Month: August 2018

Put simply, Uptown Players’ current production of Perfect Arrangement is a dialectic on the practice of bearding, seen through a 21^st century lens. Set in the 1950’s, it’s the story of Bob and Millie Martindale, and Jim and Norma Baxter, next door neighbors and best friends. The reality though, is that Bob and Jim are lovers, and so are Norma and Millie. The two couples have carefully constructed this sham (though fairly painless) arrangement for the sake of actually partnering with their lovers. Bob and Norma ironically work for a government agency that actively seeks out subversives: Communists, activists, “perverts”, and anyone perceived as a threat to the American way of life. When the agency sets out to expose (and ruin the lives of) employees who set off their “homosexual” radar, Bob and Norma must go along, to protect their own secrets.

Playwright Topher Payne has gone to great lengths to make his point. By placing two key characters in an agency that virulently persecutes queer employees, it begs the question of betraying other members of our community for the sake of escaping the ax. Bob digs in his heels, but Norma is deeply conflicted. If they’d both worked for a law firm, say, or an insurance agency, the question of allegiance would be a non issue. Their boss, Theodore Sunderson is chummy with Bob, who is very high on the corporate ladder. Theodore and his wife, Kitty, hobnob with the four of them, which makes them subject to scrutiny. And cunning though their next door situation may be, it also complicates matters.

All art, literature and performance is manipulative to a degree, so it’s not as if Payne’s approach is egregious. It’s to his credit that he makes plain how grotesque and absurd the predicament of being forced to play gender paradigms, for the sake of mere survival, can be. But what we must bear in mind (it seems to me) is the circumstances that led to bearding in the first place. Consider how far we’ve come to date, and yet the suicides, the hate crimes, the pastoral denunciation continues. Perhaps this is the reason for Payne’s cautionary fable. There was a time when (for example) we might see a male high school English teacher married to the Girl’s Phys-Ed coach. In the 1950’s our tribe was made painfully aware of the fact that one slip, one indiscretion, could permanently destroy their future. Cops would stake out tearooms (for Christ’s sake) and print the names of the poor souls they hauled off to jail in the newspaper, for the crime of desperately seeking sexual comfort.

I completely grasp how horribly sad it was to constantly perpetuate a farce. And it would certainly have been preferable for the members of the queer community to step out and mobilize, if they felt moved to do so. We all know those organizations existed, though often clandestinely. All this being said, it’s hard to deny that ersatz marriage could amount to a very practical arrangement. It made it possible to have some access to the sublime, without putting ourselves at risk. How could anyone, today, defend hypocrisy or living a lie? But then, American society has always been duplicitous in the extreme, when it comes to same gender sexuality. It’s not unusual for straight identified folks to “indulge” under the right circumstances, often calling their personal sexual behavior by another name.

The cast of Perfect Arrangement must jump through numerous hoops, as the tone gradually shifts from barbed satire to an urgent plea for revolution and social justice. Director B. J. Cleveland gets them safely past the hazards, while we find our bearings. The acting here is agile, precise and impressive, as the performers navigate through theatrical sleight-of-hand and prestidigitation.

Uptown Players presents Perfect Arrangement, playing August 24th-September 2^nd, 2018. Kalita Humphreys Theater. 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd, Dallas, Texas 75219. 214-219-2718. uptownplayers.org.

We are dropped into Simon Stephens’ Heisenberg just after Georgie Burns has kissed the nape of Alex Priest, thinking he was someone else. Georgie is a tantalizing, effusive widow, not always eccentric in the best sense of the word. Alex, more than thirty years older, is a gruff, if down-to-earth butcher. He’s not just hard to reach, he’s almost completely shut down. Like Georgie, he’s had to deal with his share of catastrophe and disappointment. There have, of course, been countless other plays dealing with two broken souls: I Am A Camera, Butterflies Are Free, The Odd Couple, The Gingham Dog, Birdbath. The difference in Heisenberg is that Georgie might be a pathological liar, pursuing a much older man, who can barely seem to tolerate her. If Mr. Stephens can see Alex and Georgie’s redeeming qualities, he certainly plays it close to the vest.

It’s not just that Georgie lies, we really can’t be sure if her intentions are, at least, innocuous. If Alex’s reticence hides implacable charisma, well, it’s news to us. Maybe that enigma keeps us watching. Stephens presents us with this unorthodox couple and defies us to believe in their compatibility. We’ve all heard of the couple who despite their utter lack of intersection, seem made for each other. But Heisenberg explores this idea without copping to fantasia or fancy. And certainly (in this instance) we do not know what we know, till we know it. Stephens does this without cheating or pandering. His depiction of Alex and Georgie is unblinking, yet affectionate.

Anna Ziegler’s Actually examines the night, and the day after, when Amber accuses Tom of raping her. Tom and Amber are Freshmen at an Ivy League school: frail and nervous and confused and excited and terrified. College Campuses are notorious for a faulty justice structure when it comes to dealing with sexual assault. There is jurisdictional ambiguity when it comes to involving the police, and crucial verdicts too often left in the hands of arbitrary tribunals, with little or no training. Amber makes the legitimate point that being drunk made it impossible for her to give consent. But Tom was also inebriated, and there’s no reason to think he was trying to break Amber’s resistance.

Ziegler swings contrapuntally between Tom and Amber’s dialogue, and concurrent monologues they deliver to us. They not only discuss their impressions about the event in question, but all the gender baggage American Culture imparts. Actually is a detailed mosaic- streams of thought from two vastly different, but equally valid perceptions. Ziegler understands that trauma doesn’t happen in a vacuum. She gives us context and perspective. She creates two vivid characters and never takes sides. Actually is rational, but emotional. It never exploits our feelings, or insults our intelligence. It looks squarely at a difficult subject, with grace, humanity and discretion.

Theatre 3 presents A Double Feature: Heisenberg/Actually playing August 2nd-26th, 2018. 2800 Routh Street, Suite 168, Dallas, Texas 75201. 214-871-3300. www.theatre3dallas.com.

Jason is a nearly pathologically shy teenage boy, who helps his mother Margery stage puppet shows at their Lutheran church. Margery has recently divorced Jason’s dad, and mother and son are both feeling the trauma of loss. Jessica and Timothy also help with the puppets. Jessica is low-key and disaffected, Timothy hostile and ridiculously horny. Pastor Greg is a bit sanctimonious and none too subtly hitting on Margery. Tyrone is Jason’s constant protector and companion. He is foul-mouthed, abusive, confrontational, insulting and not afraid to fight back. Tyrone is Jason’s hand puppet, though it’s not entirely certain that Jason’s in control.

Tyrone isn’t merely a puckish enfant terrible’. He’s more ferocious than Rasputin and always goes for the jugular. His verbal assaults have the element of truth, but his reactions go far beyond the demands of assertiveness. Jason tries, to no avail, to rein Tyrone in. Margery has given in to Timothy’s crass seduction techniques. Pastor Greg’s attempts to alleviate the escalating chaos have only made things worse.

Playwright Robert Askins’ Hand to God is a brilliant satire on the contemporary Christian church, and its inability to relieve the pain and confusion of adults who wish to live responsibly. It’s no secret that the world is fraught with dilemmas and excruciating decisions, so when Tyrone makes deeply troubled Jason his “host”, he gets the perfect opportunity to wreak havovc in a quaint Texas Lutheran church. Tyrone may be vile and (metaphysically speaking) bestial but his viewpoint is the way of the world. Sadly, many, many people conflate coarse, over-simplified perception with authenticity. Sometimes, when dealing with an angry, aggressive soul, calling him an “asshole” seems real, if perhaps less than gracious. Tyrone (Satanic Puppet from Hell) gains traction in Jason’s congregation, because he knows they’re suffering, and that he can fob off his rage as “truth.”

I cannot tell you how or who swoops in to save sweet Jason and the other characters in Hand to God, but suffice to say Robert Askins has fashioned a flawless satire, chock full of jaw-dropping impropriety, subversive and diabolical ruminations, and shamelessly crude hilarity. It’s closing THIS weekend so hurry over there, whycancha?

Water Tower Theatre presents Hand to God, playing August 3rd-26th, 2018. 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX, 75001. 972-450-6232. watertowertheatre.org

To bring the rest of you up to speed, Lovely Uranus is a professional female impersonator, with sharp wit and irresistible zeal for living. She has elan for days and her outlandish drag only serves to complement her scintillating mien. She has a robust romantic life and spends ample time visiting the gay retirement home. A Lovely Goodbye is the fifth and last in Alejandro de la Costa’s “Lovely” series, following Lovely’s heartaches and triumphs, pratfalls and shining moments. We see how comparable her life is to the rest of us, losing the stigma without sacrificing magic. De la Costa shows us the practical mundane, along with glamorous.

A Lovely Goodbye finds Lovely’s erstwhile lover, Keith, moving in with her. Keith is eager to play bed blanket bingo, but something about renewing that arrangement puts her off. Then Keith brings Henry into the picture, yet another of Lovely’s romantic partners. The three manage to navigate this awkward situation without serious damage. If Keith waggles his cute, naked hiney a bit more often than he should, well, that’s just how he rolls. As we might expect from Lovely’s previous adventures, there’s no lack of sexual shenanigans and references to menage a trois, et al…. Lovely is exasperated and perplexed but never dejected.

Much to her chagrin, Lovely discovers she must deal with serious illness. Her nurse friend Roberta has been nagging her to get a lump checked. Sure enough, there’s something that requires surgery and her serious attention. Understandably, this is the last thing Lovely wishes to confront, so ironically, this fabulous, larger than life, exquisite soul is in denial. The rest of the play (please excuse my disclosure) deals with mortality and grief, but also celebrates the unimaginable strength that Lovely possesses, when needed. Even when she’s positively terrified, she still loves life enough to grope a doctor when she’s in the hospital. To the end, Lovely just brims with warmth, chutzpah and radiance.

MBS Productions presents: A Lovely Goodbye, playing July 19th-August 12^th, 2018. Stone Cottage: Addison Conference and Theatre Centre, 15650 Addison Road, Addison, TX 75001. www.MBSProductions.net. 214-477-4942.

Newton Fuller has brought his wife, Annabelle, and daughter, Madge, to see the new house he’s bought for them. A home of their own, where they can experience the exhilaration of life in the country. It’s a story older than Moses. Newton has neglected to tell his wife he’s already purchased the place. The flaws he sees as trivial, Annabelle would find highly objectionable. And who could blame her? We can’t help but appreciate Newton’s exuberance and optimism, but the place is falling apart. A wall is missing in the kitchen, there’s no water, the furniture is collapsing, and there’s a cow meandering. Clearly Newton’s enthusiasm blinded him when he signed the deed, and Annabelle is none too pleased.

Little by little, and bit by bit, the house gets more core comfy, attractive and functional. But our intrepid homesteaders aren’t out of the woods. Mr. Kimber, the caretaker, is constantly informing Newton of more purchases he must make to keep up the property (manure, gravel, cattle feed,…) and money is quickly running low. Madge (a teenager) is having an affair with the neighbor’s husband. Soon their crotchety, persnickety Uncle Stanley will be staying and the cook and housekeeper must feel like they’ve joined the staff of the Titanic.

George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart were masters at writing stage comedies that were so sharp, with clever, contrapuntal banter, that they hold up to this day. Like The Man Who Came to Dinner, Hart and Kaufman concocted a premise for George Washington Slept Here that cannot miss. As trials and travails fall upon the Newtons, the dialogue takes note with such acrid understatement, that we are helplessly, genuinely tickled. Like Job, we’ve all been there. We’ve all endured a run of bad luck, so we’re laughing with the Newtons. Under the pitch perfect guidance of B. J. Cleveland, the cast have mastered Kaufman and Hart’s tone, timing and pervasive sense of irony. George Washington Slept Here is a distinct, capacious pleasure, just the tonic for these days of oppressive heat, dejection and upheaval. Kaufman and Hart, and the grand folks at The Dupree Theatre have given us the gift of laughing at ourselves. What could be better?

Dupree Theatre presents: George Washington Slept Here, playing July 20th-August 4^th, 2018. Dupree Theatre. Irving Arts Center. 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd, Irving, Texas, 75062. (972) 594-6104. info@irvingtheatre.org

The Revolutionists finds author Olympe de Gouges in her study, surrounded by crumpled sheets of paper, as she struggles to write a powerful, relevant, political play about the French Revolution. It is 1793, we are in Paris, and the thick of the Reign of Terror. The guillotine has replaced executioners with axes (more merciful and efficient). Thousands of lives lost in a brutal war between the aristocracy and the destitute. Olympe is surprised by a visit from her close friend, Marianne Angelle, a black woman (ostensibly a slave?) who is also a spy for the Resistance. Needless to say, these are dangerous times. While Olympe is in the midst of writer’s block, Marianne tries to convince her to pen an important pamphlet for the cause. Two more visitors show up, Charlotte Corday, summoning the courage to assassinate Jean Paul Marat, and Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France and a reviled figurehead of the ruling class.

Perhaps correcting patriarchal omission, playwright Lauren Gunderson has created a fanciful intersection of historic, revolutionary heroines. Comparable to Terry Johnson’s Insignificance, Gunderson reveals unfamiliar sides of these infamous women, with plenty of humor. She brings fresh perception to the intricacies of The Reign of Terror, humanizing the characters. There’s no reason to believe they ever met, but through conversations we get a strong sense of their raw fears and misgivings, their flaws and virtues. We see Olympe’s neuroses and paranoia, Antoinette’s superciliousness and tenderness, and Charlotte’s ambivalence. We bear witness as each must steady their nerves in the face of death, defiance and excruciating loss. It’s riveting, rambunctious theatre, and if Gunderson goes on a bit long, her strengths outweigh redundancy.

IMPRINT theatreworks (the new kids on the block) have come through once again: Co-Directors Ashley H. White and Joe Messina orchestrating this whirlwind of pathos, hilarity and triumph of the spirit. It seems to spill all over the place, in the midst of these spectacular minds. Yet the progression and dialogue is clear. The women are chatty yet fierce, melancholy yet ebullient, headstrong yet despondent. The nimble, versatile and dedicated cast (Marianne Galloway, Jennifer Kuenzer, Dani Holway, Sky Williams) have the stamina of a thoroughbred and chops like you’ve never seen. Ellen Mizener’s Scenic Design is a marvel to behold: detailed, evocative, filled with warmth and rich hues. Costume Designer Jessie Wallace depicts urgency and chaos with brilliant colors that suggest an effulgent crazy quilt.

IMPRINT theatreworks presents: The Revolutionists, playing through August 4^th, 2018. The Margo Jones Theatre, 1121 1st Ave, Dallas, Texas 75210. 469-554-8025. imprinttheatreworks.org

The Book of Gabe: The angel Gabriel enters the stage wearing a black suit and small wings. He grabs the mic stand like a standup comic. His monologue has that feel. He gives us his version of the creation story. God defecating, Lucifer rejected, the planet Earth as God’s paean to Himself. Gabriel disabuses us of any notion that The Eternal Father has tender feelings for his creation. Isaac Young wrote and performs this piece. Percolating with rage, overcome by isolation, suffused with disappointment. Much of it isn’t funny, but I suspect Mr. Young (a brilliant entertainer) is saying that it can’t be. Irony is the impetus behind a lot of humor, but it’s almost as if Gabe is staving off a fit of apoplexy. The anger threatens to consume him. This angel who wears, what? A mortician’s suit and feathers? He plays taps for hope in the Divine or unfathomable grace that is there for the asking. You’d have to be crazy to miss the connection between Young’s content and the pervasive truculence, panic, mendacity and despotism we see gaining traction. The Book of Gabe is compelling, touching, disquieting. I’m not sure it’s quite there yet, but Isaac Young has electricity, and he’s one to watch.

Just Girly Things: Danielle Georgiou has a gift for placing dance in context that feels organic, less artificial. In The Show About Men, the guys wore regular clothes, danced with grace and energy, and shared anecdotes that exemplified male issues. In Just Girly Things, Georgiou creates a sitcom spoof of sorts, in which the subjugation of women emerges naturally from the material. All the characters are spunky and cheerful, but they’re ensconced in rigid cultural imperatives, participating without question or comprehension. When Lizzy’s boyfriend realizes he’s gay, consideration for her feelings are barely acknowledged. Her hesitation to sacrifice a career for the sake of another boyfriend is met with bewilderment. The dance and choreography is integral to narrative and the attitudes that lionize men and marginalize women, so habitual they verge on the systemic. Georgiou and co-writers Ruben Carranzanna and Justin Locklear have woven a witty, intelligent, insightful piece that shows how women are conditioned to be self-effacing, self-sabotaging, and self-deprecating.

Bible Women (A Cycle of Songs) : is a revue, depicting the lives of female Biblical heroes such as Ruth, Esther, Deborah and Miriam, among others. The all-female singers differ in age and range, each takes a turn in sharing the story of a particular lady, and her impact on the community. They give scriptural narrative a bit of bounce and come hither, which certainly doesn’t hurt. The best part, though, without a doubt, are the songs, which they leap into with gusto and genuine passion. There’s a skillful arrangement of various songs: torchy or upbeat, defiant or melancholy. The thematic thread (as you might have guessed) is the complicated, beguiling and tumultuous lives of these women, forced by extreme circumstances to find their nerve and valor. Bible Women captures splendid occasions of triumph, warmth, grief and exuberance, mixing solo with choral pieces, immersing us in spirited vocals without getting preachy or pious. Amen to that.

Where Do I Sit?: has a nostalgic, worldly, fanciful way about it. Dick Monday, Shawn Patrello and Tiffany Monday are three clowns who have traveled the world, and studied the finer points of their vocation. They wear the threads of more subtle clowns, rather than the outlandish costumes we so often see. Like other clowns, they are silly, childish, playful, madcap and whimsical. What makes these three of The New York Goofs so sublime is the skillful, precise expression of their craft. The gimmicks they engage (if any) are simple. A horn, maybe, a drum, a phonograph. They have no need for elaborate props or mechanisms. The chefs of The Cordon Bleu can make a phenomenal omelet from three eggs and nothing else. The sorcery that Patrello and the Mondays wield requires ittle embellishment. Only experience, timing, focus and imagination. And that they have to spare.

The Festival of Independent Theatres plays July 13^th through August 4^th, 2018, at The Bath House Cultural Center. 521 East Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas 75218. (800) 617-6904. www.festivalofindependenttheatres.org

20^th Annual Festival of Independent Theatres

Landscape: Pinter so often deals in the detached and obtuse, the detailed rumination. Beth sits on one chair, Duff, another. Apart from one another. Each delivers an extended monologue. Beth describes wandering the beach asking various men if they’d like to have a baby (with her?) . Duff recalls a trip to the park when he sought shelter from a cloudburst, where he watched a young couple get soaked. Each character’s anecdote culminates in a visit to a pub, where their paths may or may not have intersected. Of course the way they are placed on the stage inclines us to create a connection between the two, whether one exists or not. Perhaps the counterpoint puts Duff and Beth’s isolation in high relief. Whay constitutes a couple, or even a friendship? Landscape refers to the content of each monologue, both of which express a kind of aching. A longing for something. You might say Pinter has a penchant for dialogue that dances around the periphery, without letting the characters speak the personal truth behind their words. If you told a friend about your dog’s illness, how much might you reveal of your connection to the world, your anger, your despair, without that intention? Somehow Pinter could make you weep, if only by sharing the recipe for shortbread. Director Susan Sargeant, Van Quattro, and Moira Wilson have knocked this out of the park.

Suckers: playwright Devin Berg has crafted a pensive comedy exploring the nature of romance and life’s purpose. Jane, Holden, Alex and Daisy are friends, Daisy and Alex get married, the four gravitate towards one another, connecting in one way or another, while pondering the underlying emotions that inform their choices and behavior. No one seems to be where they want to be or partnered as they’d wish. Berg uses their situation as a springboard to elucidate darker, deeper core issues, and perhaps nudge the cogs and wheels in our brain. It’s quite engaging, but not altogether clear how much Suckers clarifies or actualizes the salient question: does destiny preclude intelligent decisions? Should intuition go before intellect? The cast performances (Natalie Hope Johnson, Josh Bangle, Matthew Allan Holmes, Cameron Casey) are fresh, intriguing and spontaneous.

The Tragical Farce of Jimmy Pine: Playwright Ben Schroth delivers an absorbing, tongue-in-cheek spin on Pinocchio, setting it in the dystopian future of 2045. Jimmy is a “synthetic” sex worker who succumbs to acts undeniably degrading, with a chipper smile. Jimmy wants to be a real boy, but his devotees (including his pimp) roll their eyes, and assure him humanity is a far cry from his idealized notions. Their conflict of interest, of course, doesn’t mean their wrong. Like Rabe and Albee, Schroth brings an erudite, absurd (which is not to say Absurdist) feel to the tawdry, luring us into subtext, and more cosmic considerations. Imagine Gravity’s Rainbow, through the lens of Kukla, Fran and Ollie. When a client tells Jimmy he’s into scat, and Jimmy responds with all the enthusiasm of an Eagle Scout, you chuckle, but we should be distraught. Schroth has mastered the art of fierce, nonchalant comedy that teeters on the cusp between hilarity and grief.

BruNO and lOUie: Jeffrey Colangelo (Director of Prism Movement Theatre) fashioned this comedic pantomime for two, but calling Bruno and Louie a mime show is like calling Superman a guy in a cape. It’s accurate, and it’s not. Louie and Bruno are buddies, and they seek the rarer air of celebrity and wealth.Rafael Tamayo and Omar Padilla have such poise and grace, such ease and feel for what tickles and sets us free to break out in laughter. They take you out of your head. They squash misery with aplomb. They pull “volunteers” from the audience and create merriment. The best physical farce is like Country Music, if its good enough, it transcends the genre.PM is your last chance Bruno and Louie takes us to the realm of genius, where the performers don’t just know what to do, it’s in their bones. Tonight, at 8 PM is your last chance. Get drenched in glee.

The Festival of Independent Theatres plays July 13^th through August 4^th, 2018, at The Bath House Cultural Center. 521 East Lawther Drive, Dallas, Texas 75218. (800) 617-6904. www.festivalofindependenttheatres.org