[NEohioPAL]Berko reviews: TITLEWave's WAIT, OBT's ROMEO & JULIET

[Roy Berko]

TITLEWave DEBUTS WITH ‘WAIT’; OHIO BALLET DANCES
‘ROMEO AND JULIET,’

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

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


ACTING IN ‘WAIT!’ EXCEEDS SCRIPT

It seems ironic in this era when some local theatres
are disbanding or cutting their seasons due to the
financial crunch that a new performance arts company
would blossom forth.  Believing that Cleveland has a
strong theatre tradition and had a need to enhance
local offerings by prvoiding a place for new, untested
plays to be produced, TITLEWave Theatre, the brain
child of Gregory and Jean Marie Vovos, has emerged. 

Having been the co-producer, along with Wayne Turney,
of Lorain County Community College’s "New Ohio Play
Festival," I am aware of the difficulties of not only
getting a new project off the ground, but of
sustaining it.  It can only be hoped that the Vovos’s
adventure sails forth on a tidal wave of success.

They have chosen to mount Julie Jensen’s ‘WAIT’ as
their first venture. Ms. Jensen has a Ph.D. in theatre
and has taught playwriting at various universities
including heading the graduate playwriting program at
the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.   It is there
that Greg Vovos met her and decided to produce and
direct one of her shows.

In spite of her credentials, if ‘WAIT!’ is typical
Jensen, then there is much to be desired in her style.
 The play rambles, leaving the audience wondering what
it is all about.  Yes, the central character, Wendy
Burger (yep, that’s her name), has a coming of age
experience, but so what?  If this is intended to be a
play of character studies, only Wendy seems to be a
complete character.  All of the others are prototypes,
paper cut outs of people.  Do we really care about any
of them?  Carrying about, identifying with, feeling
empathy toward the characters is the central building
block of good theatre.  This is almost missing in
‘WAIT!.’

In spite of the play, the production is worth seeing
for the performances and Vovos’s directing skills.  
He gets everything he can from the script, plus some. 
He is aided by a very talented cast.  

Jennifer Clifford is charming, sensitive, and
endearing as Wendy, a shy young woman adrift, but
focused on a career in the theatre.  Randy Rollison
transfers between three different characters with
ease.  

As Wendy’s loutish, hard drinking dad, he is Archie
Bunker at his verbal worst.  As Lu, a flamboyant gay
theatre director, he is a mincing delight.  As Hazar,
a nasty, almost comatose foreigner, he is compelling. 
This is a fine performance.  

Meg Chamberlin plays two roles with complete
separation.  Her Floating Pinata Head is a Kathryn
Hepburn-type theatre diva on her worst day and her
meat cutter Modesto is properly tramp-like.  

Marni Task is endearing as the cheerleader/actress O
Vixen My Vixen.  She does, however, lose some of her
appeal in the closing scenes of the play as she has
trouble making the transitions between the air-headed
teenager and the resigned-to-the realities-of-life
woman.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: TITLEWave Theatre has undertaken an
important task...to share with audiences new, untried
plays.  It is to be expected that they will experience
highs and lows as they bring these untested works to
the stage.  If the production qualities of ‘WAIT!’
continue, audiences can look forward to high quality
on-stage work in spite of potential script weaknesses.

‘WAIT!,’ which is a co-production with Cleveland
Public Theatre, continues until October 11 at CPT’s
Upstairs Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue.  Call
216-631-2727 for tickets.  TITLEWave’s next
production, a reenactment of last season’s BIG [BOX]
SERIES hit, Eric Kaiser’s, ‘CHARGE’ will be staged at
CPT from February 13-28, 2004.


PLEASING ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’ BY OHIO BALLET


Shakespeare’s ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’ is the classic love
story.  It contains unrequited love, passion, conflict
and pathos.  It has been translated into many forms. 
Plays, films, even a musical (‘WEST SIDE STORY’) have
told and retold the story.  It has also been done in
various dance forms, including a ballet with lush
music by Segei Prokofiev.  The latter was recently
performed by the Ohio Ballet at the Ohio Theatre as
the company’s season opener.   The performance will be
repeated on October 10 and 11 at E. J. Thomas
Performing Arts Hall in Akron (Friday and Saturday at
8:00 p.m. and Saturday at 2:00 p.m.).

Though the OBT production can never be compared to
that performed by the Bolshoi or other world class
companies, it is a very pleasing, enjoyable and nicely
created piece. 

Choreographer Bengt Jorgen, artistic director of
Ballet Jorgen Canada, decided to do a traditionally
costumed, but modern balletic interpretation of the
piece.  Thus, the story seems more accessible and
easier to follow than more classical versions. 
Jorgen’s gymnastic, interactive, often tense, often
humorous choreography allows the performers latitude
to create characters, thus forcing the performers to
be actors as well as dancers.  Some of the corps is
capable of the necessary stretch, others are not so
adept.

Alicia Pitts is glorious as Juliet.  She is young,
childlike without being childish, and dances with
style and ease.  She appears to float as she moves
across the stage on toe.  She partners well with her
Romeo.  Most impressive is her acting ability.  She
goes from glee to being forlorn, from indifference to
love, with ease.  This is impressive, very impressive!

Young Eric Carvill is more than adequate as Romeo. 
Last year, in a review of the OBT, I indicated that
Carvill had grown in his short tenure with the troop. 
I never dreamed that he was ready to play the lead in
a full-length story-line production.  In a world class
company, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity.   At
OBT, where except for Brian Murphy, who is too old to
play Romeo, there is no stellar male dancer, he was
the right choice.  Carvill danced well, was properly
youthful, partnered superbly.  His major problem was
his lack of character development.  He showed few mood
changes.  His face was generally static.  Smiles
appeared not to be part of his acting repertory.  His
was a case where an acting coach, to supplement the
dancing direction, was needed.

Toby George, a newcomer to the OBT corps, danced
Mercutio with style.  He was especially proficient in
the comic scenes.  He is a welcome addition to the
troop and it can only be hoped that with more
experience he will control his tendency to react in
stylized movements and reactions and expand his dance
proficiency.

Ashley Bowman as the nurse, Amanda Cobb as Lady
Capulet, and Damien Highfield as Tybalt were all
excellent.

The sword fight choreography was outstanding.   On the
other hand, the physical confrontations were marred by
Jorgen’s annoying tactic of using and reusing
two-handed pushing as his major conflict vehicle.  It
often made the performers look like pre-schoolers on
the playground.

The final dual-death scene is compelling.  Romeo
dances with the "dead" Juliet in his arms, then the
format reverses as Juliet is revived from her
coma-like state and caresses her lover.  It is a fine,
fine visual illusion.

Glenn Davidson’s set design is beautiful.  It is made
functional by choreographing set changes so that the
staging flows smoothly.    Unfortunately, his lighting
design is not as successful.  There are many dark
spots on stage and, at times, lights seem to go on and
off at whim, causing some confusing moments.  Gary
Dahm’s sumptuous costumes are era-correct and add
greatly to the visual illusion of the ballet.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: ‘ROMEO AND JULIET’ was one of OBT’s
better productions since the ascension of Jeffrey
Graham Hughes to the role of artistic director.  

‘FALL REPERTORY,’ a program consisting of "Wired,"
"Esmeralda Pas de Deux," and "The Dying Swan" will be
the company’s next program on November 7-8 in E. J.
Thomas Arts  Hall in Akron and November 14-15 at the
Ohio Theatre in Playhouse Square Center.  For
information about and tickets to the Ohio Ballet call
330-972-7900.  



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