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 Produced by Round House TheatreBy: Fiona Zublin 

A Prayer for Owen Meany is a monumental book (by prolific novelist John Irving), and its 600 pages would seem to be an impossibly candidate for adaptation.  First of all, there is its daunting length-and even more intimidating is its beloved status in American culture.  If one tries to adapt A Prayer for Owen Meany, one had better do it well.

Round House Theatre (Bethesda) has taken a chance, and I’m glad they did.

Matthew Detmer gives a stunning performance as Owen Meany, a profane and deeply religious young man with a voice like a slide whistle.  Detmer’s perfect comic timing and terrifying prosthetic ears take him in the minds of an audience from an off-putting presence to an unlikely Christ figure. 

 Owen Meany is what matters; everyone else fades into the background.  The narrator of his story is John Wheelwright (an ineffectual Ian Kahn), whose family and hometown was indelibly affected by Owen.  The rest of the company comprises the “American Gothic”-esque town which doesn’t even pretend to be wholesome but is instead has a spare and strange take on Americana.  Notable are Lawrence Redmond, as Owen’s tough talking father, and Kathryn Kelley as a rector’s wife whose dresses match her husband’s vests.  Kate Turner-Walker’s costumes are striking and often whimsical, and James Kronzer’s set captures the dark satire of small-town America with which A Prayer for Owen Meany is infused. 

For those new to Owen’s story, it is mesmerizing.  With a deep connection to Owen’s Catholicism and the straight-talking sense of humor that marks all John Irving’s novels,  Englishman Simon Bent has taken an intrinsically American and seemingly impossible to adapt novel and turned it into a complex and engaging-if overlong-theatrical experience.

The third act unfortunately devolves into a series of striking but ultimately hollow theatrical statements.  Any three-hour play has to be fascinating to the end, and this one is not.  Owen Meany loses audience interest during its home stretch, but it perks up to deliver the inevitable conclusion-for no-one could resist finding out how Owen’s story ends.

A Prayer for Owen Meany plays at Round House Theater (4545 East-West Highway Bethesda, MD)  Sept 13 - Oct 8 Wednesday thru Saturday evenings with Saturday and Sunday matinees.  Tickets:  $25-55.  For reservations, call 240 644-1100 or purchase tickets  online:http://www.roundhousetheatre.org/.

By Ronnie Ruff 

Produced by  Arena Stage 

The long history of Cabaret makes it extremely difficult to produce something refreshing and new for the seasoned theatre audience here in Washington, DC. I think, even more difficult, is the task of pleasing the critics who all have their favorite production. It was only a week or so ago that at least one major critical voice was calling for more political theatre to be produced in DC. Arena’s Cabaret is overtly political and takes very risky chances with the material. Some of the risks prove to be worth it while some are less successful.

Arena artistic director Molly Smith has mounted her vision of Cabaret with an eye on the current administration. The production draws comparisons between Iraqi War atrocities such as Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay and horrible acts committed throughout the early days of the Nazi’s rise to power in Germany. These comparisons are pretty powerful symbols and reflect a bold view of the battle to preserve personal rights both here and abroad. In an interview with Joel Markowitz for his Theatre Schmooze column (DC Theatre Reviews) a few weeks ago Molly expressed her pointed feelings about the Bush administration and its abuses of personal liberties. In her production of Cabaret we witness Nazi brown shirts terrorize young Clifford Bradshaw and even take time to snap posed photos (reminding us of the horrific abuses of the afore mentioned Abu Ghraib).  

There are some wonderful performances in Cabaret although not necessarily the ones you may be expecting. Walter Charles is simply endearing as Herr Shultz, his voice strong and pleasing, he ignores the oncoming menace transfixed only on his love for Fraulein Schneider (Dorothy Stanley). Fred Shiffman is smooth, possibly sinister as Ernst Ludwig and then there is Sherri L Edelen who takes a small role as Fraulein Kost and makes it all hers. What about the stars?  Meg Gillentine portrays the iconic Sally Bowles and has a great voice, maybe too fantastic for a role where the character does not have an overabundance of talent or class as the Kit Kat torch singer. Brad Oscar is a different Emcee than you are used to in this role. He is a large man, boisterous and a bit clown like but with a rather scary sneer. Is he right for the part?  Like many things in Arena’s Cabaret it is up for discussion but when the talk is over, one is glad to have witnessed his performance. This is not a Cabaret that is like anything you have seen before and that’s exactly what makes it work and sometimes misfire.

One of the best things about Arena’s Cabaret is Austin Sanderson’s wonderful costume design that brings a touch of whimsy to the show. Anne Patterson creates a lovely set that emphasizes functionality and a sense of style. The scene transitions seem effortless and snappy, a tribute to the design and direction.

George Fulginiti-Shakar is the music director and conductor for Cabaret and the music in this show is top notch.  Like one has come to expect with Arena, the nine piece orchestra never overcooks and we are treated to a wonderful collection of Kander and Ebb material that doesn’t feel forced or strained.  The second-act reprise of “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” is possibly the show’s strongest musical performance while Meg Gillentine’s rendition of “Cabaret”, performed curled in a fetal position on the piano is perhaps the show’s most emotional number.

You might ask “Why should I see this show?”  This reviewer’s answer is Molly Smith’s brave direction - she gives us a show that is not afraid to point to today’s headlines and say “never forget.”  As the miniature train chugs across the stage and the sounds of genocide pound all around you - the black swastikas on blood red backgrounds remind us that we were fooled once before.    

“Cabaret,” book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, lyrics by Fred Ebb   Arena Stage, 1101 Sixth St. SW  7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays; and 7:30 p.m. Sundays. Selected noon matinees in October. Through Oct. 29.
TICKETS: $55 to $74 PHONE: 202/488-3300  Website 

In the Mood, by Irene Wurzel, produced by Olney Theatre Center

Reviewed by Tim Treanor

About twenty years ago, a James Caan-Mandy Patinkin movie called Alien Nation imagined the existence of a drug which enabled - indeed, compelled - users to work endless hours under subhuman conditions, cheerfully. It was addictive, both to the users and to those who took advantage of their supernal efforts. In the movie, decent men and women joined forces to destroy this drug.

As Irene Wurzel’s perceptive drama In the Mood points out, based on what we know of mania, that’s not the way things would go in real life.

Neil Workman (Christopher Lane), Undersecretary for Political Affairs for the Department of State, is a man of enormous accomplishment and even grander ambition. He is an expert on the Constitution, happily married to an accomplished artist (Mary Beth Wise). He is the protégé to the Secretary of State (Leo Erickson) and his squash partner is the President of the United States.

He is also certifiably manic. As Lane plays it, mania is a lovely state, in which the air is sweeter and colors enhanced. His desire for his lovely, noble wife quickens his step and freshens his demeanor. His plumy drawl, drawn from Eastern finishing schools and Ivy League doctoral studies, grows even broader. The world and all its problems seems no more formidable than a New York Times crossword puzzle.

And then there is over the top. When Neil goes over the top, he helps to overthrow governments, writes new constitutions, and makes outlandish promises to rebel forces. That, as we say, exceeds his pay grade and he is obliged to go home and take medicine.

The ostensible focus of In the Mood is Neil’s long-suffering wife, Jennifer, whose job it is to somehow make sense out of her brilliant husband’s mood swings. She never succeeds: notwithstanding her intelligence, determination, and the great love she bears her husband, his illness moves him to humiliate her constantly, and things do not end up well.

And yet…how hard did she try? “I want you to freeze just this way,” she tells Neil shortly after he gives up the powerful psychotropic drug prescribed for him after the government overthrow matter. Though he doesn’t say it, this is also the view of Neil’s boss, the Secretary and State, and probably the view of Neil’s squash partner as well. Manic Neil is vigorous, funny, generous, hard-working, and loving. Medicated Neil sat around watching TiVoed NFL games.

Everyone - with the possible exception of Neil’s truth-telling son, Josh (Tim Speers) - helps to push Neil towards the manic hell that awaits him. Neil’s cheerfully oblivious mother (Halo Wines) manages to manufacture excuses for Neil’s behavior; and Neil’s young assistant Annette (Therese Barbato) is in awe or in heat or both. With all this encouragement can it be any wonder that Neil, who loves to make people happy, pushes himself until he finally explodes in a supernova of lethal mania?

Wurzel, working for the first time without her collaborator, Charlotte Anker, has developed a script which demonstrates considerable familiarity with both mania and high-stakes bureaucratic brinksmanship. The tension between Erickson and Lane in their political confrontations is palpable. Similarly, Wise’s humiliation in the face of her husband’s drunken performance at a dinner is so acute that it leaps out at the audience - despite the fact that she doesn’t say a word.

This is not to say that the script is finished. Wurzel has some unfortunate high-context dialogue between Neil and Jennifer, clearly designed to drive out exposition. Wise, an excellent actress, struggles with these lines. They are unnecessary, since Wurzel has Jennifer elsewhere speaking directly to the audience. With minor revisions, Wurzel will have a first-rate show.

She already has a first-rate production. Lane, in a role any actor would love to have, is breathtaking. It is a dangerous thing to write a character as brilliant and charismatic as Neil is supposed to be, since there are a limited number of actors who can play them authentically. Lane is one of them. His Neil was perfectly modulated; it was possible to evaluate immediately the degree to which he was afflicted with mania simply by his stance, his walk, and his first few words. When he was on medication - the only time he appeared to be anything close to depressed - he was still wholly himself, slowed down and sad.

Wise has a more difficult role: she needs to make herself interesting even though she must be strong, noble, and responsible throughout. Such a character can become annoying after a while, but Wise gives a textured performance and, despite her nobility, becomes a sympathetic character by the end.

The supporting cast is also strong - particularly Wines, who resisted every temptation to make her character a caricature and instead gave us someone so complex and lucid that she became a lens through which the actions of the other characters could be understood. Erickson and director Jim Petosa made the interesting choice to play the Secretary of State as a bit of a creep; full of old-world obsequy, he seems to be unable to resist touching Jennifer every time he’s alone in the room with her.

Olney continues to have some of the best production values in Washington-area theater. Scenic Designer Milagros Ponce de Leon’s artist’s studio - the venue for the entire play - is spot-on, and the immense sculptor’s stone which hangs over the play is a reminder of the heavy weight over the characters. Jarett Pisani’s sound design is again excellent, and Donald Edmund Thomas’ lighting design is magnificent. Thomas is able to denote radical changes in time and place on a single-scene set with just a few subtle changes in light. Donald Edmund Thomas, you the man!

In the Mood plays at the Mulitz-Gudelsky Theatre Lab of Olney Theatre Center (2001 Olney-Sandy Springs Road, Olney, MD) Tuesdays through Sundays until September 24. Tuesdays and Sundays are at 7.45 p.m., except for September 24, when there is no evening show. Wednesdays through Saturdays are at 8.15. There are, in addition, 2.15 matinees on Saturdays, Sundays and on Thursday, September 21. Tickets are $34-$44. To order, call 301.924.3400 or visit http://www.olneytheatre.org/.

Produced by  Studio Theatre

by Debbie Minter Jackson

The Studio Theater’s production of Red Light Winter takes cold to a new dimension with the blustery drafts, howling winds, and frosted windowpanes. For talented playwright Adam Rapp, not even freezing temperatures can match the cold of unrequited love involving two friends straddling between Amsterdam and New York City. With characters as sharp as icicles, Red Light Winter explores friendship, obsession, devotion, loyalty, and hope under the pervasive specter of unhappiness and death.

On the surface, the two post-college roommates, Matt and Davis couldn’t be more unalike-however, don’t even think Felix and Oscar -the buddy relationship between these two sinks to all time lows. Matt, the “nerdy” one with all the physical ailments, and stifling emotional issues is paired with the strapping, good looking, though rather heartless Davis, played by the exceptionally talented Jason Fleitz and William Peden respectively. Despite their night and day contrasts, they are strangely equally yoked in their passion for words, wordplay, playwriting, and favorite authors. Whether their endless banter is about the lasting impact of certain novelists, or obscure definitions of physical protrusions, they are a matched set, like twins that got perversely different nourishment from birth. They complete each other, push each other to the absolute limit, but in their own dysfunctional way, are there for each other.

The play opens with Matt obviously not having his best moments, attempting to hang himself with his belt strapped around the wall hook. The hook doesn’t bear his weight and breaks off at the exact moment that Davis suddenly enters bursting at the seams, characteristically full of himself. Once he finally introduces “Christina’ who’s been waiting outside the door, it becomes clear that he bought her services for his cherished “bro,” who is indeed, much in need of caring and compassion. Though obviously more attracted to the gorgeous though dangerous Davis, Christina also played to perfection by Regina Aquino, shares some tender moments with Matt who sees through her false accent, astutely interprets her chanteuse rendition of a song, and treasures every millisecond of their time together. The second act explores the intersection of their lives a year later in New York City.

Playwright Adam Rapp in graphic and explosive fashion dares us to reconsider our own definitions of friends, lovers, and sex workers. For example, although Christina worked the infamous red light window district in Amsterdam, and accepted payment for sexual favors, she seemed emotionally grounded and primed for a relationship. She was smitten enough by Davis to ask for his address, which is how she ended up at their door a year later. In the second act after she’s had her share of unfair shafts by fate and life, she discovers that Matt is prepared to offer her warmth, comfort, food, the shirt off his back, adoration, and yes, even love. Still, she opts to become one with the cold rather than live in the disease ridden world without her fantasy Davis, who proves to be as cold and brutal as the freezing Nor’eastern winds.

In typical Studio fashion, all aspects of the production design team worked together creating a flawless rendition of two strikingly different settings, set design by Debra Booth and lighting by Michael Giannitti. The neon red window border catapults you directly to that infamous sex-on-the-spot district. Finally, Joy Zinoman’s unflinching directing, reminiscent of her work on another full-throttled male bonding piece, brothers in Top Dog, Under Dog, makes you wonder what kind of demonic genius she channels from within. Be very afraid, and enlightened.

Described as “a modern age love story with jagged edged,” Red Light Winter, though not for the faint of heart, will not disappoint.

Red Light Winter plays at Studio Theatre’s Mead Theatre, 1501 14th St, NW, Washington, DC.
September 13 - 30.  Tuesday thru Sunday evenings and matinees Saturday and Sunday. Tickets range from $29 to $48.  www.studiotheatre.org

Is this a dagger which I see before me? 

MacBird, by Barbara Garson,

 Performed by the American Century Theater

Reviewed by Tim Treanor

MacBird is agitprop. It cannot be usefully reviewed as though it was a piece of conventional theater, since its objectives are different. Moreover, in keeping with the American Century Theater’s mission of reexamining forgotten American plays of the twentieth century, it is forty-year-old agitprop. It’s history as well as politics. Let’s get to it, then. (Reviewer’s note: if you’re familiar with, or disinterested in, the politics of the time ignore the blue text)

In 1960, Jack Kennedy, a Senate back-bencher, outmaneuvered Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson to secure the Democratic Party’s nomination to the presidency at the incredibly young age of forty-three. Against the vehement objections of his brother Bobby, he then offered Johnson the Vice-Presidential slot. Johnson, a brilliant, deeply insecure man whose accomplishments to that point had significantly outweighed Kennedy’s, accepted the post but never fully accepted the reversal in their relationship. The Kennedy clan, wealthy, eastern and classically educated, never fully accepted the self-made Johnson. Deep into the Kennedy administration, many thought that JFK would find another running-mate in 1964.

Despite Democratic control of both houses of Congress, Kennedy was unable to enact much of a legislative program. He did run a highly aggressive foreign policy, however, and he projected a vigorous, fearless, optimistic persona which made him one of the most popular presidents in history.

On November 22, 1963, a gunman, generally thought to be Lee Oswald, assassinated Kennedy and Johnson assumed the presidency. Johnson succeeded where Kennedy had failed, securing passage of a Civil Rights Act, a Voting Rights Act, a Constitutional amendment banning the poll tax, and an investment in America’s poor and suffering the equal of anything Roosevelt had done thirty years previous. Johnson also failed where Kennedy had succeeded, in that LBJ’s mournful personality and tedious public language won him little personal following apart from his programs.

Johnson was the most liberal president in American history, but his prosecution of a failed war in what was then known as South Viet Nam eventually resulted in the left’s repudiation of him and, ultimately, his political downfall. Johnson inherited this war from Kennedy, and - as he confided to Sen. Richard Russell in recently released White House tapes - he had no stomach for it. But he thought that if he withdrew from the war, it would weaken the presidency and strengthen the hand of his right-wing opponents.

He may have been right. The early Johnson years were a high point in American faith in the power of its government to do good. The sense that the Federal government could end poverty or racism by legislative fiat and the police power of the state stood on the same ground as the belief that it could bring freedom and democracy to third world countries through military power.

The Kennedy family, led by Bobby, sought to discredit Johnson, who they considered an interloper. By 1967, Bobby was testing the waters for his own Presidential run, with the unpopularity of the Viet Nam war as his instrument.

It was at this point - early 1967 - that MacBird entered the culture. Playwright Barbara Garson’s audacious premise was that Shakespeare’s MacBeth provided a way of understanding the current political situation. The centerpiece of the play is that MacBird (played by Joe Cronin in this production) - a barely disguised LBJ - plotted and effectuated the assassination of the King, John Ken O’Dunc (Robert Rector). There is, of course, no evidence that Johnson had ordered Kennedy’s assassination, and Garson, forty years after the play, denies that she ever intended to suggest that he had. Following the enigmatic advice of three prophesying stoners (Maura Stadem, Theodore M. Snead, and a very effective J.J. Area), MacBird rampages through the country like a bourbon-soaked Brahma bull, securely believing in his invincibility. His response to troubles in “Viet Land” and demonstrations at home is the same: send in the troops.

His only effective opposition is Bobby Ken O’Dunc (Joshua Drew), a ruthless and oily conspirator motivated principally by his disturbed sense of regal entitlement. Aided by his moronic brother Teddy (Steve McWilliams) and the blowhard Wayne of Morse (Jay Tilley), Bobby seeks to enlist the equivocating Egg of Head (Brian Crane; the reference is to US Representative to the UN and failed Presidential candidate Adeli Stevenson) and to subvert the three hippie prophets. Bobby’s plans fail - Egg of Head dies under mysterious circumstances (Stevenson’s death was unquestionably from natural causes) and the hippies insist on running their own show. But he ultimately succeeds - in both senses of the word - when MacBird, in mortal combat, dies of heart failure (as LBJ actually did, six years later). Chillingly, the original ending called for Bobby Ken O’Dunc to be shot as he took the crown from MacBird; the original director insisted the scene be cut.

It is at once clear that Garson’s target is appreciably broader, and deeper, than Lyndon Johnson and his unpopular war. MacBird means to stab at American democracy. Her venomous feelings towards the Kennedys are palpable; JFK’s classical call to service is parodied thusly: “Ask not how you can make your family prosper…But ask what you can give to serve the state.” Bobby is made as attractive as a cobra; this production gives him an additional dalliance with an uncredited Marilyn Monroe. Teddy is a brain-damaged simpleton; this production also cruelly underscores Sen. Edward Kennedy’s drinking problem. Garson’s Sen. Wayne Morse - one of two Senators who voted against the Gulf of Tonkin resolution - reeks of self-importance; this production makes him ridiculous by putting him in kilts and having him carry a golf club. Chief Justice Earl Warren (Tilley again) - the man who ended school segregation forever - is in Garson’s version a harrumphing weakling. Aside from the hippie prophets (it was the production’s decision to make them stoners; Garson says she is against drugs); all of the characters are evil or buffoonish or both.

“We were against the cult of personality,” Garson explained after the production. She is sixty-five now - a year older than Johnson was when he died - and has given her life over principally to politics. She has written a couple of non-fiction books, and a play she wrote for children won an Obie, but it is politics that makes her motor run. “We hoped to start a third force” in American politics, she said. Garson, the Socialist Party’s Vice-Presidential candidate in 1992, has not yet succeeded.

She insists that she meant to make MacBird - and Johnson - a sympathetic character, and that her primary objective was to stop people from jumping on the Kennedy bandwagon. Then why accuse him of causing Kennedy’s assassination? Garson avers that it was only the need to parallel the plot of Macbeth (in which Macbeth murders King Duncan) which motivated this sensational accusation. This, it seems, begs the question: if she did not mean to suggest that Johnson killed Kennedy, why use Macbeth as a template at all?

Director Ellen Dempsey and a generally strong cast do this play justice, which is to say, they treat it as agitprop. With the exception of Area’s hippie and, intermittently, Drew’s Bobby, none of these characters have depth or complexity. Garson does not mean for us to understand these characters or - notwithstanding her comments last night - make them sympathetic. The play’s objective is clearly and wholly political. American Century’s production was sufficient to rouse the caring heart of anyone who actually, at this point in time, still cared about the Viet Nam war.

Ultimately, the measure of agitprop’s success - and here I mean Garson’s play, not American Century’s production - is whether it achieves its political mission. If Garson truly intended to discourage the Bobby Kennedy bandwagon, this play was probably a failure. Garson’s fellow lefties flocked to Bobby Kennedy’s campaign once it became serious, and had Sirhan Sirhan not brought him down there was a chance he could have become President - if not in 1968, then in 1972. However, Garson’s play, and other efforts like it, did succeed in driving Lyndon Johnson from the White House. Here’s what happened next: Richard Nixon became President. Republicans won seven of the next ten presidential elections. The third force never materialized, and the anti-war candidate in ‘72 barely won 40% of the vote. After Nixon, there was Ford, and Reagan, and the two Bushes. There is something to be said for leaving things alone, eh, Ms. Garson?

MacBird plays at the Gunston Arts Center (2700 South Lang Street, Arlington) Wednesdays through Sundays until October 7. 2.30 matinees on September 10, 17, 24, and 30 and October 7; all other shows are at 8. Tickets are $23-29 and may be had at 703.553.8782 or www.americancentury.org.

Produced by Journeymen Theater

by Debbie Minter Jackson

The opening sequence of Spinning Into Butter feels cozy, comfortable and familiar - a student is called into a typical dean’s office, not too cluttered or pristine. Maura McGinn plays Dean Sarah Daniels with accuracy and precision, pulling bifocals in place when necessary, trying to find a way to help a struggling yet promising college student with scholarship funds, slipping a quick kiss to a colleague/lover. As the scene unfolds, though, it becomes evident that the comfortable patterns will soon be shattered - the student doesn’t want to be labeled in one of the traditional or “accepted” minority categories, the boyfriend is recommitting to a former lover and breaking up with her, and someone is terrorizing one of the black student leaving racially tinged and denigrating notes on his door. Within moments, the everyday familiar has careened into uncomfortable territory filled with self-examination, recrimination, apprehension, and discomfort. This is vintage (playwright) Rebecca Gilman who is notorious for pulling no punches. In the capable hands of Journeymen Theater, you can trust you’ll come through in one piece.

McGinn stays front and center as the harried dean of students. Having performed in ensembles and as a supporting character throughout the metro area, she finally gets a chance to shine, and is a wonder to behold in this difficult role. She has an enormous range of emotional subtext and glides effortlessly through what would be a minefield for a less skilled actor. The play opens with her having an uncomfortable exchange with the student that sets the premise for the piece. She handles the situation with strength and assurance, yet in the shark laden faculty den, she is seen as weak and compromised. Her vulnerable side becomes evident in the next scene when she is unceremoniously dumped by her “boyfriend.” Within moments she goes from being emotionally guarded, to shocked about his deception, angry with his duplicity, resigned to accept his “let’s be friends” offer, sheds an obligatory tear when he leaves, then pulls it together to see the throng of waiting and needy students. McGinn proves that she has the chops to maintain the focus of attention whether delivering the lines or listening intently to all who show up at her office-which, by the way, is the setting for the entire show, no let-up, no side spots, everything happens within her four walls. As such, her character is the central focus of attention. When the news of the taunting racial notes hits like a bombshell, everybody is hit with shrapnel, but the play mostly explores her reactions to the catalytic events and carefully exposes evidence of early shrapnel bits already buried deep inside of her.

As the focus of the script, McGinn’s character is the cultural messenger, she bares the burden of baring her soul, speaking for many who feel the same but who dare not utter the words for fear of retribution and being considered racist. The script explores the power and use of words, defining them, having characters look them up in the big Oxford dictionary, even hurling the book to the ground for a cathartic moment of emotional release. Still, instead of defining racism, the script offers a fractured kaleidoscopic perspective of its subtle effects on lives, including the disenfranchised minorities who are categorized, run from, ignored, and hurt.

Spinning into Butter hits raw nerves, and it was difficult to listen to some of the descriptions of black people in unflattering though realistic situations. The script hides nothing, makes no pretense of political correctness, and offers no subtleties or excuses. Having worked in an inner city school, Dean Sarah Daniels has the war wounds that precipitated her flight to the whitest area she could find, a small college in Vermont. Having “done her time” in the black environment, she shares heartbreakingly honest judgments about the offensive behavior she has witnessed, to the point of emotionally associating with the white girl victim in Richard Wright’s Native Son. Despite the increasing multiculturalism in the nation, we seem no closer to dealing with the racial divide than in the world of Bigger Thomas. And that’s what makes this play so difficult to watch- so much pain is brought to the surface without resolve. The final moments where Dean Daniels comforts the still unseen black student touchingly remind us that the divide can only be crossed on personal levels of caring.

McGinn is well supported by the rest of the cast-what a treat to see Deborah Kirby, founder and producer strut her stuff as tough as nails Dean Kenney. The production team-set by Tracie Lynn Duncan and lighting by Harold F. Burgess - created a comfortable and accessible physical space, the soft light glowing behind the gracefully draped suspended windows is exceptionally effective, and the director, Jeff Keenan, keeps everything in motion and everyone on pointe.

In this new reality show season of “Black and White” and Survivor by racial clan, kudos to Journeymen Theater for selecting and mastering this controversial work to elevate the discussions of race and class in America.

Spinning into Butter plays at the WSC Clark Street Playhouse (601 S Clark St, Arlington, VA) Sept 6 - 30, evenings, Wednesday thru Saturday with an additional Saturday matinee.Tickets:  $20.  For reservations, call 800 494-8497 or purchase tickets online: http://www.journeymentheatre.org/.

  MUSICAL GEMS OF 2005-2006-LOTS TO SING ABOUT!!

by Joel Markowitz

Nubians, Pissers, Cheating Queens, A Puffing Maid, A Lot of Heart, Deerlick, Bli-Blip, Marilyn Monroe, and Bosom Buddies:

I saw 36 musicals locally and on Broadway this year, and boy are we blessed in the DC/MD/VA area!! Here are my favorite musical experiences of the 2005-2006 (from August to August).

1   BLOOD BROTHERS AT THE ELDEN STREET PLAYERS.

I can hear some of you saying, “Is he kidding?? Nope. I’m not!

For 14 years, my social group The Ushers has ended its season with a visit to The Elden Street Players in Herndon, VA, located in a small industrial park. We’ve seen incredible productions of Sweeney Todd, Rocky Horror Picture Show, La Cage Aux Folles , Gypsy, Pippin, Hair, Tommy, Suburb.(ESP has a history of putting on great productions of

One word musicals. I always get nervous when I hear they are producing a musical with two words or more. With their intimate space, and their “in your face” productions, ESP has won numerous local WATCH and Ruby Griffith Awards for their productions.

Which now leads me to ESP’s powerful, emotional, but un-schmaltzy production of Blood Brothers-a musical that is still running in London after a decade. The restrained direction of Gloria DuGan, the musical direction of David Rohde (what a pleasure to be able to hear every lyric and not be drowned out by the loud orchestras we see in many of the “bigger” theatres in the area), the clever and simple choreography of Jeannie Torres, and the sheer emotional power and beauty of the score, made this production for me, the most unforgettable musical of the year.

Why? Because the cast was perfection! Everyone had beautiful voices with perfect diction (Merman would have been proud)! It’s very easy to overact in this show-I’ve seen several productions that were insufferable, especially the Broadway production that starred the two Cassidy brothers with Helen Reddy, Petula Clark and Carole King. I wanted to scream out, “It’s too late baby now, it’s too late.”

Andy Izquierdo as Mickey and Josh Doyle were brilliant in two very difficult roles, where they were called upon to play their characters both as children as well as adults. You believed they were children when they were supposed to be children, and you believed they were adults when they were supposed to be adults.

The audience was also moved by the powerful acting and singing of Anita Miller as Mrs. Johnstone, Kat Brais as Mrs. Lyons and Nano Gowland (as a very strange narrator-Bogeyman-whose sang the most beautiful tones I’ve heard in a long time on a local stage).

The night I saw the show, the SRO audience applauded wildly during the performance. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when the cast sang Tell Me It’s Not True. It’s very true-this production was simply amazing, and wins my vote for the Best Local Musical Production of 2005-2006! Congrats ESP!

2.  URINETOWN AT SIGNATURE THEATRE.

When a show you saw 4 times and loved on Broadway is reinterpreted by a genius-Joe Calarco-and has a cast made in toilet heaven-and you like the Signature production more than you liked the original Broadway production-what do you call it?

Piss Bliss!

With multi-talented Will Gartshore again giving a strong (as in Bobby Strong) performance, Erin Driscoll bringing hope (as in Hope Cladwell) to a ditsy role, Jenna Sokolowski smirking and endearing Little Sally, Sherri Edelen’s Little Becky Two Shoes busting out all over and Stephen Schmidt’s hysterically deadpan Office Lockstock trying to look serious, (when you know he very close to “losing it”)” oozing all over the stage, how could you not have immense joy leak out of your pores? That cast was a royal flush! And how about that hysterical campy choreography that Karma Camp’s put her peeons through?

Congrats to the amazingly talented cast. You deserved your Helen Hayes Awards! Sorry, gotta go. Down the hall, Joel.

3.   TWO QUEENS, ONE CASTLE AT METRO STAGE.

It takes courage to produce a musical about the “down low,” about an African American man who is cheating on his wife with a man, who then contracts AIDS and tries to infect his wife. But Carolyn Griffin had that courage to produce Jevette Steele’s autobiographical musical, Two Queens, One Castle, which played to sold out houses at MetroStage.

Everyone who has seen her in Aida at Toby’s The Dinner Theatre of Columbia last year knew Felicia could sing the heck out of Tim Rice and Elton John’s score. But, what theatre goers found out at MetroStage, was that Felicia, who played Wife, was a talented actress as well as a powerful singer.

And what a team of great actors and singers Felicia had to support her in this powerful production-TC Carson as Husband, with his beautiful lower range (that melted the women and some men in the audience when he and Felicia sang the seductive Inside Me), Gary Vincent as the Lover, and Tracy McMullan and Monique Paulwell as the Women, and Roz White Gonsalves as Mama. Boy could they sing!

And what about the brilliant band of 3 - William Hubbard on piano, Yusef Chisholm on bass and Quincy Phillips on drums? Again, these fine musicians allowed the lyrics to be heard and appreciated and did not drown out the incredible singers on the cast.

Powerful. Entertaining. A show with a message performed by a cast of local powerhouses. A theatrical experience I’ll never forget.

4   AIDA AT TOBY’S THE DINNER THEATRE OF COLUMBIA.

I waited in line in the cold of winter NYC many Nubians ago with a hundred devoted insane teenagers trying to get a ticket to see Aida. I despised that production because it was so overblown - the characters got lost in the large sets, and in the overloud orchestra. At Toby’s, AIDA was reborn and resuscitated. The show I hated became the show I admired.

Stripping away the mega sets and concentrating on the story -a love story- Toby Orenstein brought emotion to what was a hollow production in NYC.

Russell Sunday (Rhadames), Janine Gulisano (Amneris), Felicia Curry (Aida), JP Gulla (Zoser) and Alan Wiggins (Mereb) and Charles Abel (Pharaoh) sang their hearts out and also emphasized the humor in the score. Janine’s My Strongest Suit was hysterical. Russell and Felicia’s duets Elaborate Lives and Written In The Stars were beautifully sung, as was Felicia and Alan’s rendition of How I Know You.

Ilona Kessell’s clever choreography kept the production moving quickly and The Gods Love Nubia, which ended the First Act was especially breathtaking. No Wonder Ilona has won 2 Helen Hayes Awards (for Damn Yankees in 2002 and Ragtime in 2004). Christopher Youstra’s orchestra, hidden upstairs, (behind a pyramid) made beautiful music and Lynn Joslin’s lighting was simple and beautiful. What a production! It would make a great opera someday.

5   DAMN YANKEES AT ARENA STAGE.

Molly Smith knows how to bring out the heart of a musical. She did it South Pacific and last year, her production of Damn Yankees was damn good! With this year’s Helen Hayes’ Winner Meg Gillentine’s beautiful Lola legs enveloping the stage and ensuring that Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets, and Broadway star Brad Oscar burning up the stage and recalling The Good Old Days, and hunky Matt Bogart crooning A Man Doesn’t Know, this fun-filled production had the audiences cheering for the home team.

What was new about this production? Maybe it was the space -The Fichandler shaped like a baseball diamond, made you feel like you were part of the game. Maybe it was the energetic choreography of Baayork Lee. Shoeless Joe From Hannibal Mo’ left me (and the dancers) gasping for breath. Maybe it was George Fullginiti-Shakar’s fabulous orchestra, Martin Pakledinaz’s colorful costumes, or John Ambrosone’s gorgeous lighting, or Steve Cupo’s adorable Smokey. I just wanted to pinch his cheeks! You know why I loved this production-it was fun! Damn fun! You hit a home run Molly!

6  CAROLINE, OR CHANGE AT STUDIO THEATRE.

If you have been reading Theatre Schmooze since I began writing this column in April, you might remember that I wrote an article on May 16, 2006 about my love for the Public Theatre and Broadway production of Caroline, or Change.

http://dctheatrereviews.com/review/2006/05/16/its-wednesday-its-theatre-schmooze/

I love this show. I was fearful about what Studio Theatre was going to do with the show. I was shaking when I walked into the first preview performance, and I wasn’t thrilled at the sound problems in the new Metheny Theatre, but when Julia Nixon opened her mouth and sang her first notes as Caroline - a very angry maid, the fear disappeared. Her voice was clear and powerful and although I wish she was angrier (which is more in character) Julia’s voice crackled during Lot’s Wife - the long, powerful, difficult to sing second act soliloquy. During Lot’s Wife, Julia Nixon was a force of nature.

And what about local wonder boy, Max Talisman? A true professional - at the ripe age of 12 - who delivered a vocal performance that not many adults 3 time his age could. Trisha Jeffrey as rebellious daughter Emmie, delivered I Hate The Bus with such power and conviction that I almost called a cab for her. Kelly Rucker’s Dottie was the perfect foil for Julia’s Caroline, and Allison Blackwell’s Moon-singing Donna, Donna (a Yiddish folk song about a lamb lead to slaughter) in Moon Change, gave me the woolies. And special note to Elmore James-the washing machine-who put Julia through the ringer, and whose powerful rendition of The Bus (which ends with “The President is dead.”) shook the Metheny Theatre.

I saw the show 5 times, and each time the performances grew stronger. No wonder this production was extended several times. I’m proud of you Studio. You did well!

7  MAME AT THE KENNEDY CENTER.

Sixty Five Ushers members and their friends and families tapped their feet, hummed along with Jerry Herman’s melodic score, and enjoyed the eye-popping sets and costumes when we saw Eric Schaeffer’s production of Mame on Sunday, June 25^th. Loud applause accompanied the first and last notes of that wonderful overture. Laughter erupted every time Harriet Harris opened her mouth as Vera, and we cheered when Christine Baranski’s comedic skills were utilized to the fullest. And although many of those who attended felt that Ms, Baranski lacked the vocal power in the role of Mame. I didn’t care. My fellow Buffalonian was giving her all and she looked great doing it. As we say in Buffalo, she “winged it” well.

And how nice to hear that beautiful voice of Broadway veterans Jeff McCarthy as Beauregard, Max Von Essen as the Older Patrick, Emily Skinner as Agnes Gooch, and to see my favorite Signature Theatre actor, Harry Winter enjoying himself as Mr. Upson.

Harrison Chad brought the majority of the much needed warmth to this production of Mame. Here is a young teenager with several Broadway shows under his belt (Les Miz Beauty and the Beast, and Caroline, Or Change (where he played and originated the role of Noah Gellman). His young Patrick was adorable and his beautiful rendition of My Best Girl lit up every audience member’s face.

The audiences at the Eisenhower Kennedy Center packed the run of Mame. I am still stunned that the show did not move on to Broadway. Thank you Eric for bringing it back. Me and my bosom buddies had a great time.

8    ELLINGTON: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF THE DUKE AT METRO STAGE

From the moment I sat down to interview Jimi Ray Malary at MetroStage, and heard that velvety voice ooze into Drop Me Off In Harlem, I knew that local theatre goers and music lovers were in for a real treat.

How could you not love a show where a great singer caresses the songs of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn -Sophisticated Lady, Take The “A” Train, Love You Madly, Caravan and Satin Doll. OK, the book wasn’t great, but who cares. I came to hear “the man” and “the man” delivered sheer beauty and spine chilling renditions of jazz classics.

Hearing Jimi Ray Malary slither through Come Sunday was an experience I won’t soon forget.

Special kudos go to the band - musical director (Helen Hayes Award Winner for Dinah Was!) William Knowles on piano, Yusef Chisholm on bass, Gregory Holloway on drums and the highly energetic Ron Oshima on saxophone. Thanks guys for bringing me so much joy this summer.

Jimi Ray Malary returns to MetroStage opening December 1^st for 4 weeks with the Nat King Cole show that was a smash hit in Seattle- King of Cool: Nat King Cole-The Life,The Man. What a nice Christmas gift for our Theatre Community!

9.  A MURDER, A MYSTERY AND A MARRIAGE AT ROUND HOUSE THEATRE

Peter Marks called it “Twangy.” Everyone I took to see this silly, pun filled Mark Twain musical at the beginning of the summer found the little show funny and thoroughly entertaining. I saw school kids laugh themselves silly. I like silly, and those who know me tell me I pun too much. I loved the play on the words “Hugh” and “You.” Now, you know why I loved this musical. Some friends thought I wrote the book.

And how can you not love a musical that has local theatre legend Sherri Edelen, playing Sally Gray, singing and dancing and kibitzing in her Tennessean drawl? I would pay money to hear Sherri recite the alphabet. She’s a very funny lady. Check out my podcast with Sherri at

http://dctheatrereviews.com/review/2006/06/06/hugh-will-love-this-show/, See how hilarious she is.

The terrific cast-Dan Manning (Clem/Reverend Hurley), Anthony Lawton (John Gray). Erin Weaver (Mary Gray), Ben Dibble (Hugh Gregory) and Thomas Simpson (David Gray/Sheriff Thwacker) all were having as much fun as the audience. Chris Youstra’s band of four played the twangy music beautifully, and Karma Camp’s-(Yes-That Urinetown Karma Camp) choreography added to the fun.

Twangy, schmangy. There’s nothin’ like puttin’ your feet up, layin’ back, and lettin’ some homespun fun overtake ya, especially when you’re in Deerlick. Right Aunt Bea?

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MY MUSICAL FRIENDS

This has been a great year for musical theatre on our local stages. Thanks to all our theatres that mounted musicals during the past twelve months. As I sit here tapping my feet and reminiscing about last year’s numerous musical joys, I want to personally thank every actor, actress, singer, musician, director, stagehand, stage manager, marketing, PR, group sales manager and associate, and lighting, sound, costume and set designers, musical directors and their wonderful bands and orchestras for all the harmonious, brilliant, soaring, velvety, spine tingling overtures, songs and performances that enriched my life and other theatre goers’ lives the past twelve months. Break a baton!

IN A YEAR WHEN THEATRICAL GRACE FELL FROM HEAVEN, THIS MANNA TASTED BEST

By Tim Treanor

Sometimes, when I go to the theater I get more than I deserve. I don’t mean more than the cost of the ticket (which is generally free, thanks to this swell reviewing gig I have). I mean more than I deserve as a human being. Sometimes the performances are so sensational that I am impelled to reflect back on my life to conjure up some act I performed which made me worthy of the grace and generosity laid out before me. This mental Google® search generally gives me a headache so I stop it after a while. But I still remember the performances. (more…)

Recent Tragic Events

Produced by Indian Head Center for the Arts 

By: Ronnie Ruff 

I am reminded once in a while just how important the role of director is in any play no matter how great the acting talents or how wonderful the playwright and script. How many times have I been looking forward to a particular actor’s performance or a new play that really peaks my interest only to come away disappointed by the way the show is directed? The director has the power to make a less than stellar actor shine or take a rather dull play and make it enjoyable. Now don’t get me wrong, the production is still only as good as its weakest link and the direction is the weakest link of Recent Tragic Events currently mounted at The Indian Head Center For The Arts in Indian Head, Md.

I do not get out to Indian Head much and I was looking forward to a very timely show by the Nobleheart Rep Co and artistic director Craig Hower. The company has brought in notable NY director and acting coach Spider Duncan Christopher to direct this story of four everyday people and a famous writer who are dealing with the 9-11 events in the best way they can. Recent Tragic Events written by Craig Wright is a Seinfeldian comedy with a lot of philosophy to ponder. A blind date between an airport bookstore manager and a young professional woman who are introduced by a mutual acquaintance just happens to take place the day after 9-11.  Throw into the mix an all too talkative neighbor and his “say little” girlfriend plus, yes, you read it right, a sock puppet playing Joyce Carroll Oates. It has all the makings of a pretty good comedy but…….   It is the comedy that takes a dive in this production and the reason is the pacing of the play. For some reason the director sees fit to slow the pace of the play to the point that one anticipates every line and action. I found myself nodding my head and thinking “ok already, I got it, what’s next?” 

The performances in Recent Tragic Events are quite good at times. Katherine Prout as Waverly is a young professional meeting a blind date at her home. She is well cast and quite entertaining but lacked the depth to pull off some of the more emotional scenes during the show. Mike Mortensen was great as the quirky, self deprecating Andrew who becomes an almost Drew Carey like character. John Hamilton as Ron steals the show. He is funny and abrasive, the crazy guy next door. Sonia Motlagh as Nancy, Ron’s girlfriend, portrays a funny iconic, amazonian sex kitten who also doubles as the sock puppet. Jody Mueller as the stage manager tries to pull off a confusing rather “game show” gimmick with the plot to keep the audience engaged in the first act to little avail.

Much can be said about the stage design in this production, the attention to detail was excellent and I was impressed with the directors full use of the space in the show. NobleHeart has come a long way since I last attended one of their productions in that respect.

In summation I feel that minus the director’s decision to slow the pace, this show could have been a big success for this small theatre company. The decision in itself becomes the tragic event that ruins the comic flow and renders some pretty great efforts a moot point. I do hope that the positive elements are built on in future productions because they are truly significant steps forward.

 Recent Tragic Events. Black Box Theatre, Indian Head Center for the Arts, 4185 Indian Head Hwy, Indian Head, MD. Sept 8 - Oct 8.
Tickets: $18. 301 743-3040 or website

By Ronnie Ruff 

As our website and coverage of the local theatre scene has evolved I find myself drawn to two kinds of theatre. First off I love musicals - I love them mostly because I also have a love of all genres music and that obsession tends to fuel a love of old fashioned musical theatre. Now as DC Theatre Review readers know Mr Markowitz has written a compilation of his favorite performances in musicals this past season so I have decided to compose a list of my five favorite plays of last season. I pulled this from the shows I actually saw, so I reread my thoughts at the time and came up with my list. Now keep in mind I saw about fifty plays and musicals this past season. I must also say I really enjoy theatre in the small venues that tend to be more intimate and bring you right into the actual production. OK, all of that said here is my list for 2005 - 2006.

My favorite play of the year was: This Lime Tree Bower - Scena Theatre

Warehouse’s small black box, a small table and chairs with Dan Brick, Eric Lucas and Joe Baker.. They recited an Irish tale full of laughs and fine lessons learned; storytelling is something these lads are very, very good at. These three actors and director Robert McNamara take this play by Conor McPherson and turn it inside out, upside down and every which way but loose.

Joe, Frank (Joe’s Brother) and Ray (University Professor) tell a coming of age story… or is it a story of moral dilemmas? or personal demons? Joe starts the tale off and around the table the story is passed, first to Ray, then Frank. Before you know it Ray gets violently ill while asking a distinguished speaker at an academic function a question, Frank has performed an armed robbery to protect his father from would be loan shark Simple Simon and Joe has witnessed a brutal rape in a local cemetery. And what’s more all three stories are intertwined by play’s end. Each of the play’s actors deliver complex, brilliant performances! Joe Baker’s stage presence has grown by leaps and bounds since his role in The Beauty Queen Of Leenane, Eric Lucas also seen in last season’s Streetcar Named Desire is at his witty, sarcastic best and Dan Brick continues his masterful ability to bring depth and feeling to his roles as witnessed by his work in Solas Nua’s Disco Pigs, Misterman and Howie The Rookie. The staging was simple with just a table, chairs, a few cold beers and the skyline of an Irish town across the back wall of the Warehouse black box. The lighting effects included some back lighting of the skyline during an evening scene, a very simple but pleasing addition. If storytelling is a lost art this show is testament that it has been rediscovered with Scena’s mounting of This Lime Tree Bower. Funny and irreverent this show was a highly entertaining evening of theatre.

A close second was: Bedbound - Solas Nua

Edna Walsh has yet to achieve the popularity in America that Conor McPherson has but he is, none the less, one of the most important new playwrights in contemporary Irish theatre. Solas Nua, one of the most exciting local theatre companies around mounted Bedbound, Walsh’s 2000 play at the DCAC in Adams Morgan.

A young woman with polio (Linda Murray) and her psychotic father Maxie (Brian Hemmingsen) offer anger filled descriptions of their lives and explain how circumstances have brought them to a place of suffering and revelations.

Ms. Murray and Mr. Hemmingsen delivered performances that grabbed Walsh’s wordy monologues with a firm, white knuckled grip that left the audience all but speechless. A play of almost dizzying complexity, both actors were able to move from almost coma like postures to high pitched frenzy with ease. Dan Brick’s direction was amazing - Solas Nua has an extremely talented pair of directors (Brick-Murray) that are able to take each new production to heights usually only achieved by long established companies. The staging of Bedbound was simply excellent, creatively distinct lighting and smooth eerie sound add to the well designed set.

Solas Nua does not produce light weight theatre - their productions are complex, multi-layered visions of contemporary Irish theatre that are meant to shock, amuse and above all make you think. Bedbound was all of that, a claustrophobic treasure that elevates Solas Nua to another level of performance.

Not too far behind was: Someone To Watch Over Me - Catalyst Theater Company

A story about three men being held hostage in a basement somewhere in Lebanon, Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me displayed real emotion but was not meant to be a realistic portrayal of hostage situations. What Catalyst produced was a story about the bonds human beings develop in the worst of situations. feelings, emotions and strength of resolve take center stage over missing plot details that never surface. The three men, Adam from the United States, Michael from the UK and Edward from Ireland watch over each other and bond through harsh conditions as hostages but even the death of one of the men does not lessen their resolve. It is the power of human bonding that is staged and the emotional level is always at the forefront.

There were three actors in this production and their performances were terrific. Yes, the part of Adam (Christopher Janson) was a little under developed but the connections that were made and the emotions portrayed were distinctive and magical. Cecil Baldwin as Michael displayed a range far beyond anything I have seen him accomplish in past performances and Dan Via as the quiet Irishman Edward was a bottle rocket waiting to explode,a jumble of emotional energy and quiet strength.

Someone To Watch Over Me, number three because of fantastic acting and a wonderful story of strength under pressure 

WSC’s spy thriller was fourth: Hapgood - Washington Shakespeare Company

WSC’s production Hapgood opens in the men’s changing rooms of a public swimming pool where a complex trade of top secret information is taking place. Briefcases slide under this door then that door so many times it takes quantum physics to explain it. The exchange goes bad and Hapgood (Kathleen Akerley) our heroine could be the spy to blame. Enter Kerner played by Bruce Alan Rauscher, Kerner is a Russian defector and double agent who is working on a Star Wars weapon based on quantum physics. After the botched exchange he can no longer be trusted so the Russians kidnap Hapgood’s son (Brandon Thane Wilson) and hold him for the obvious ransom. It will take a savvy plan, some cloak and dagger antics and big chrome hand guns to ensure his safe return. This show had great style, supurb acting and wonderful wit.

And number five was: The Memorandum - Forum Theatre and Dance

The Memorandum, a biting commentary on bureaucracy and the silliness that can be its result, was Forum Theatre and Dance’s final production of its 2005-2006 season. The production was directed by artistic director Michael Dove and written by Vaclav Havel.

The play is a grand parody of bureaucratic craziness. The head of an unnamed agency, Josef Gross (Sasha Olmick) is blackmailed into going along with Ptydepe, a synthetic language designed to make office communications more effective. Office communication is “job one” in this madcap office….  An explosive breakdown in communication to say the least follows.

An extremely funny and flowing satire, The Memorandum looked at our everyday power games, in this case those in the office.

Mr. Dove’s direction kept Memorandum moving crisply throughout the production. Characters moved on and of stage briskly, so briskly that it added to many of the humorous situations. 

Forum’s The Memorandum was tightly knit and finely spun, a show that tickled the funny bone while poking fun at government bureaucracy.