Faith Healer   

By Brian Friel                                � �                                       

Produced by Keegan Theatre

Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

Irish storytelling is renowned for setting a mood and exploring life’s quirks, aches and heartbreak.  Only a daringly bold company could attempt to capture the plucky pathos of Brian Friel’s Faith Healer because of the demanding skill needed to pull it off.  Fortunately, this first offering by the ‘New Island Project” at Keegan Theatre has enough courage and talent to work.  The newly formed group reflects the high caliber of the often unappreciated talent in the Washington theater community. [Read more...]

The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s production of A Christmas Carol Produced by Starkit Productions By guest reviewer Gary McMillanStarkit Productions remounts the show they produced in Baltimore ten years ago as a British Panto-style production with cross-gender casting. Does the triumphant arrival of the Farndale Avenue’s leading ladies, Thelma Greenwood and Phoebe Reece, starring in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, explain why the sparring actresses of National Theatre’s Legends! high-tailed it out of town to avoid the unfavorable comparison?  Run, Linda Evans and Joan Collins, run:  Thelma and Phoebe have arrived!  Phoebe and Thelma, in the tradition of Mary Dale (Red Scare At Sunset) and Sylvia St. Croix (Ruthless!), are divas-with-a-difference in a gender-bending cast of four guys and a gal in this up-ended holiday classic.  Fans of the subversive “Fractured Fairy Tales” on Rocky & Bullwinkle or the zaniness of Monty Python’s housewife sketches will find much to like in The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s production of A Christmas Carol. [Read more...]

King of Cool – The Life and Music of Nat King Cole

Produced by MetroStage

Reviewed by Debbie Minter JacksonJimi Ray Malary’s return to MetroStage in Alexandria, in King of Cool:  The Life and Music of Nat King Cole is a silky smooth treat.  Having caught his rendition of “Duke” Ellington earlier this year, I was prepared for Malary’s velvety tones, impeccable elocution and master showmanship.  In this show, however, I believe he has even outdone himself.  His voice is so naturally suited to Nat Cole’s music that the songs seem tailor made for him.  Close your eyes and you’ll hear a phrase or a passage or cascade of notes that sound more like Cole than Cole himself.  There’s no mimicking or parroting happening here –Ray’s voice and delivery are just perfect for this material.  Backed by the coolest cats in a jazz trio this side of the Blue Note—William Knowles on piano, Yusef  Chisholm on bass, and David B. Cole on guitar— Malary’s performance is an evening of pure delight.  At one point, I caught the guitarist watching Malary with enthusiastic enjoyment, then he closed his eyes and tilted his head bobbing in the groove before his cue to join the number.  That wasn’t an act –the dudes just seriously enjoy their art, and it shows.

A particularly gifted singer, Jimi Ray works with phrasing like the old school performers—Billy Eckstein, Joe Williams, even good ‘ole blue-eyes Frank Sinatra took phrasing to a whole new level.  It’s an art form that you don’t hear today in this digital era of McSongs, and easily identifiable in an evening filled with such artistry. “Oh, so That’s what a gorgeously turned phrase sounds like.”    Malary also has a good time connecting to the audience with a twinkle in his eye and that radiant smile, exploring the heart of a song, and filling in the short background sketches between numbers.  Admittedly, the sing-song cadence of the poetry wears thin in spots, but the insider tips are a treasure—such as how he became Nat “King” Cole from his given name Nathaniel Adams Coles, his transition from instrumentalist to vocalist, juicy tidbits about his wives, including Natalie’s mom, his mastery of both luck and style, and the context of history and social realities, including civil rights. 

Along with his unique vocal gifts, Nat Cole had a smooth and effortless gracefulness that he was able to parlay into his own TV show, and movie appearances—such feats were unparalleled, especially for a black performer who was denied his share of front door entrances.  Malary relates all of this and more with easygoing charm and appeal. And then and always, there is that voice, which is an absolute marvel of nature.  The ballads such as ‘Mona Lisa’, and even ‘Paper Moon’, demonstrate an unparalleled command of the music. He ends the first act with a powerpacked delivery of ‘Don’t get Around Anymore,’ and adds even more punch in Act II with the old standards ‘Sunny Side of the Street,’ ‘Crazy Days of Summer,’ and of course, ‘Unforgettable.’    Jimi Ray Malary proves that not only can he glide through an octive’s range without a break, but he can also belt out a tune in perfect pitch and control.  Having one or the other ability is a gift, to do both is, well, “Unforgettable.”  Package all that talent with a personable, fun-filled style,  along with being easy on the eye – catch him in that white tux in the second act, priceless — and you’ve got a winning combination and a surefire hit that is not to be missed.  King of Cool: the Life and Music of Nat King Cole, is playing at Metro Stage, 1201 North Royal Street, Alexandria, VA, Thursdays and Fridays at 8, Saturdays at 5:30 and 8:30, and Sundays at 3 and 7.   For ticket reservations call 703-548-9044 or http://www.metrostage.org/.    

A Raisin in the Sun     

Produced by African Continuum Theatre

Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

Walter Lee and Ruth Younger go back even farther than Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee. What is it about Raisin in the Sun that keeps its strong, sure-fire appeal for almost 50 years?  And why see this rendition by the African Continuum Theatre Company at Atlas?  Like any national treasure, it has a special keeping power– it just can’t be seen enough.  Every production brings its own perks and joys. Although I didn’t see the Broadway version with the mind blowing casting (and apparently fabulous performance) of Sean “Puffy” Combs in the role of Walter Lee, I did catch Olney’s production with the wonderful and late Rebecca Rice as Mama Younger and assumed that would last me for awhile.  Then here comes this Jewel Robinson/ Deirdre LaWan Starnes combo– how could I help but visit and sit a spell?

The play works on so many levels, especially in Jennifer L. Nelson’s directorial hands. Starnes has a piercingly strong command of Ruth.  She is obviously dead tired in the opening scene, but household schedules don’t wait, so she jumps out the bed, bustles about cooking breakfast, and though she might shuffle a bit or take an intermittent pause, she gets everybody up and on their way.  Deirdre wraps Ruth in layers of fatigue, doubt, even wisps of fragility and uncertainty but she’s also got an under core or strength to “get the job done,” so bone weary or not, we know that Ruth is rock solid. Like Mamas have a way of doing, she puts her own needs aside and finds a way to send her young son Travis off the school with a kiss and a smile.  This is important because when she banters with her husband Walter Lee, we know that no matter how cutting he gets—and he throws some nasty barbs later in the play, we see that Ruth’s composure and quiet come from strength, not weakness, and that she’s tough enough to take anything he can dish out. 

The only other actor who comes close to such solid character realization is Jewel Robinson as Mama.  Robinson starts off as rather stiff and removed, like she’s going through the motions in her opening scenes.  For example, the well-known passage when she reprimands her daughter Beneatha about respecting God in her house is somewhat dispassionate, like an early testing of the lines.  But, Robinson has a sneaky way of building up momentum so by the end of the act when she’s pissed and hurt and ready to knock some sense into her children’s heads, she takes full command of center stage, demands that somebody get her hat, and watch out—she finds her mission and strides in the second act. 

Jefferson A Russell as Walter Lee does a decent job in a tough role but seems to still be maturing, like he’ll grow into the role, but this is a respectable first cut.     He, too, kicks into gear in the second act, especially once he realizes he’s been played– his despondence is solid and achingly real.   Audra Alise Polk’s Beneatha, the self-absorbed sister and doctor-wannabe is rather one note, but she’s got a likable exuberance, as does Dallas Darttanian Miller as the West African suitor.  The casting of John Dow as the neighborhood representative rounds out and actually ratchets up the overall caliber of the cast.  Dow is a top-flight performer in a 2-second role, demonstrating that the quality of a fully realized character does not depend on the amount of time on stage.  Speaking of limited stage time, check out Reggie Ray’s costume design for Robinson’s entrance in the second act, a dark blue caped ensemble accented with an elegant blinging broach on her perfectly perched crown of a hat –no wonder she was able to buy a house on an afternoon stroll. 

The enthusiastic reaction to African Continuum Theatre’s production shows that Hansberry’s Raisin in the Sun speaks as strongly to the current “disconnected” generation as to their parents (and grandparents) from the 1950’s.  The play has a timeless, universal appeal in grappling with one’s dreams, cultural legacy, family connectedness, oppression, identity—hot button topics just as real today as then.  Walter Lee’s stance at the crossroad of a decision of whether or not to sell the house to the Neighborhood representative is one of the finest theatrical moments in American theater.  In that instance, he has to come to grips with his own burning personal quest for financial solvency, his father’s legacy, and his message to his own son, Travis, who represents the future.  Yes, we need this production today.  Besides, Raisin in the Sun is a perfect send off to Jennifer Nelson, who has announced her retirement as Producing Artistic Director at the end of the season.  Poised at her own crossroads, she couldn’t have provided us with a better launching of her own impeccable legacy and a realized vision for quality theater in our future.

A Raisin in the Sun Home plays through January 7^th at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (Sprenger Theater) 1333 H. Street, N.E , Thursday-Saturday, 8pm,  Saturday and Sunday at 2pm,  Call 202-399-7993 or purchase online at http://www.atlasarts.org/

The Long Christmas Ride Home

by Paula Vogel

Produced by Studio Theatre

Reviewed by Debbie Minter Jackson

Paula Vogel’s Long Christmas Ride Home offers an intriguing glimpse at the fundamental blocks of family relationships.  Master storyteller Vogel uses a disarmingly simple device of a long snowy ride to Grandma’s house for Christmas, youngsters jostling for attention in the back seat, Mom and Dad in front talking in their own codes with ulterior, hidden messages.  Everything looks normal and routine on the surface, down to the cold blustery day, the children’s Christmas program at church (a charmer), and getting (strange) presents from Grandma. In Vogel’s creative hands, though, the story twists and turns into unusual and sometimes uncomfortable positions, as when the car jettisons out of control and careens onto a precipice, with the family hanging by a breath between life and death. 

The play’s the thing in this stylized piece that begins like it ends, with the haunting lonely notes of a Japanese flute.  Master musician Sumie Kaneko sets the stage, underscores the action, even down to the sound effects of a character pounding hysterically on his x-lover’s door.  Her stringed instrumentals, percussion and vocals support the entire production, complement the wrenching emotional scenes, and even serve as prologue and epilogue, commanding attention and sustaining the mood long after the actors’ final bow. 

In a way, the breath is also the thing.  All of the characters make a point of taking deep cleansing breaths when preparing to take actions, cope and sometimes recoup from life’s twists and blows.  If you take the collective deep breath as requested by the main character Stephen, well played by Kevin Bergen, and clear your mind of the traditional and usual, there’s a chance of being mesmerized by the tale that Vogel and director Serge Seiden have conjured up, beautifully supported by the Zen-invoking set, designed by Daniel Conway and Japanese block art throughout the print media.  The artistic team skillfully used every theatrical device imaginable to transport the audience to a different sensibility.

In the first part, the puppets are the thing, exquisitely crafted by puppetmaker Aaron Cromie, distinctively articulated and costumed, taking on mannerisms and individuality.  At one point, I caught myself quickly checking one of the puppet’s “reaction” to what was going on in a scene.  Interestingly, they become as real as the actors who pick up the action, and are sometimes even more engaging and interesting. 

Vogel uses other stylistic devices with ease such as having the actors narrate the story while “voicing’ the puppets.  Laura Giannerelli as Woman/Mother and Paul L. Nolan as Man/Father were particularly effective sitting on a bench serving as front seat of  their beat-up old reliable family car at the beginning of the tale.  Giannerelli is immediately sympathetic as the long-suffering wife of a philandering husband musing about ways to reclaim his attention and affection.  Although the church scene might be more ploy and device to showcase and herald the gorgeous and enjoyable puppetry than serve a true theatrical storyline purpose, that fine line is debatable.  What’s sure is Bobby Smith’s solid footing as Minister and later as dancer, diversion or not. 

Another stylistic devise is the emergence of the actors from anonymity of puppeteers to take on the roles and voices of their puppets.  It’s a fascinating concept, but it’s here of all places where the piece sags a bit from it’s own creative weight.  The actors are saddled with monologues relating information about themselves and their experiences.  Plus, they seem to have emerged from nowhere replacing the adorable “children” who in a way, we have come to know and care about more.  Stephen’s exploits, his sisters’ lives, their quests for love and promise just do not match the touching hilarity of their young inanimate counterparts jostling in the back seat of the car ducking puke, yearning for Father’s affection, or attending to a neglected Mom.  The car accident finale seems to be Vogel’s stylistic attempt at dramatic tension by blending the past and present, coming full circle, informing the future by uncovering the past, and showing why the sisters had such a fiercely loyal devotion to their brother. 

The Long Christmas Ride Home is stunningly original, incorporating the style and tone of a far away land, Bunraku puppetry, song, and even a brief dance sequence choreographed by the amazing Dana Tai Soon Burgess.  It’s an ambitious piece wrapped like a gorgeous Christmas present under a tree, that deserves to be opened and tried on to see if it fits – if it doesn’t, you can always take a deep breath and open something else.

 
The Long Christmas Ride Home plays through December 24^th at Studio’s Methany Theater, 1617 14^th Street (14 & P), Wed-Saturday, 8pm (Sunday at 7pm), Saturday and Sunday at 2pm.  Call 202- 332-3300 or purchase online at http://www.studiotheatre.org/