required viewing for closed ones.

* 'Banned and Burned in America'
Where: GREENWAY Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A.

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"...Sparks and company head in new directions as they combine Hong Kong action movies, the English music hall and the circus into surreal eye candy…Dever is so riveting… he rolls smirking cruelty and animal magnetism into one extremely dangerous – and frighteningly attractive - package".
— Los Angeles Times

”Pick of the Week"
— LA Weekly


“Strong performances…. Highly inventive staging…a tour-de-force performance [by] Dever….”
- Daily News

"...The play raises important questions about whether an individual can and should be forced to be a functioning member of society, if the choice of being anything else is taken away…. A talented ensemble…. But the stars of this production are the amazing costumes by Pat Tonnema and the set design by James Eric.… Also impressive is the flawless fight choreography by John Grantham".
— Backstage West

“Dark and stark . . . Dever is outstanding …. Director Rick Sparks – on a very short list of L.A.’s finest – makes marvelous use of the broad stage and keeps a sharp edge and spirited charge zinging through the air all evening. . . Don’t let this one get by without having a look.”
- Showmag.com

“…a thrilling theatrical adventure…. an ambience that pulsates with energy and excitement…. Mesmerizing….”
- Frontiers Newsmagazine

“… a carnivalistic delight…”
- Flavorpill.com

"Amazing, eye-catching.... a tight, knockout interpretation.... a tour de force performance by Seamus Dever…. The extraordinary cast is magnificent with impeccable performances and strong production values… This is our Critics Pick of the Week, and of the Year! Don’t miss it"!
— American Radio Network

"[Director] Sparks’ presentation comes off brilliantly because of a fantastic cast.…"
— Santa Monica Sun/NoHoLA

"The play version … is a fascinating spectacle that seems fully-realized on stage.... The lighting and music in this production are perfectly in sync with the masterful direction of the play.... One effective night of in-your-face theatre".
— Daily Trojan

“..riveting… “
- IN Los Angeles

“… packed with some of the best actors assembled on one stage, and shouldn’t be missed.”
- The Burbank Times




A Clockwork Orange
SHOWMAG.COM
By Dave DePino

If one could devise a treatment, even if it turns out to be a rather harsh treatment, that would transform a bad man, say a murderer or rapist into a good person who would do no harm, is that a good thing? What if we just stop him from actually carrying out the atrocity, against his will, but not really eradicate the compulsion to do the evil deed? In order to do society a service, would we be robbing that murderer/rapist of his "free will?" Do we have the right to deny this man his violent tendencies? And, are we dabbling with something akin to a slippery slope? But why should we care if we can clean up the streets? Isn't it better to prevent a man from utilizing his ability to take life or his tendencies to violate? These are the questions Anthony Burgess addressed in his 1962 novel A Clockwork Orange.

Burgess's work was very controversial in its day, and can still raise an eyebrow or two, but in Burgess's original book, the fierce, destructive violence is all brought to a somewhat optimistic conclusion. When the book crossed the sea to America, for sales consideration, the last hopeful chapter was left off as it was also discarded in the enormously popular, 1971 cult classic film by Stanley Kubrick of the same name. In 1987, Burgess, unhappy with the movie, adapted his masterpiece for the stage, reinstituting the optimism and incorporating a haunting musicality to enhance the texture of the play.

In the surreal near future, a group of marauding British hooligans - here called droogs in a special slang created by Burgess - roam the streets looking for mischief in the manner of murder, robbery, and rape. Head droog Alex (Seamus Dever) ends up in prison and is offered the opportunity of taking part in an experiment that will make him very sick if he attempts even thinking of perpetrating a crime, therefore preventing the misdeed. His reward is freedom. Clashes of moral philosophies dealing with one's right to personal choice, i.e. free will, keep the Minister of the Interior (Stephen Reynolds), the Chaplain (William Seymour), and the doctor (Alice Vaughn) busy with far ranging debates on these issues.

The drama is dark and stark, as is the depiction of violence. John Grantham's fight choreography is amazing and kudos go to the actors for making it look so real. The major players are all caught up in the electricity of the play. Eighteen actors, some playing multiple roles, do fine work. Dever is outstanding as the experiment in progress, one minute evil and the next, a typical everyman. The trio of bickering adults, Reynolds, Seymour, and Vaughn, deliver just the right touch of inquisition to the dilemma. Director Rick Sparks - on a very short list of L.A.'s finest - makes marvelous use of the broad stage and keeps a sharp edge and spirited charge zinging through the air all evening. He has created an otherworldliness that guides the entire tone, emotionality, and look of the play. Sparks is an exceptional talent.
James Eric's eerie set of multi-leveled platforms and stairs is appropriately lighted by Jeremy Pivnick to give a disturbing and dangerously moody ambiance. Pat Tonnema's costumes and Stephen Ratliffk's make up and hair designs aptly place the audience in another reality zone. Musical Supervisor Kirby Tepper, Videographer Gary Carter, and Technical Director/ Multi-media Coordinator Fritz Davis complete the team. Don't let this one get by without having a look.

Performing at GREENWAY Court Theatre



A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
by Pat Taylor

— Presented by GREENWAY Arts Alliance: This gritty, exciting, controversial and FLAWLESS production, offers the theatrical thrill of the year so far … Hands Down! It is now three days later, and I’m still reeling, in the wake of the impact and visual awe of this disturbing and dynamic experience. Most people already know this story, from the novel of Kubrick’s filmed version, starring Malcolm McDowell. However, few including myself, realized it was born and written from a true life experience in the life of its author, Anthony Burgess. In 1944, he and his pregnant wife were brutally accosted by four young street thugs, causing her a miscarriage, and inspiring him to write this story, after 15 years of horrifying memories. While painfully writing it, he dealt with the ethical implications of violence, and the complex issue of free will versus determinism. This staged play, adapted from the novel by Burgess, includes his original ending, not used in the book or film. Also, the action takes place in a globalized America, in the future. Every moment, in GREENWAY’s current production, is awe-inspiring, well thought out, action-packed, visually stunning, and mind altering! It is technically ingenious, passionately performed, and perfectly presented … Kudos to all involved! The incredible huge cast of actors were stellar, whether in lead or multiple roles. The audience was transfixed throughout. Eyes darting from one powerful image to the next, with Beethoven’s haunting movements pulsating around us. In a RAVE of all reviews, I must say this … The undeniable STAR of this show is its director, Rick Sparks! His limitless skill, vision, and artistic flair, catapults his actors and audiences to heights unknown! Every play he touches, turns to gold. This man is an ARTIST, destined for major success … Remember his name. Perfectly cast, Seamus Dever plays Alex. The British hoodlum leader of the “droogs,” with intense PASSION and breathtakingly realistic TERROR. EXCELLENT too, as the other “droogs,” are Erik Liberman, Conrad Cimarra and Benjamin Sprunger. The fast and physical agility of this quartet, under the incomparable fight choreography of John Grantham, (particularly in Act 1), is unforgettable! Also STAND OUT performances by Stephen Reynolds as Minister of the Interior, William Seymour as the chaplin, and Ken Minault as F. Alexander. Too many to comment on all, this talented cast includes: Whitney Weston, Alice Vaughn, Chane’t Johnson, Aimee Barile, Kris Andersson, Ben Hopkin, Brooke Benson, Don Danielson, M.J. Deocariza, Bryan Thompson and Herman Wilkins. Exceptional behind the scenes work too garners including their names: Eye popping towering set, (James Eric) wild and creative costuming; (Pat Tonnema) Ingenious technical direction; (Fritz Davis) Effective lighting; (Jeremy Pivnick) musical supervision; (Kirby Tepper) videographer; (Gary Carter) huge sound (Richard Viola) and hair/make-up, (Stephen Ratliff). All elements of theatre exploded here, to present a unique and complete blockbuster! The mature and graphically violent subject matter is certainly not for everyone … but those who see this fabulous play, have an amazing treat in store for them! It is a TRIUMPH in theatrical innovation and a captivating, riveting evening of theatre! Running through May 10 at GREENWAY Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax in Hollywood.


A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
Written 4/3/03 (Steven Leigh Morris)
LA Weekly

The timeliness of Anthony Burgess’ 1962 novel, A Clockwork Orange, dealing centrally with the causes and effects of brutality in modern society, has clearly not waned. Yet the primary thrust of Burgess’ ire is not directed at Alex (Seamus Dever) or his band of merry, switch blade-toting street thugs, who routinely rape, pillage and, on occasion, murder.

Burgess’ critique is mainly directed to the Minister of the Interior (a decidedly powerful and Brezhnev-like Stephen Reynolds), who makes political hay from the operant-conditioning experiments administered by Dr. Brodsky (Alice Vaughn).

Burgess’ Soviet allusions are as obvious in Brodsky’s name as in his invented, Russian-peppered gang slang, as in his comparisons to "democratic" governments’ attempts to cure society’s ills. Yet the victim of such "curative" government policies is not social violence but freedom of choice, which Burgess holds sacred in a theological argument expressed by the Chaplain (William Seymour, in a strong portrayal of a man whose personal morals are more wobbly than his convictions).

In the novel, the effects of Brodsky’s experiment are reversed in a redemptive final chapter — a scene left out of Stanley Kubrick’s famous film.

This omission so infuriated Burgess, he wrote this play in 1987. Rick Sparks’ taut staging is not perfect, and owes too many visual images to the film. And while it suffers from some blunt supporting performances, the leads are as thrilling as John Grantham’s fight choreography and the unmitigated beauty of Burgess’ passion, here furiously unleashed.

Many have suggested that we’re lurching into our own Soviet style of national domestic policy, which is what gives this production its urgency.

GREENWAY Arts Alliance

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Backstage West
Southern CA September 11, 2002
Dessalines...
Reviewed By T.H. McCulloh

    " Dessalines..".
    "For the Love of Freedom, Part II: Dessalines (The Heart) Blood and Liberation, " presented by the Robey Theatre Company and GREENWAY Arts Alliance at GREENWAY Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 7 p.m. Sept. 6-Oct. 20. $20-25. (323) 655-4402.

    Revolution is always a hot topic for dramatic presentation, onstage or on film. But the two media require vastly different approaches. Panorama is the stuff of film, but deep insights into personal dreams work much better in theatre, woven on a small tapestry with its intimate detail as the heartbeat of live drama. Levy Lee Simon's trilogy For the Love of Freedom is pure panorama, and its second part, concerning Jean Jacques Dessalines, is a perfect example of a script that is more in the form of a film scenario. The first installment, concerning Toussaint, the original Haitian liberator, neared four hours long; the current effort is almost as long and much too unwieldy for a satisfying evening of theatre. The full title of the current effort is equally overwritten: For the Love of Freedom, Part II: Dessalines (The Heart) Blood and Liberation.

    The character of Dessalines, played with exciting textures and sure form by Abner Genece, appears too infrequently to make it his play. Surrounding events and the stories of other characters take up a lot of time that should be his. It seems that every half hour or so, something happens that could be the beginning of a separate play, any of which would be a fascinating theatre piece and which would give insightful hints into the revolutionary event in its own way; but each departs too quickly to have much effect. An example is the tale of French General LeClerc, riddled with TB and a philandering wife, his evil counterpart General Rocheambeau, and Boyer, the mulatto general who is the wife's boy toy and who also favors the white blood in his veins. As it stands now, their tale is minimalized, though it gives glimpses into the attitudes that fed the black revolution. The performances are excellent: Steve Humphreys as LeClerc, Stephan Early as the nasty Rocheambeau, and Ben Jurand as the oily Boyer. Elsa Fisher is particularly strong and effective as LeClerc's wife, overcome with her own sense of colonial power.

    In a cast of almost 40, there are across-the-board effective and honest performances under Ben Guillory's astute direction, which gives the production its pageant-like size and shape. Some standouts linger in memory: Staci Mitchell N'Kosi gives a skyrocket portrait of Defilee, the warrior woman who is angered and obsessed by her unrewarding love for Dessalines, and Karl Calhoun's restrained emotionalism and forthright honesty as Henri Christophe, who becomes Haitian president after Dessalines' downfall, is a strong portrait of a natural leader. Nafeesa Monroe makes more out of the role of Dessalines' wife than is written, and Roderick Emil is notable as a victim of Dessalines' uncomprehending misuse of his power.


    Much of the weight of the too complicated script is overshadowed by the impressive and dramatic rhythms, like the heartbeat of a new nation coming to life, in the hypnotic drum accompaniment of musical director Leon Mobley.


 LA Weekly
 DESSALINES (THE HEART): For the Love of Freedom, Part II

The second installment of Levy Lee Simon’s historical trilogy about political foment in Haiti is, in many ways, a thrilling pageant of dance (choreographer Aya na Cahrr) and costume (designer Niala Aladdin-Sanders), an epic saga with more than three dozen performers that keeps circling around themes of bigotry, slavery and their attendant cycles of violent oppression and pernicious revenge.

The scenes themselves — that range from the Island’s French court at the turn of the 19th century to the jungle, to the accompaniment of bongo drums and an occasional minuet — have a Shakespearean gran deur, as does the play’s length of three hours and 40 minutes. For all that, and despite the pleasing Caribbean lilt to Simon’s language, it’s an only partially satisfying haul. This is partly because there’s so little verbal poeticism to counter the obviousness of the brutal conflicts and connivings for power, lending the feel of a movie-waiting-to-be-made. Abner Genece turns in a magnetic performance as Jean Jacques Dessalines, an ox of a man so outraged by French atrocities, he leads an army of slaves to triumph over the French, before devolving into a deranged and power-obsessed tin-pot dictator, an antecedent to the likes of Idi Amin.

Director Ben Guillory’s casting and staging electrify the room, while the length and redundancy diminish the current. Marcos DeLeon’s beautiful set design bifurcates the stage to represent the play’s warring factions; on one side, a sculpted forest, on the other, the walls of a French palace, with the masts of a slave brig suspended over the center.

Robey Theater Company at GREENWAY Court Theater, 544 N. Fairfax Ave.; Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; thru Oct. 20. (323) 655-4402. (Steven Leigh Morris)



    ReviewPlays.com

    When we first reviewed the Robey Theatre's production of The Last Season a year ago, it was evident that there was a very special sense of commitment to theatre from this company. With the current production of Dessalines, they confirm that commitment several times over.

    This current production explores the rise and fall of General Jean Jacques Dessalines, (The Tiger) as he leads a fight for freedom in 1802 from the oppression of the French in Haiti, and later becomes the victim of a coup from the very people he liberated.

    Of all the excellent qualities in this production, perhaps the best is the actors. Good actors become the person they are portraying – and then there are those who go beyond and inhabit the soul of their character.

    These actors did both. Their characterizations are powerful and believable, even when the French accent wavers from time to time. Over all they sell the part and we believe them when the French officers speak of the inferior qualities of the Blacks.

    We believe it when a Mulatto officer proclaims that he thanks God he is half white – and we are stunned and shocked when killer dogs are thrust at a chained Black man, and they devour him while French officers watch in amusement.

    The power of this story goes beyond the obvious. It is a study in human frailty and human ambition. It has been argued that we often become that which we hate the most, and this play is a classic portrayal of that axiom. Abner Genece, entrusted with the role of Dessalines, plays a man who is torn by ambition, patriotism and insecurity. As a French officer, Dessalines excels in battles and becomes a role model for the rest of the officers. As a Haitian, he desperately wants freedom for his people, seeing how the French abuse and violate their humanity.

    As a man, he never finds the outer edge of ambition, going so far as to crown himself Emperor after liberating his country, eventually succumbing to his paranoia by ordering executions of the remaining French nationals, and even the Mulattos fearing their white blood would turn be a corrupting factor.  Stacy Mitchell N'Kosi is phenomenal as Defilee, a woman who is an alter ego, a former lover and a conscience to Dessaline appearing at the crucial moments of his life, always reminding him of his roots and who he really is.

    The historic value enriches the tale, when we learn that Dessalines' victory dissuaded Napoleon from further pursuits of conquest in the New World.

    However, it is the fullness of the tale that becomes its own enemy, as the evening stretches to over three hours, and some important scenes suffer from the yawns and nods of weary patrons who struggle to keep up with some of the longer speeches and dialogues.  Leon Mobley keeps everyone alert with an amazing performance on drums, which accentuates every scene with stirring background rhythms.

    This is one of the larger casts ever seen since Nicolas Nickleby was in town, but every actor had and important role and performed it with vibrant excellence.

    The cast, led by Abner Genece as Dessalines, includes Erin-Lee Adamson, Rico Anderson, Tina Tena Ansah, Ayana Cahrr, Karl Calhoun, Robert Clements, Erica Clare, Gary Lynn Collier, Olivia D. Dawson, Angela Duckett, Stephan Early, Roderick Emil, Elsa Fisher, Omari Hardwick, Royce Herron, Douglas Howington, Steve Humphreys, Lanre’ Idewu, Amad Jackson, Ben Jurand, Sylvester Kamara, Tamara Lynch, Leon Mobley, Nafeesa Monroe, Kiersten Morgan, Staci Mitchell N’Kosi, Aaron Norvell, Annette Remmington, Vonn Richardson, Kem Saunders, Doug Sinclair, Annika P. Smith, Erica Sullivan,  Tegan Summer, LaFern Watkins and Erica M. Zuniga

 

    

LA Times - Calendar - THEATER BEAT
Haiti's Quest Continues
Part Two of Levy Lee Simon's historical trilogy is both authoritative and excessive. Plus: "No Scratch" and "Paradise Lost: The Musical"
September 27 2002

    "Dessalines (The Heart) Blood and Liberation: For the Love of Freedom, Part II," at GREENWAY Court Theatre, is the second offering in Levy Lee Simon's sweeping historical trilogy about the Haitian fight for independence. Like the first play in the trilogy, "For the Love of Freedom, Part I: Toussaint," Simon's massively ambitious enterprise alternates between the authoritative and the excessive.

    As the play opens in 1802, Toussaint L'Ouverture, the visionary leader of the Haitian revolution that freed the islands' blacks from slavery--and the subject of part one of Levy's trilogy--is languishing in a dungeon in the French Alps. Insurgents are still at large in the countryside, but relative peace and prosperity reigns on the island.

    Jean Jacques Dessalines (vigorous, grandly heroic Abner Genece), now a top-ranking officer in the French army under Napoleon, is enjoying the riches and prestige of his position when he learns of a French plot to reintroduce slavery on the island. Born a slave, the outraged Dessalines, popularly known as "The Tiger" for his ferocity in battle, breaks with the French forever, takes command of the indigenous rebel forces and leads his country to independence.

    But there's a dark side to this popular hero. After ascending to power, Dessalines engages in the kind of bloody and genocidal deeds that rival the French at their most sanguinary. Simon doesn't flinch from dealing with Dessalines' later atrocities. However, Dessalines' progression from hero to tyrant is curiously abrupt and insufficiently explicated here. Also, outrageous overstatement sometimes derails Simon's otherwise smooth-running narrative, as in the case in which a French lady beheads a slave girl for a minor infraction and serves up her head at a genteel banquet. Even if such an outrage actually occurred, it's a grisly aberration that undermines the piece's historical veracity.

    Director Ben Guillory again helms the mind-bogglingly complex proceedings, which are enlivened throughout by musical director Leon Mobley's wonderful live percussion music. The briskly staged dance and battle sequences by choreographer Ayana Cahrr and fight choreographer Yvans Jourdain deserve high praise, as does Guillory, who, as before, presides over his enormous and passionate cast with appropriately military efficiency, mitigating Simon's occasional lapses with sheer zeal.

    --F. Kathleen Foley



    

Dessalines (The Heart) Blood and Liberation

Just ask Shakespeare - the warrior king makes a great topic for a play. Two hundred years ago, history gave us Jean Jacques Dessalines, who lead the Haitian people to freedom from France and ultimately crowned himself emperor of the newly formed nation. Playwright Levy Lee Simon tells this story in Dessalines (The Heart) Blood and Liberation, the second play in his Haitian independence trilogy, For the Love of Freedom.

The story of Dessalines, "The Tiger," is at once unique and terribly familiar. Dessalines led an army of uneducated former slaves to independence for the only time in recorded history. But Dessalines was unable to lead his people in peace. Drunk with power, unskilled at political compromise, and so terrified of again losing his people to slavery, he would slaughter whites who presented no threat to him, Dessalines nearly destroyed the fragile country he had successfully brought into being against incredible odds.

 If his story sounds like a massive undertaking for a small theatre, it is. Dessalines is performed by an ensemble cast of nearly forty, and plays approximately three hours. It mixes traditional drama with other storytelling forms, making brief forays into dance and song. Additionally, the production is accompanied by live percussionists who lay down rhythms not only for the more dance-related sequences, but some of the dramatic scenes as well. Dessalines is an ambitious production, and it is at its most successful when it is transcending the bounds of traditional stagecraft. The actual revolution scene, in which an army of 20,000 is represented by less than twenty men, precisely choreographed with narration provided by the increasingly-excited voices of four female "praise singers," is exceptional.


In other places, however, the scope of the production defeats its effectiveness. The show opens with the praise singers summarizing the first play of the trilogy. For those who did not actually see the first play and do not otherwise have a good working knowledge of Haitian history, it is so fact-heavy it is nearly impossible to follow. Its comprehensibility is not aided by the fact that the audience is on both sides of the stage, so at any given time, the praise singer providing narration will have her back toward half the audience. Add in the loud drumbeats, and this is a history lesson that does not fully reach its students. A synopsis of the first play would be truly welcome in the program. In its absence, the audience spends a good part of the first act trying to figure out who is who and with whom he happens to be allied.

The pacing of the show also needs to be quickened. There's a moment in which a French leader commits a horrible act of brutality against a black prisoner. It is disgusting, both for the act itself and for the reaction of the other characters onstage, who all approve. Thereafter, the lights drop while the company rearranges itself for a short epilogue to the scene. While the initial scene packed a powerful emotional wallop, the follow-up scene does not. During the lengthy set change, the audience revulsion has dissipated. Either the first scene must flow unimpeded into the second, or the second should be cut altogether.

The large cast puts in some solid work. At its center is Abner Genece as Dessalines. Genece is a big man, and he stands with the posture of someone who dares anyone to ask him to bend. As the wartime General, Genece paints a picture of barely - and rarely - controlled rage. As the King, Genece lets loose a charismatic smile and joy at life that almost, but not quite, enables you to forget the acts of cruelty he is committing. Standouts in the ensemble include Rico E. Anderson as Alexander Petion, a general who is more of a thinking man than Dessalines. Anderson is best with his facial expressions, which frequently tell the audience that Petion thinks something very different from what he is saying. Also noteworthy is Ayana Cahrr as Defilee, a woman who expresses both physical love for and spiritual protectiveness over Dessalines. Cahrr is extremely energetic, and when she bounds onstage and jumps into Dessalines' arms, she brings a vitality to an otherwise slow moving portion of the play.

No doubt, Dessalines is a play that needs some work. But it has great potential as an exciting evening that gives us some insight into the mindset of a man who nearly destroyed his people in an effort to preserve their hard-won freedom. Dessalines runs at GREENWAY Court Theatre.

The Robey Theatre Company & GREENWAY Arts Alliance present For the Love of Freedom, Part II - Dessalines (The Heart) Blood and Liberation, a trilogy by Levy Lee Simon, directed by Ben Guillory. Producers Ben Guillory, Cynthia F. Stillwell, Pierson Blaetz, Whitney Weston; Production Assistants Shameka Cunningham, Kimberlee Furgess; Publicity Philip Sokoloff, Publicity for the Arts; Production Stage Manager John Freeland, Jr.; Assistant Erica Roddy; Graphics and Illustration Haneef Bhatti; Fight Choreographer Yvans Jourdain; Musical Director Leon Mobley; Set Designer Marcos DeLeon; Lighting Designer Marianne Schneller; Costume & Hair Design Niala Aladdin-Sanders; Choreographer Ayana Cahrr; Sound Engineer Anthony Carr.
Cast: Erinlee Adamson, Rico E. Anderson, Tina Tena Ansah, Ayana Cahrr, Karl Calhoun, Erica Clare, Robert Clements, Gary Lynn Collier, Olivia D. Dawson, Angela Duckett, Stephan Early, Roderick Emil, Elsa Fisher, Abner Genece, Omari Hardwick, Royce Herron, Douglas Howington, Steve Humphreys, Lanre Idewu, Amad Jackson, Ben Jurand, Sylvester Kamara, Tamara Lynch, Leon Mobley, Nafeesa Monroe, Kiersten Morgan, Jerome Murdock, Staci Mitchell N'Kosi, Aaron Norvell, Annette Remmington, Vonn Richardson, Kem Saunders, Doug Sinclair, Annika P. Smith, Erica Sullivan, Tegan Summer, LaFern Watkins, Erica M. Zuniga.

Photo by Darryl Sivad
- Sharon Perlmutter

    [ © 1997-2002 Talkin' Broadway! | Produced by miner miracles ]

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Written 6/5/02 (Neal Weaver)

The theme of redemption unifies the first of a two-part one-act series based on 20th-century literary works that — on this evening — all feature American children bewildered by contradictory aspects of Judeo-Christian religion.

The most successful of these is Dean Fortunato’s vivid adaptation of Philip Roth’s story The Conversion of the Jews, about a mischievous boy, Ozzie (Aaron Perilo), who, while preparing for his bar mitzvah, offends the rabbi (R. Todd Torok) by questioning God’s role in the Immaculate Conception. (Ozzie reacts against his mother [Jonna Tamases] and the rabbi’s angry attempts to repress his curiosity by staging a dramatic revolt that literally brings the neighborhood to its knees in prayer.)

Director Fortunato pulls out all the stops to keep the action moving and entertaining.

The least successful one-act is director Pierson Blaetz’s anemic adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s short story The River, in which a neglected Southern boy (Taylor Earwood) gets baptized by a fire-and-brimstone preacher (René Rivera) in a river red with Jesus’ blood.

Gretchen German’s overambitious adaptation of Judy Blume’s Are You There, God? It’s Me Margaret, involving an adolescent girl’s struggle for acceptance, is bogged down by unrelated narratives of adult women about their sexuality. However, under Wendy McClellan’s economic direction, actors switch seamlessly between multiple child and adult characters.

Spritely Lara Lyon is winning as the sexually and spiritually confused Margaret, who’s torn between the Jewish and Christian sides of her family.


These three one-acts are radically different in style and content, but each is finely crafted and a joy to watch.

Deborah Swisher’s erotically charged adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Lapin and Lapinova, directed by Laurie Woolery, concerns a black woman (Pamela Shaddock) and a white man (John Nielsen), who obsessively act out a perverse erotic fantasy.

He’s an arrogant white overseer, while she’s a slave who’s picking his cotton.

How Kintu Became a Man is a hilarious musical retelling of an African creation myth.

Adapted by Nambi E. Kelley, directed/choreographed by Ayana Cahrr, with music direction by Maia and Phylliss Bailey Brooks, it features a rap-singing cow (Kelley), gorgeous costumes and joyously exuberant music and dance.

In Lonnie Coleman’s The Theban Warriors, adapted/directed by James Eric, gay sailor Montgomery (Jamieson Stern) insists that the world accept him on his own terms.

He unnerves fellow crewmen because he’s too insistent to ignore, too tough to beat up and too charming to dislike.

When he kayos the ship’s boxing champ, he becomes a local hero, and when he falls for a straitlaced fellow sailor (Darren Gray Ward), the oddball courtship is tender and extremely funny.

Kudos to everybody involved in these plays, with special praise for Stern’s finely nuanced performance.

GREENWAY Court Theater

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11/20/01 (Miriam Jacobson)

Rick Sparks’ non-gooey musical re-creates the inventiveness of its progenitor, A Charlie Brown Christmas, the classic holiday-themed cartoon based on Charles Schultz’s "Peanuts" characters.

The skeletal plot revolves around a suburban Chicago family gathered in the living room to eat Swanson TV dinners and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.

This year, crisis overshadows holiday cheer: The father (Dean Fortunato) has lost his job and chintzed out on buying a Christmas tree; the oldest son is serving in Vietnam and hasn’t written for weeks; the mother (Audrey Rapoport) is attending war protests, irritating her hawkish husband; and the younger son (Kris Rodriguez) covers his ears during his parents’ fights.

Thank goodness grandma (Denise Moses) wants to turn on the "Peanuts" holiday special — its message bemoaning the commercialization of Christmas still resonates today.

The entire animated cartoon (plus a couple of songs from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown) is re-enacted onstage, not to mention kitschy TV commercials (Alka Seltzer, Palmolive and Hai Karate are high lights).

Most of the characters are vividly brought to life: the manipulative Lucy (Stefané Zamarano), philosophical Linus (a brilliant Travis Shakespeare) and eccentric Snoopy (John Cantwell).

However, the low, gravelly voice of Charlie Brown eludes Mark Tracy. Tom Meleck’s elaborate lighting and set, and Pat Tonnema and Byron Batista’s playful costumes capture the late 1960s nicely.

GREENWAY Court Theater

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VARIETY REVIEW

    From the moment "For the Love of Freedom" begins, it's clear that gifted young playwright Levy Lee Simon is intensely, personally driven to make a statement against the evils of slavery. Every second of his marathon three-hour-and-40-minute play is supercharged with emotion, and the director, Ben Guillory, highlights and underlines his text without allowing the material to breathe. "Freedom" is frequently gripping, but it often staggers under the pressure of excessive passion, too little shading and a vital need for cuts in almost every scene.

    Simon focuses on three magnetic, little-known protagonists: Toussaint L'Ouverture (M. Darnell Suttles), Jean Jacques Dessalines (Abner Genece) and Henri Christophe (Karl Calhoun) -- slaves who led a Haitian revolution in the late 1700s and created the only black republic outside of Africa.

    Toussaint's internal conflict is well captured by author Simon when he asks his owner, "Do you see me as a man or as your property?" and the owner admits to seeing him as both. Actor Suttles eloquently conveys the sensitivity and courage of a leader dedicated to freedom but determined to accomplish his aims with as little violence as possible.

    The production's most charismatic character is Calhoun's Henri Christophe -- handsome, sexual, a womanizer who loves Marie (Nambi E. Kelly) but has an affair with a white prostitute, Letitia (Nafeesa Monroe). No matter how frenetic the drama becomes, Calhoun is able to modulate his performance so that we feel savage fury during confrontations with his enemies and softness when he discovers Letitia has secretly raised his illegitimate son. The show's finest female performance is provided by Kimberly Bailey as Toussaint's understanding wife, who comprehends her husband's greatness and grasps large goals beyond her own selfish concerns.

    Extraordinary, fully rounded characterizations by Suttles, Calhoun and Bailey emphasize "Freedom's" other acting problems. Many of the 35 performers are too hysterical and high-pitched. This is particularly true of Kelly, who shouts and flounces around to the point of caricature as Christophe's wife Marie. Sequences concentrating on the white oppressors are screamed rather than acted, and the French accents are so exaggerated and unconvincing that they detract from Simon's strongest writing.

    Despite its overstatement and self-indulgent tendency to make speeches, "For the Love of Freedom" is also a startlingly ambitious work with many remarkable qualities. Tom Meleck's lighting is stunningly atmospheric and his set qualifies him as one of the evening's heroes. Each wall has its own separate stage, connected to the middle stage by ramps and stairs. Actors race from one area to another, and the set beautifully accommodates an explosion of tumbling, balletic, breathlessly physical movement. Drummers Malik Snow and Jjakomo-Joseph Comeau underscore the action with constant, percussive power.

    The voodoo scene -- in which slaves whip themselves into a frenzy of bloodthirsty hatred -- and the sequence when Christophe trains his soldiers through formations, pushups and kicks, are splendidly choreographed by Carol Bristol.

    "For the Love of Freedom" represents the emergence of a distinctive playwright's voice, but that voice is muffled in trying to cover too much. If Simon can sweep away some needless narration and rhetoric and allow the story to stand on its own, his message will come across with tremendous impact.
    
    Set and lighting design, Tom Meleck; costume and hair design, Niala Aladdin-Sanders; Choreographer, Carol Bristol; Sound design, Roy Hurst; production stage manager, John Freeland, Jr.; musical director, Leon Mobley.

    

    BACK TO TOP

    LA Weekly

    Toussaint L’Ouverture, leader of the 18th-century Haitian slave revolt, achieved stunning victories despite the intransigence and treachery of the French, the Spanish and occasionally his own people. Heroic, complex, fascinating and tragic, he was destroyed by shameless deceit and the strength of Napoleon’s army. Playwright Levy Lee Simon has done him a further disservice by trying to depict, in a nearly four-hour production, his whole career in exhaustive historical and political detail. Despite colorful costumes (by Niala Aladdin-Sanders), special effects, dancing, fights, voodoo ceremonies, and drumming (by Malik Sow and Jjakomo-Joseph Comeau), the piece often seems more history lecture than play. Director Ben Guillory compounds the difficulties by having all the characters speak in sometimes-impenetrable dialects (French, Creole, Scottish and various forms of Haitian patois). The sheer repetition, weight and duration of the play undermine much good work on the part of writer, actors, designers and choreographers. Tom Meleck provides a massive and fluid environmental set, and the cast of more than 30 actors is ably led by M. Darnell Suttles, as Toussaint, and Karl Calhoun, as his volatile and dashing comrade-in-arms, Henri Christophe.

    BACK TO TOP

    LA TIMES REVIEW

    “For the Love of Freedom:  Toussaint (The Soul), Rise and Revolution,” at GREENWAY Court Theatre, offers a dramatic overview of one of the more fascinating episodes in world history.

    After the French Revolution in 1789, people of color on San Dominque, or Haiti as it is now known, united to throw off the yoke of slavery.  The sparks that ignited this rebellion was France’s refusal to grant blacks the rights and citizenship guaranteed in its famous “Declaration of the Rights of Man.”

    Under the leadership of Gen. Toussaint L’Ouverture, the Caribbean conflict raged for 13 years.  Toussaint ultimately met with exile and death, but his people won freedom and autonomy, forming the first independent black nation in the Western world.

    Playwright Levy Lee Simons undertakes a massively complicated subject in his world premiere play, which clocks in at just under four hours.  Considering that this is Part 1 in a trilogy on Haitian history, the sheer scope of the project boggles the mind- and challenges the tailbone.

    Even at that seemingly leisurely running time, Simon has had to omit certain historical circumstances to the point of incomprehensibility.  Toussaint’s alliance with the Spanish- and his subsequent break with them- is dealt with in such a cursory fashion that its significance is largely lost.  And when Simon spends a significant portion of Act 3 outlining the sexual exploits of Napoleon’s salacious sister, one can’t help but feel that his emphasis is misplaced.

    Simon casts his net so wide, a few fish necessarily elude him.  Though his drama is rough-edged and sprawling, it is nonetheless a hugely ambitious undertaking.

    Director Ben Guillory’s muscular staging for the Robey Theatre Company and GREENWAY Arts Alliance is also a tactical feat in itself.  There are 30-plus actors in the cast, but congestion is never a problem, thanks to Guillory’s logistical expertise and the malleability of Tom Meleck’s platform set.  Musical director Leon Mobley presides over the driving live percussion that punctuates the evening.  The production elements are superb, and the performers, especially M. Darnell Suttles in the title role, bringing poignancy and clarity to this unjustly neglected event, a triumph of raw heroism over the colonial status quo.

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BEST BET!!!
“An ingenious production…the whole cast is a tonic, a distillation of pure talent that should be bottled and preserved.” Los Angeles Times

CRITIC'S PICK!!!
"A potent, ambitious, and triumphant production ... GREENWAY's rectangular performance space has been turned into a pulsating, hell-raising dance hall! A committed, seasoned ensemble cast adds to the triumph"!
BackStage West

CRITIC'S PICK!!!
"Spark's and Carter's shattering vision of McCoy's venerable novel brims with social relevance -- apocalypse now"! BackStage West

PICK OF THE WEEK!!!
"Exciting, vital theater ... an ensemble piece bursting with talent and emotional urgency"! LA Weekly

PICK OF THE WEEK!!!
"This is theater at its height, and not to be missed! LA Weekly

"A stunning piece of theater! Thought provoking, poignant, and full of
noir! The entire cast is credible and compelling"! Hollywood Reporter

“There is not a weak link in this talented, extensive, ensemble” Daily Variety

“this entire cast of 24 actors gave captivating performances that will linger in my mind for a long time to come” The Tolucan “…a brilliant and flawless production” The Tolucan

"A wonderful show ... Rick Sparks and Gary Carter breathe a stupendous gust of life
into McCoy's hardboiled tale of Depression-Era angst and is exquisitely staged by Sparks. 'HORSES'
gets a big fat A-Rating!!"! KPCC-FM

THEATRE PICK OF THE WEEK! Remarkable, poignant, extraordinary and
breathtaking"! American Radio Network

"This is a strong production, and I applaud GREENWAY for bringing fresh blood and
oxygen into our theater community with this astonishing production. More productions of this
caliber might very well resuscitate theater as we know it"! American Radio Network

"Beautifully adapted, 'THEY SHOOT HORSES' is truly a theatrical tour de force! The
play's ensemble cast is one of the best to be seen on stage in a long, long time"! KCSN-FM

THEATER PICK OF THE WEEK!!! This is as good as it gets, and certainly the type of
play to put a new theater on the map"! KCSN-FM

"One of the most elaborate stagings I've seen in a long time"! The Daily Breeze

"Sparks' inventive staging has a feeling of period authenticity"! Larchmont Chronicle


They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
SHOWMAG.COM

Marius, German
By T. H. McCulloh

Theatrically, the veneer of "period" that makes past images shimmer is observed through vastly different glasses, according to who's wearing them. The early 20th century is a case in point. Frequently directors and actors, and even writers, recreate that period's foibles with the colorful, flashy look and sound of a cartoon. "Say, weren't they quaint," is the tone.
Others who deal with the period can see it more clearly, more realistically, and always more effectively. That's what is happening on the stage of GREENWAY Court Theatre with their world premiere adaptation, by Rick Sparks and Gary Carter, of Horace McCoy's novel They Shoot Horses, Don't They? It's a knock-out of a staging, visually rich and dark, with many moments of black humor and an underlying vein of the tragic, buoyed by a sense of optimistic energy that seems to say, "somehow everything will be all right in spite of this pain".

The time is the Great Depression. The setting is one of those frantic displays of hopeless hope that was the dance marathon, in which desperate couples dance on and on, over hours and days and weeks, in order to be the last on the floor and win the coveted grand prize, usually enough money to help pull their lives together at last.

As you watch the marathon, you are part of the audience that was actually watching the dancers, idling, voyeuristic souls not unlike those at the Roman Circuses, thrilled and charmed by the tragedy taking place before their eyes. The emcee, Rocky, runs things with a sharp eye to the entertainment value of the sight, his sidemen smile and grimace at the dancers and their agony, and the dancers themselves live out their little personal dramas without soap suds and with the intensity of Greek tragedy.

The ensemble work among the actors is flawless, and co-author Sparks' direction impeccable. His sense of the tones and colors, shifting almost imperceptibly between the scenes and moments within scenes has the feel of watching a fine painting unfolding brushstroke by brushstroke. He and his cast recapture a sometimes sad, sometimes buoyant moment from our last century with affection, respect and insight.

And on top of that, this production is bang-up entertainment, with some notable performances highlighting a wonderful cast throughout.

Andrew Prine is as sleazy and slimy as can be as Rocky, the emcee, his little off to the side smiles providing just a hint of cruelty, and anticipating the real cruelty he shows later. As the prime couple, Robert (Paul Marius) and Gloria (Gretchen German) are heartbreaking both in the loss of their self-respect and in the final step they take to end the pain; they are a superb testimony to the honesty that actors can achieve.

Steven Ruge and Whitney Weston also stand out as a dysfunctional couple, she pregnant and he forgetting her condition, only thinking about the money they'll win and how it will help.

This company is one worth keeping an eye on. They know what theatre is all about, and how to make it work.


They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" GREENWAY Court Theatre
LA WEEKLY
THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON'T THEY?
3/28/01 (Terry Morgan)

GREENWAY Arts Alliance’s adaptation (by Rick Sparks and Gary Carter) of Horace McCoy’s classic Depression-era novel about a dance marathon is exciting, vital theater — an ensemble piece bursting with talent and emotional urgency.

Director Sparks’ environmental staging works brilliantly, making the audience feel like part of the action and complicit in the suffering of the contestants.

The production is also technically sharp, with James Eric’s impressive set, Tom Meleck’s versatile lighting and a constant array of evocative music cues combining to create a gritty mise en scène.

Gloria (Gretchen German) and Robert (Paul Marius) have paired up not only to win the contest but also for the free food and lodging it provides. Their competitors include marathon veterans James Bates (Steven Ruge) and his pregnant wife, Ruby (Whitney Weston), wannabe starlet Rosemary (Emma Warg), and the violent Kid (co-writer Carter).

As the marathon goes on for a month, however, some lessons emerge about both exploitation and endurance.

Though the entire cast is superb, German is a standout as the bitter, wounded Gloria, and her scenes with the excellent Andrew Prine (as the venal host) reveal the show’s despairing soul. This is theater at its height, and not to be missed.

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Ground Zero
John (Clem) Kilroy
The Avatar Review

da' poetry lounge is like falling down a faerie well.

I had always wondered what it would feel like. Always hoped it would happen.

This is how it looks like: young people with a fireplace in each eye, and the cockiness of prizefighters whose backs have never felt canvas.

This is what it sounds like: a preacher’s fervent song to the beat of a 1963 Impala bouncing high on its hydraulics. Call and response and whips cracking.

I found Ground Zero for Taking Over Los Angeles. It’s da poetry lounge. I also fell madly in love with about 150 people.

I’ll know I got game when I come here and send ‘em. I am so coming back with game.

These are the name poets at da poetry lounge, taken off the internet: poetri, shihan, gimel, dante, damon, dingo, gaknew, tiffany, nafeesa, bridget, in-q, sekou, omari, jada, snow plow, slim, raymond, frank, macho, chia, gina, delight, rachel kann, bess kepp, mark gonzalez, el rivera, rafi, keith meyers, big al, opposed thumb, bowerbird and mark schaefer.

I want to prayerfully thank them, and all I saw perform. I drove home last night (3/26/02) knowing how it’s done. Filled with the Holy Ghost.

Up first is a 14-year-old who says she’s going to sing an Alicia Keys song. I think, man, the girl’s got guts. She opened her mouth, and the sound of a church organ tuned to midnight sex came out. She drove the audience nuts.

Then, there was a rap for gun control by a guy who looked 21, baseball cap on backwards, pacing in the single spot like a jaguar. Faux rap to rap is the same relationship as faux poetry to poetry: like getting your teeth drilled. This was the real thing. Smart stuff.

A real poem about madness, as funny as it was scary, acted out by a skinny kid who shouted in explosions of spit, and acted it out in antic, grinning, sure energy. Early 20s.

A poem that somehow stabbed me with light with two words at just the right time, just the right place, just the right way, “celestial bodies.” It looks corny, but you had to be there. The crowd moaned its approval, as a poet prophet with an athlete’s build announced the way. Mid-20s.

A poem about fighting off the white media to keep your identity—swordfighting the ocean waves—but you’d be foolish to bet against this poet. She was in her early 20s.

And more.

Anger. Intelligence. Ferocity. Craftsmanship. Purpose. Fearlessness. Joy. Faith. Purity of heart. The thing they call poetry.

GREENWAY Court Theatre, on Fairfax, a block south of Melrose, seats maybe 80. Every seat is filled. I’m instructed to get out of the aisle and sit on the stage. No charge to get in (I didn’t sign up for the Open Reading because da poetry lounge is so popular, it’s suggested you call ahead. I thought it better to first check it out). Two sound guys work a perfect sound system from a booth above the seats, which rise like a real theater. Shihan’s on the turntables, playing music between sets. He’s apparently one of the best poets here—became a father three days ago—but I didn’t get to hear him this night.

From my bearings, I’d say GREENWAY Court Theatre was in the geographical center of L.A. It’s in an old Jewish neighborhood, which is still very visible in places like Canter’s deli. But, there’s also Bang and Cat Walk, for clubbing apparel, and Goo, which I have no idea what that is. Next trip, I’m stopping at Tom Bergin’s for Irish Coffee, and, hopefully, good craic.

I can’t quite get the name of the MC. But, he should have his own HBO special. He’s wickedly fast, funny and charming.

These poets come ready. There appears to be an understanding that stepping into the spotlight is like walking onto the court of an NCAA basketball game. If you came to learn, they’re not here to teach.

I can’t stay long. After 40 minutes or so, the MC announced tow trucks had arrived. About 30 of us, who had invented our own parking spaces on the campus of Fairfax High School, had to bolt. It was a pretty funny sight.

I open the door to exit, and there’s over 30 people waiting to get in once some of us leave. I get a cute smile from one young woman, nicely surprised at my presence. I’m an old dude here. There was only one other guy anywhere near my age in the house. I figure I’ll end up back in this line, so I decide to head home. I saw what I wanted to see. I found Ground Zero. I learned in some gorgeous, intimate way, how it’s done. I get to dream each night of returning.

This is what the quest does. It takes you to places of myth.

I need to slam. I need to slam bad (which I probably will). It’s the time before sex.

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LESA CARLSON
Torch, a Tribute to Desire
Lynn Hasty at Green Galactic

For 8 weeks, every Monday night starting February 21st, 2000.

"A theatre piece/concert which pays tribute to the forefathers of Jazz. Those who have inspired the desire to continue to create the true Jazz Experience --- raw desire itself".

Los Angeles, CA - The historic GREENWAY Court Theatre in LA's Fairfax district is alive again with the mesmerizing talents of jazz vocalist, choreographer and creative magnet Lesa Carlson. Carlson brings her 7-piece jazz band Lesa Carlson Off Blue together for an eight-week run of Torch, A Tribute to Desire to the newly reopened theatre. Every Monday night until at least April 3rd the former Fairfax High community center transforms into a sultry Chicago blues, back-alley-joint meets the Paris red-light district with the soul of old New Orleans on a hot sweltering night.

Torch, A Tribute to Desire is a multimedia extravaganza held together and driven by improvisational jazz band Lesa Carlson Off Blue working through different expressions and manifestations of desire, while giving the history and depth of the jazz experience. Expressing this through improvisation technique, which sets jazz apart from all other forms of music, the very thing you hear is composed right then and there. The band uniquely performs standards as well as originals of which you will never hear the same way twice.

Introducing jazz to a new generation, as well as bringing jazz into places where it would not normally
be heard, is part of Off Blue's mission. Off Blue also incorporates a Multimedia aspect that manifests itself
in subtle ways, subject to the venue in which the performance takes place.

Off Blue consists of independent players who's ages range from 18 to 65 years old ~ female vocals, upright bass, drums, sax or flute, and a turntablist, paying respect to the original American art form ~ Jazz. The band is completely improvisational, so you never get the same show twice. The multimedia aspect consists of the magic of Christopher Wonder (performing his magic outside on the porch as you enter and linger), live painting on stage by the immensely talented LA-based artist Dray, dance, spoken word, still photos, old black and white reel to reel film edited and projected by lotek wizard Fin, masks by New Orleans voodoo princess Marilyn Lagrone Amaral and paintings in the gallery by Shane Smith and others. All this is woven around dialogue and old standards, like Cole Porters "Night and Day", Miles Davis' "All Blues", Thelonius Monk's "Round Midnight" and Roger and Heart's "My Funny Valentine".

With the help of Artistic Designer James Eric, GREENWAY Court Theatre has been renovated from its original use as a social hall in the 1940's to accommodate a modern 99-seat playhouse with vaulted ceilings, a loft for sound and lighting, beautiful wood décor, an art gallery and a coffee shop. Originally built by Fairfax High students in 1939, it closed its doors during WWII and has been used for storage and some dance classes ever since. Pierson Blaetz and Whitney Weston, founders of the successful Fairfax High Flea Market which takes place every Sunday, also run GREENWAY Arts Alliance which began renovations on the space over two years ago. Accommodating theatre productions, digital editing classes and student internships GREENWAY Court Theatre is a new focal point for the community. January 14th 2000 marked the reopening of the historic building. GREENWAY Court Theatre is located at 544 N. Fairfax Avenue, one block South of Melrose on the East side of the street, next to Fairfax High.

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