[NEohioPAL]Berko reviews: Domino Heart (Dobama), Boy Meets Girl (Beck), Discordia (CPT), Sholiton award

[Roy Berko]

‘THE DOMINO HEART (DOBAMA), ’‘BOY MEETS GIRL (BECK),’
AND ‘DISCORDIA’ (CPT)

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

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


DOBAMA’S ‘THE DOMINO HEART’ IS A MUST SEE!

Dobama Theatre’s production of Matthew Edison’s ‘THE
DOMINO HEART’ is everything good theatre should be. 
The play is well written and carries a potent message.
 The acting is superb.  Joyce Casey’s directing is
concept perfect.

Interestingly, the script is everything that they
teach a scribe never to do in playwriting classes. 
The script is made up completely of monologues.  The
actors never appear on stage at the same time and
never directly interact with each other. To add to the
unusual concept, there is no action, little humor, and
no great dramatic scenes.   It is a quiet play.

In an interview about the script, which he wrote in 10
days, Matthew Edison indicated that he sees "the
monologues not as undramatic declarations but as the
sort of inner dialogue we all experience when trying
to work out an emotional problem."  He went on to say,
"I used to be quite surprised how close you can come
just using imagination and common sense."   Because of
the way the play unfolded in the writing process,
Edison, whose original intention was to make this a
traditional interactive script, fortunately never
rewrote it.  

The ‘DOMINO HEART’ consists of three characters
connected to each other by one transplanted heart. 
There's a grieving and conflicted woman whose husband
has been killed in a car accident, a well intentioned
reverend awaiting the heart salvaged from the crash,
and a souless, almost heartless ad executive who gets
the vital instrument through the domino process in
which, if the original transplant doesn’t work, the
organ is passed along to another patient.

The play's central symbol offers plenty of opportunity
to deal with emotions, love and other matters of the
heart.  In one particularly effective section, the
reverend describes a volunteer program to help babies
born with drug addictions. They're soothed by
strangers who hold them close to their hearts.

A review of the play’s first performance, which took
place in March of 2003  states, "You know you're
watching something special when 90 coughless,
fidgetless minutes go by as quickly -- to borrow an
image reworked in Matthew Edison's luminous first play
-- as a heartbeat." The same can be said of Dobama’s
U. S premiere production.  It appears effortless.  It
flows, you become involved, the actors aren’t acting,
they are speaking to you.  You get entrapped in the
experience.

Edison's words are performed by a trio of actors who
couldn't be better.  Carla Dunlavey, as the wife who
is emotionally ripped apart by her role in the events
leading up to her husband's death, presents a
perfectly textured performance.  We feel with her, we
mourn with her, we wish things could be different. 
She has total control of the character.  

The veteran Glenn Colerider, who is noted for his fine
acting, outdoes himself as the Reverend.  

Fabio Polanco as the self-destructive ad exec
horrifies us with his dead-eyed, seen-it-all smugness
that hides his real fear.  As he writhes on the floor
in emotional and physical pain we don’t know whether
to rush up and help him, or hate him for receiving a
heart that could have gone to someone who deserves it,
would value it, would give it purpose.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Dobama’s production, under the deft
guidance of Joyce Casey, is quiet but powerful. It
will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. 
Put this play and production on your must see list!  

For information and tickets to the show which runs
through November 9 call 216-932 3396.


‘BOY GETS GIRL’ CAPTURES AUDIENCE AT BECK


In spite of the title, don’t go to see Beck Center’s
production of ‘BOY GETS GIRL’ expecting to see a
TV-sitcom-like escapist piece of fluff.  The play
definitely is not fluff.  It is a revealing,
upsetting, involving investigation of how a woman’s
life is quickly destroyed by a disturbed admirer.   It
is a suspenseful tale about the unraveling of a strong
woman’s sense of security.

At the start of the play, we meet Theresa Bedell, a
successful thirty-something magazine writer as she
encounters Tony, with whom she has been fixed-up on a
blind date.  It appears that we are in for a boy meets
girl, boy likes girl, girl disses boy, boy pursues
girl, and that’s it.  But, since the boy is a psycho
and can’t take "no" for an answer, we watch in horror
as boy stalks girl, threatens girl, and finally causes
her to give up all she has, including her name, to
hopefully get rid of him.  This is definitely a case
of bad winning out over good.

Time Magazine called Rebecca Gilman’s ‘BOY GETS
GIRL’…gripping and important—the finest, most
disturbing American play in years!"   The review was
right on.

Beck’s production is absorbing.  Director Sarah May
has honed in on the intent and purpose of the play and
has given her cast a clear course, though there was
some audience confusion at the end of the play when
they were unaware that the experience was over until
the cast came out for the curtain call.  Except for
that, everything works...Don McBride’s set, Casey
Jones’ sound design, Jeff Lockshine’s lighting, and
Jenniver Sparano’s costumes, all enhance the
performances.

Elizabeth Ann Townsend, known locally and nationally
for her acting excellence, doesn’t play Theresa, she
IS Theresa.  She textures the role with physical and
vocal scoring that makes us suffer with her.   

How the audience didn’t boo loudly when Paul Kaiser,
who plays Tony, came out for his curtain call, I’ll
never know.  Kaiser was so despicable that it was
impossible to not believe that he was the "sicky" that
he was portraying.  Boo, Tony!  Hurray Paul!

Robert Hawkes as Theresa’s boss, James Savage, Jr. as
a young reporter, Besty Kahl as the ditzy secretary,
Rose A. Leininger, as the policewoman assigned to
Theresa’s case, and Donald Krosin, as a sleazy X-rated
film producer, are excellent.   

As you walk into the lobby of Beck Center for the Arts
on the way to see ‘BOY GETS GIRL,’ you will be
confronted by a series of t-shirts.  These clothing
items are not for sale.  They are part of The
Clothesline Project, a visual display of T-shirt that
bear witness to violence against women--stalking,
rape, incest, battery, withheld love.   These are
memorials and memories of clients and their families
as accumulated by the Lorain County Rape Crisis
Center.  

READ EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE INSCRIBED PIECES BEFORE
GOING IN TO SEE ‘BOY MEETS GIRL.’   It will make an
intensely important play even more vivid.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Sarah May has crafted an involving
production of Rebecca Gilman’s emotional revealing
play.  If you have space on your calendar fill in ‘BOY
MEETS GIRL’ in the spot.  You won’t be disappointed.

‘BOY MEETS GIRL’ runs through October 26 at the Beck
Center for the Arts.  For tickets, which run from $15
to $22 call 216-521-2540 or go on line to

 www.beckcenter.org. 

‘DISCORDIA’ IN WORLD PREMIERE AT CLEVELAND PUBLIC
THEATRE

Creating a musical from scratch is a daunting task. 
Musical theatre is the most complex of the arts.  It
combines the format of a drama or comedy.  It requires
music, much like a symphony or band.  There are the
lyrics, the words to the songs, much like a pop or
country singer needs.  Choreography parallels the part
of musicals that make it like ballet or modern dance. 
Art in the form of sets and costumes is also needed. 
Then, the production must be staged using actors to
create characters and develop the intent and purpose
of the creators and a band or orchestra must be
rehearsed.

It is amazing that so many musicals get written and
staged. 

‘DISCORDIA,’ in its world premiere at Cleveland Public
Theatre, is the brain-child of James Levin and Linda
Eisenstein.  According to the theatre’s public
relations notes, ‘DISCORDIA’ tells the story of the
innocent Percival as he searches for the Holy Grail,
trying to do good in dangerous, confusing times.  It
is billed as an "astutely observed political satire."

The production introduces the audience to the
necessity for delivering democracy to all the world,
the role of God and prayer, toxic waste and the
environment, a country in disarray, the role of the
drug industry in controlling prices, weapons of mass
destruction, the Arabic fatah, Human Rights, big
business as our savior, "protecting" countries even if
they don’t want the protection (think Iraq and
Afghanistan), right wing pseudo manners, and the
philosophy of spending as a requirement to national
success.  Also touched upon is the question of whether
the leader, King Arthur in this case, has limited
intelligence.  There is a rebuke of a political party
for having control of the Presidency, the House and
Senate and for not taking advantage of their chance to
make a difference, (Think Clinton and universal health
care.) And then we encounter a search for a Knight to
lead us out of our present abyss.  (Think the present
race for a Democratic candidate.)  The story asks who
the grail serves, who benefits from the "things," the
money, the requirement to spend, spend, spend.  The
concept centers on the constant chanted mantra,
"Arthur, God, Shopping."

Sound like a lot to cover in two and-half hours?  It
is!  The story line covers so much that it doesn’t
take time to develop any of them in depth, often
leaving the audience tired and confused.  

Linda Eisenstein’s music is excellent; however, it too
covers too much of the musical spectra.  The musical
sound of ballads, chanting, folk songs, blues,
vaudeville patter and rock are all presented.  Her
strength is the ballads.  Songs like "Mother, I Found
My Calling," "The Presence of the Grail," and "Take
Off Your Armour" are excellent.  "Whom Does It Serve?"
is probably the best message song in the score.

Director Raymond Bobgan, who staged last year’s Times
Tribute Award production of "Tibetan Book of the
Dead"has added some excellent production qualities . 
Unfortunately, because of the expanse of the play,
even Bobgan loses his course.

The cast is uneven.  Alison Hernan as Morgan Le Fay,
who offers the perspective on the play, has both a
powerful singing voice and develops a clear character.
 Perren Hedderson as Percival, who is on a quest, has
a very pleasant singing voice and the physical
attractiveness and acting ability to play young
leading man roles.  (Think ‘PIPPIN’ and ‘JOSEPH AND
HIS TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT.)    Amiee Collier as
Percival’s lady love has a very nice singing voice. 
Jill Levin as the announcer and our guide through the
maze of ideas, speaks and sings well.  The choral
sounds are fine.  Much of the others are just not up
to the task of grasping their characterizations and
singing their roles.

Michael Flohr’s music direction is on target.  His
musicians don’t drown out the singers and are
musically competent.  Trad Burns’ scenic design works
well considering the number of settings that are
required.  Inda Blatch-Geib’s costumes leave much to
be desired except for Hernan’s excellent clothing.  
The designs are often unflattering on the female body
types in the production.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: ‘DISCORDIA’ is a gallant attempt at
developing a musical.  Unfortunately, it just has too
many problems to work in its present form.   It is not
unusual for authors to relook at and rework their
material to make it successful.  Let’s hope that
that’s the case with ‘DISCORDIA.’ 

The show runs through November 8.  For tickets to this
and other Cleveland Public Theatre’s productions call
216-631-2727.


HURRAY FOR FAYE!


Cleveland playwright Faye Sholiton has been informed
by Writer’s Digest that her play, ‘V-E DAY,’ which
will be staged by Dobama Theatre from November 28 to
December 21, placed 4th in their 2003 competition.  
The contest, which totalled 18,000 entries, awards
cash and other prizes to the winners.


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