Excellent 'doubts' are sown in Vienna

 

From left, Gayle Nichols-Grimes as Sister Aloysius and Danielle Comer as Sister James in Vienna Theatre Company's Doubt: A Parable/Photo by Matthew Randall

From left, Danielle Comer as Sister James, Jacquel R. Tomlin as Mrs. Muller, Bruce Alan Rauscher as Father Flynn and  Gayle Nichols-Grimes as Sister Aloysius in Vienna Theatre Company's Doubt: A Parable/Photo by Matthew Randall

This is about a nasty nun on a tirade to get rid of a priest, all because of her suspicions.

With prescient timing, the Vienna Theatre Company presents Doubt: A Parable about the spoils of innuendo and rumor.  It doesn't take much to apply the message to the inhospitable environment in today's world.

One must ask: What role does doubt play in today's society?

"They look smug like they have a secret," says a nun, castigating even poor old Frosty the Snowman who can't escape the malicious net. 

From the beginning, Father Flynn (Bruce Alan Rauscher) delivers a convincing message from the pulpit, an introduction to serious matter.  

With her strong performance and from her first appearance on the stage, Gayle Nichols-Grimes as Sister Aloysius is immediately able to stir audience wrath.  We can only guess at her background and insecurities to want to take down a priest and create more madness in her world. 

Enter Sister Aloysius's weak sister, Sister James (Danielle Comer) who offers her doubts about actions of the father towards a student, the only black pupil at the parochial school where Sister Aloysius is principal. 

And here comes the student's mother,  Mrs. Muller (Jacquel R. Tomlin), another weakling, at least, at first.

Momentum builds as the story advances; battle lines are drawn. The roles call for each actor to gain force and they succeed, amidst powerful silences which increase the tension.

Who would you suppose is the victor at the end?  It's left to the audience to ponder its own doubts and insecurities.

More than once during the performance I was reminded of the Salem Witch Trials and suspicion in the late 17th century which killed 19 persons.

That a large attendance surrendered a beautiful Sunday afternoon for a darkened hall of serious theatre in Vienna was surprising and worth it.

Applause to Tom Epps (co-producer with Laura Fargotstein) and his lighting, always right on target to the second.

Beverley Benda's costumes are appropriate, mostly all in black (surprise!) save Mrs. Muller's lovely hat and lavender outfit which contrast like springtime flowers on this stage of unhappy people.

The nuns' caps brought to mind the Salem Witch Trials' costumery which may match contemporary Catholic costumery for the little I know.

Director Joanna Henry has the performers use their hands to wring, wither, grasp and point to emphasize their words, and they work!

Steve Ross and Helen Bard-Sobola have designed Sister Aloysius's office in harsh design and properties, a stark reminder of her unforgiving character. Her domicile counterbalances the pleasant garden which lies nearby and serves as a place of reflection.

The experience of live performance becomes more enjoyable with Alan Wray's sounds of an approaching storm, bells, and children laughing, in hallways, and in the gymnasium.

I look forward to a reversal of the play when the priest is the antagonist and the nun, the moral superior. Is it always the woman's fault? Beginning with the Garden of Evel (sic), the scripts are written that way. By men.

Other production staff members: Anna-Kathleen Camper, Lauren Markovich, Nick Friedlander, and Heather Plank, stage managers; hair and make-up, Kendel Taylor.

Doubt: A Parable is a 2004 play by John Patrick Shanley which won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.  It won all five Drama Desk awards for which it was nominated. The play was adapted as a movie in 2008 and starred Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was nominated for several Academy Awards.

According to the program: "The Vienna Theatre Company has been inspired by recent events to intensify our efforts to be a vibrant diverse company dedicated to fine entertainment."

Special free Post-Show Talk Back this Saturday following the Nov. 5 show!  9:30 - 10:15 p.m. with the director and actors.

Language: All "G" at the church!

Audience: For mature children and adults

What: Doubt: A Parable

When: Friday and Saturday nights, at 8 p.m., Nov. 4 and 5, 2022; Sunday matinee, 2 p.m., Nov. 6, 2022,

Where: Vienna Theatre Company, Vienna Community Center, 120 Cherry St., SE, Vienna, VA 22180

Tickets: Online at Vienna, VA – WebTrac Ticket Search (myvscloud.com) or in person at the Vienna Community Center during open hours or before each performance, if available. $15.

patricialesli@gmail.com

Fabulous 'Fame' rocks the house of Gala

Paula Calvo (center)is Carmen in Gala Theatre's Fame the Musical/Photo by Stan Weinstein

This Fame is The Musical based on the 1980 film which unfolds the story of select high schoolers chosen to attend THE arts school in New York which teaches ballet and acting and music.
 
At Gala Hispanic Theatre, they shook the building.

Blue lights and orange lights and spot lights and flashers.
Singers and dancers and hip hop were smashers.

One of the great things about going to Gala is the happy crew which makes the audience happy, too (most of the time).
 
Another reason to go to Gala!

Oh, there's a story here, or several of them, as boy meets girl who meets boy who meets girl and back again, do si do, a top star who can't make the grade, and you know the drill. Still, it's not the story that draws the public:  It's Fame's music and dancing, and no one will be disappointed.

Voices soar with a large (22) crew who raise the roof. The girls seem to outshine the boys when it comes to vocals but with dancing, it's the guys who excel.

How about a split mid-air? Or a backward somersault? You hold your breath waiting for a mishap.  There are none. For this is act! Act! Act!  Dance!  Dance!  Dance!

Romainson Romain (center) is Tyler in Gala Theatre's Fame the Musical With him are, front, from left, Imanol Fuentes and Kramer Kwalick; back, Patrick Ward, and Bryan Ernesto Menjivar/Photo by Stan Weinstein

Romainson Romain is Tyler, one of the stars who can do anything dance-wise, with the exception of what brought him to the show.

The villain is the mean, uptight English teacher, Ms. Sherman, severely dressed in a monochromatic strait jacket-buttoned suit, splendidly carried out by Susan Oliveras who, with her hair pulled taut, was an instant dislike.  

Based on the audience's response, Alana Thomas' gospel, Mabel's Prayer, was probably the favorite song of the night which came in the second act, a lot livelier half than the first part of the show.

Some of the best performers were never seen: the nine-member band with students, led by Walter "Bobby" McCoy, with Jake Null, Mila Weiss, Brad Clements, Doug Elliott, Jaime Ibacache, Cyndy Elliott, Kendall Haywood, Manny Archiniega, Melody Flores, and Andrew Velez.

The set by Clifton Chadwick is chiefly steel school lockers which move and transition to become ladders, accompanied by effective and varied lighting by Christopher Annas-Lee to create shadows and mood.

Stylish, contemporary costuming by Robert Croghan fits the time which is anything recent.

Confusion reigned supreme, however, with bilingual versions on the stage and dual screens hanging from the ceiling at angles stage left and right with languages mixed. For those who need translation from Espanol to English or vice-versa, eyes move back and forth to the subtitles while trying to adjust and understand the language you know and hear, both languages spoken and sung by actors in rapid fire succession, often by the same actor.  (How did they keep them straight? Translations were perfect.)

My seatmate almost gave me motion sickness, moving her head back and forth as she moved from stage to screen and back again, trying to read the language she knew, as if she were swimming laps.  

Since music is the universal language, who needs translation anyway?  

Applause to choreographer and director, Luis Salgado. the previous winner of Tony and Helen Hayes awards.


Other members of the cast are Carlos Salazar, Tanya De Leon, Rafael Beato, Paula Calvo, Amaya Perea, Juan Luis Espinal, Paloma de Vega, Jon Yepez, Teresa Quigley Danskey, Imanol Fuentes Garcia, and Brendon Schaefer.
 
In the Ensemble are Julia Klavans and Rodolfo Santamarina, dance captains; Kramer Kwalick, Bryan Ernesto Menjivar, Pranjaal Pizarro, Susan Ramirez, Megumi Shumoda, and Patrick Ward.

Other members of the creative team are Patrick Lord, projections; Jose Coca, Paso Nuevo instructor; Roc Lee, sound; Matt Carlin, properties; Brennan T. Jones, stage manager; Tony Koehler, production coordinator; Devin Mahoney, technical director; Valerie Cossu, associate director and choreographer; Heather Hogan, creative consultant; and Hugo Medrano, producer.

Book, music, and lyrics by David De Silva, Jose Fernandez (tribute is made in his memory), Steve Margoshes, and Jacques Lecy

 
What: Fame the Musical 

When: Now through June 9, 2019, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. 

Where: Gala Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010.

Tickets:  $65, general admission; $40 for seniors age 65 and over, military, students, and those age 30 and under; $30 for each ticket in group sales of 10 or more. Rush tickets are $40 for all shows, sold between 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. for the nightly shows, and between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. for Sunday matinees. Go online and order at GALA Tickets or buy at the box office.
 
Student Matinees: May 23 and May 24 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, email education@galatheatre.org.

Duration: About 2.5 two hours with one intermission 

Refreshments:  Available and may be taken to seats.

Metro stations: Columbia Heights or McPherson Square and take a bus from McPherson Square up 14th, or walk two miles and save money and expend calories! Lots of places to eat along the way.

Parking: Available on nearby streets or park in the Giant grocery store parking lot behind Gala for $4 validated ticket.
 
For more information: (202) 234-7174 and/or email info@galatheatre.org.

patricialesli@gmail.com 

 

Peter Marks! Live and on stage

Sophie Gilbert of the Washingtonian and Peter Marks of the Washington Post don't like being called 'idiots'/Patricia Leslie

Last week he was at the Helen Hayes Gallery at National Theatre with three other local theatre critics to talk about, what else? What they do for a living.

It was all part of the inaugural theatreWeek produced "to build awareness of Washington's vibrant theatre community."

Peter Marks of the Washington Post was surprisingly animated, talkative, and doubtful (at times) about his output and the future, coming close to saying he's going to retire after 20 years of writing about plays.

"I love doing what I'm doing," he said, "but I am conscious I am losing you." The market is shifting, and theatres are more sophisticated in marketing themselves via social media, he said. 

It's up to readers to decide which formats go, stay, and change, and those who cancel their subscriptions to the Post contribute to criticism's demise, Marks said.

 Other panel members were Robert Aubrey Davis of WETA, Sophie Gilbert of the Washingtonian, and Benjamin Freed from DCist.

From left, the critics' panel of Robert Aubrey Davis, Benjamin Freed, Sophie Gilbert, Peter Marks, and Linda Levy Grossman/Patricia Leslie

It seemed to be common knowledge at the event that theatre criticism is on the decline, and to those on the inside, at least, the industry has changed a lot, and not always for the good.

The critics seem genuinely surprised that their reviews can influence theatregoers.  Only a handful of the 40 or so in the mixed audience (composed of many actors) raised their hands when asked if reviews affect their attendance.

Marks said he tries to assign the Post's reviewers "to almost every professional production in the Washington area."   He is "constantly besieged" by publicists. All the Post's theatre critics, including Marks, have other feature assignments which is not "a good system" but "a result of diminishing resources."

A member of the audience asked about "adjectives" and Marks said they were a critic's "best friend and worst enemy...I live in terror" that he'll quote himself, and he uses  a software program to prevent repeats.  

Peter Marks lives in terror at times.  On the right is Linda Levy Grossman/Patricia Leslie

"Compelling" and "glorious" are only two often used words Marks says he tries to avoid, and he "retires" some words for four to six months.

Gilbert uses a thesaurus "a lot" and has found that she has repeated herself. Freed said "sometimes you coin a phrase you're really proud of."   Davis said: "When in doubt, strike it out."

Marks said a review does not make or break a show, but no one likes being called an idiot, which Gilbert said she's been called more than once.  Davis said he has had to make a formal apology to someone who complained to a higher-up about one of his reviews.  Panel consensus was they all try to be fair and balanced. 

Marks doesn't like being misunderstood by readers and "it bothers me not being able to break through….So few people understand what critics do." When he sees a play, he asks what it does to him or for him. Is it a waste of time?

He tries "not to talk down" to his audience like some critics, some of whom are "insecure."

Freed said some writers drop names, an annoying habit. Marks said "I love actors" (he acted in college), but he doesn't want to be "a cheerleader" and "my fear is looking like a 'patsy' and a 'softie.'" He tries to be honest: "I want to be nice" which becomes harder the larger a portfolio becomes.

In the past, reviews came out the day after a play was seen; now, "days and days" go by before one is released and there's more of "a delayed reaction."

Freed said when he writes, he "thinks with my heart at first, and then, I think with my head."

Davis grew up in Washington and has many years of theatre experience, not only as a critic but also as an actor having recently performed in Hairspray.  "Opening night is an artificial experience.  It's horrifying," he said.  The best theatre change he's witnessed over the years in the "chocolate city" has been the influx of African-Americans who are participating.

Answering a question from the audience, Gilbert said she spends between one and a half and two and half hours writing a review.

Freed said the hardest critiques to write are about those plays which leave him with mixed opinions.  The easiest are the ones "you hate or love." He loved Red and wrote that review in 30 to 45 minutes but "hated" Civilization at Woolly Mammoth which Gilbert didn’t like much either (faulty structure) but Marks did like.   (During the discussion that play was mentioned more than any other.)

Other plays cited during the presentation were Clybourne Park (generally loved), Art by Yasmina Reza (Davis:  not good), and Ah, Wilderness! (Gilbert: "It flowed so well.").

Marks said he "still sobs when Biff confronts Willie."

Linda Levy Grossman, president of theatreWashington, served as skilful moderator. 

Admonition to writers: Do not end a sentence with an adjective.