[NEohioPAL]Berko reviews: GROUNDWORKS DANCE; JEKYLL & HYDE--CPH

[Roy Berko]

GROUNDWORKS ENTHRALLS AT CPT; JEKYLL AND HYDE
DISAPPOINTS AT CPH

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	


WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL DANCE PROGRAM BY GROUNDWORKS

David Shimotakahara is not only a brilliant
choreographer and dancer, but selects other dancers
and choreographers of great ability to flesh out his
company’s performances.  This was proven again when
Groundworks Dancetheater presented its ‘DANCEWORKS/03’
at Cleveland Public Theatre February 28 through March
2.  The only regret is that the program ran only for
three days and those who couldn’t get in to the
sold-out performances won’t have a chance to
experience the wonderful program.

Groundworks is built on a very solid foundation.  Mix
creative choreography, excellent dancers, add
precision, get the audience close-up, and let the
whole mixture blend together.  Shimotakahara is the
master chef.  As the founder of the group in 1998,
after years with the Ohio Ballet, he has built a loyal
following of not only devoted viewers, but performing
professionals.  He calls upon his artisans to blend
their skills together.  The results are consistently
deserved standing ovations.

The program opened with choreographer Gina Gibney’s
tribute to Patsy Cline.  The segment was danced to
recordings of six of the country singer’s most popular
songs including her signature"Somebody."  Gibney used
the company in creative ways.  Her signature moves of
strong twisting, powerful arm movements, unusual lifts
and using the floor as not only a place to dance upon
but to writh and interact on, were integrated into
each segment.    Amy Miller’s finely toned body was
used to its powerful utmost as she gymnastically moved
through "Love Letters in the Sand." Mark Otloski and
Xochitl Tejeda de Cerda intertwined on the floor
effectively in "You Took Him Off My Hands."   It is
exciting to see the progress that Otloski has made in
recent years.  He has moved from a competent dancer to
an extraordinary one under Shimotakahara’s guidance. 
"Does Your Heart Beat for Me" found double tandems of
dancers interacting.  "Crazy Arms" and "Always" were
cleverly conceived pieces.  Russ Borski’s costume
design of cowboy gear added to the mood.  This portion
of the evening was fresh, creative, and audience
pleasing.

Besides dance Shimotakahara often includes additional
arts insertions.  Piano soloist Michael Root added
texture to the program by playing a series of Claude
Debussy pieces entitled "Images I." Root’s rendition
on the Steinway isolated on the bare stage, back-lite
in red, was marvelous.

Groundworks choses performance settings with care. 
Shimotakahara wants the audience to hear the shoes
squeak, hear the dancers breathe, see them sweat,
share their emotions.  This was well illustrated in
‘Hush.’ choreographed by Beth Corning, a piece
previously performed by the company.   During the
number, one of the dancers is placed on the laps of
several audience members who hold her for much of the
piece.  ‘Hush’ touches on the longing for comfort
found in moments throughout our lives.  Done in slow
turning and stretching movements, first to the humming
of a single dancer, then segueing into an orchestra of
the lullaby, the piece is full of measured moves. 
Felise Baley, Amy Miller and David Shimotakahara were
captivating throughout this thought-provoking dance.

‘Before With After,’ in it’s world premiere, was a
well-crafted and danced, if a little over long
performance.  Danced to the live piano accompaniment
of Michael Root, the Shimotakahara choreography was
well-supported by Ray Zander’s flowing costumes and
Dennis Dugan’s creative lighting.  The choreography
included interludes of dancers moving together without
touching, propelling slowly in parts, rapidly in
others to parallel to the moods of the music, and
acting and interacting with each other.  The company
was in total unity throughout.  The dancers obviously
were enjoying themselves and the audience caught the
spirit.  Clever humor paralleled with stark drama. 
Especially effective was a solo segment by Felise
Bagley whose lovely moves were elegantly performed.  A
funny segment between Miller and deCerda was
delightful and brought prolonged giggles from the
audience.

It is sad to announce that Xochitl Tejeda de Cerda,
after many years, is leaving the Cleveland area and
this was her last performance.  Her talent and
personality will be sorely missed.  

Groundworks next performances will be at the Pilgrim
Church in the historic Tremont district of Cleveland
from April 25 to 27 and May 1 to 3.  For information
call 216-691 3180 or visit the company on line at
www.groundworksdance.org.


JEKYLL AND HYDE DISAPPOINTS AT CPH

Robert Lewis Stevenson’s ‘THE STRANGE CASE OF DR.
JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE’ was published in 1886. 
Supposedly, Stevenson drafted the story in three days
and completed its writing in six weeks.  The story was
supposedly developed in an unconscious state of sleep.
 As one Stevenson expert states, " The dream served as
a catalyst for every other aspect of the story to
Stevenson. He had long been trying to write a story on
this subject, to find a body, a vehicle, for that
strong sense of man's double being, which must at
times come in upon and overwhelm the mind of every
thinking creature" 

On the surface the story centers on the actions of a
staid British doctor’s discovery of a formula created
by his father.  Curiosity drives Dr. Jekyll to take
the potion which transforms him into the monster Mr.
Hyde who knows no control for his emotions.  Hyde
attacks and kills at the slightest provocation.  
Soon, his potions begin to fail to work.  When he can
no longer obtain the chemicals to renew the potion
Hyde kills himself, therefore letting both Jekyll and
Hyde free. 

This is, in reality, not a story about a madman or a
serial killer. It is a story about the theory that
inside each of us dwells a being that externally
conforms to culture, yet internally lusts for the
liberty to act out what our emotions drive us do.  
Thus Dr. Jekyll, brought up in a staid English
society, in a world where appearance was more
important than substance, had a strong drive not to be
so pure, so emotionally controlled.  When he could no
longer control his impulses he acted on them.  The
father of modern psychiatry, Sigmund Freud, would
theorize that "The two sides compare almost as
conscious and unconscious."

The stage adaptation, now being performed by the
Cleveland Play House, comes with good credentials. 
The play was written by David Edgar, who adapted the
highly proclaimed ‘NICHOLAS NICKLEBY’ for the stage.  
The CPH production is starring Andrew May, one of
Cleveland’s premiere actors.  So, how could CPH go off
course?  Well, somehow it did.

David Kay Mickelsen’s costumes are period-perfect. 
Rick Paulsen’s lighting attempts to lead us from scene
to scene, mood to mood with appropriate lighting.  It
works most of the time.  Robin Heath’s sound design
and Larry Delinger’s music help set the right moods
and transitions.  

Michael Ganio’s scene design, on the other hand,
creates chaos.  Strange happenings occur.  A piano is
on stage during a street scene, door flats fall,
actors have to dodge around set pieces and furniture,
actors get hidden in the far back areas of the stage,
a witness can’t be seen by much of the audience,
though her voice is heard.  There are just too many
pieces-parts flying in and out, revolving around and
over-stuffing the stage.  If this was to help the
audience understand the chaos in Jekyll’s head it
didn’t.  Rather than help, the set distracted.  

Actors in this production are often hard to understand
due to heavy and often inconsistent accents.  Many
characterizations are on-the-surface rather than
creating clear people.  Yes, this is not reality, but
the audience must believe what they are seeing has
reality or the shock effects, the meaning, gets lost. 
As one audience member said at intermission, "Will
someone please tell me what is going on?"

Lee Moore as the butler was wonderful.  His character
development was clear and consistent.  Anna Cody was
on target as Jekyll’s sister as were young Kyle
Blackburn Liz Duchez as her children.  On the other
hand, Ivy Vahanian, who plays Annie, a parlor maid,
who has a pivotal role, was very difficult to
understand and feigned emotions.  

What was most disappointing was May’s performance. 
While his Jekyll was basically fine, his Hyde was
often unintelligible.  He was needlessly bent over to
fit the script description of a small younger man. 
Thus, his voice didn’t project.  The problem could
have been eliminated changing of the unnecessary
description.  His cockney brogue often drowned out
whole ideas.  Excessive shouting made some of his
lines unclear and, though it mirrored frustration, it
eliminated understanding.  The roles were not textured
the way May he has proven he is capable of doing.

The overall effect was less than a stellar production.
 One must question some of the technical and acting
decisions made by director Peter Hackett.  

The production continues at CPH through April 6. 
Tickets for ‘DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE,’ which range in
price from $12 to $47.50, may be obtained by calling 

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