[NEohioPAL]Berko Reviews: AMY'S VIEW (Dobama); 'JOURNEY' (ODT), 'WAVERLY PLACE' (Boulevard)

[Roy Berko]

‘AMY’S VIEW,’ (DOBAMA) ‘JOURNEY,’ OHIO DANCE THEATRE
“WAVERLY GALLERY’ (BOULEVARD THEATRE)

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

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


HIGH QUALITY ACTING IN DOBAMA’S ‘AMY’S VIEW’

It is somewhat ironic that the weekend before the vote
on whether Cuyahoga County should fund the arts that
Dobama Theatre opened ‘AMY’S VIEW.’  Much of the play
is about the value of theatre, cultural changes, and
the role and purpose of the arts.  

‘AMY’S VIEW’ follows a mother-daughter relationship
over a sixteen year period from 1979 to 1995.   As is
the general pattern with Hare’s writing, the play is
built around what he calls, a “fragrant” woman.   In
this case, it’s Amy, who believes that “you have to
give love unconditionally and that one day it will be
rewarded.”

The play’s first half mainly revolves around the
conflict between the assertive Esme, Amy’s mother, and
Dominic, Amy’s future husband.  When we meet them in
1979, she is a well-known stage actress, he a young
nobody who despises the theatre as "irrelevant" and
has impregnated Amy.   Come 1985, Dominic is a big
media success, while Esme is on the slide playing
germs in ads for disinfectants.  The play then jumps
to the 1990s.  Dominic is achieving world fame by
making “action” movies and Esme is hugely in debt due
to misguided investments and has succumbed to playing
a doughty nurse in a TV soap.  Without revealing the
“startling incident” which changes the course of the
play, Hare has Esme losing pretty well everything, but
somehow ending up the gainer. 

The play is well-crafted, but the ending is too
contrived, unsatisfying.  And, as often is the case
with Hare, the male characters are too clearly the
“bad” guys.  Whether you agree with Dominic’s point of
view or not, it is obvious from his first outburst
that he is going to be the heavy in this story.  In a
sea of positive reviews regarding Judi Denche’s
magnificent performance, one London critic stated of
the play, “He’s a peculiar case is David Hare. 
Always, even in his best work, there are patches where
you feel you’re having your ear bent by someone still
compelled to score points in the manner of some cocky
little snit and a voice inside you wants to scream,
more at the dramatist than at the character speaking,
“Oh, for God’s sake grow-up!”   Another stated,
“somewhere during a quarrel between Amy and Esme about
the meaning of “talking control” of one’s life, it
must be wondered if the play was getting too
unfocused, too scattered.

Dobama’s production is well-directed by Sonya Robbins.
 It is well-acted by most of the cast, three of whom
are former Times Theatre Tribute winners for their
performance abilities.  

Catherine Albers as Esme gives her usual flawless
performance.  Though there are times when Hare doesn’t
give her a clear set of motivations, she invents them
and develops a clear characterization.  

Derdriu Ring, who always lights up a stage, glows
brightly as Amy.  The character’s goodness and anguish
are both evidently clear.  

Todd Krispinsky is given the difficult task of being
Hare’s whipping boy.  He does it well, though his last
act transition was not well textured.  Part of this is
the script’s fault as Dominic isn’t given much
character variance in the lines.  The lack of makeup
and wardrobe adjustments also didn’t assist
Krispinsky.

Robert Hawkes gives a clear and consistent
interpretation to the nebbish-like Frank, Esme’s next
door neighbor, suitor and financial adviser.   But as
was the case with the character of Dominic, Hare
didn’t give Frank the same dimensions as the female
characters.  

Tom Weaver is appealing as a neophyte actor.  Only
Ursula Korneitchouk fails to develop a real being as
Evelyn, Esme’s aging mother-in-law.  Her lines have a
flat, memorized sound.

Michael Louis Grube’s aesthetically pleasing set
design works well, except during a set change in which
the back wall folds in order to allow it to fade
backstage.  For an instance it appeared that it was
going to annihilate Evelyn, who is sitting in a wheel
chair in front of the wall. 

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: ‘AMY’S VIEW’ gets a wonderful
production at Dobama.  In fact, the production
qualities outshine the problematic script.

‘AMY’S VIEW’ runs through March 21.   For information
and tickets call 216-932-3396.


OHIO DANCE THEATRE RECONFIGURES ‘JOURNEY’

The Ohio Dance Theatre is a Lorain County treasure
which is attempting to reach out to a wider audience. 
Its summer program, which was housed at the Cleveland
Play House, was well received.  

Denise Gula, the company’s artistic director, not only
has a fine dance background, but is an excellent
actress, director and educator.  Parlaying her
background and talents, she has combined with Sharon
and Richard Anderson to develop ‘JOURNEY,’ an original
music theatre production which combines lives music,
vocals, dance and drama to tell a story of Black
American history and their struggle for unity and
equality.  It is a vehicle which lends itself to
presentation at schools and to the community during
Black history month.

The production has been developing over the past five
years and is still being refined.  The story starts
with plantation life slavery and takes the viewer
through the days of the underground railroad, the
black Northern migration, the Harlem Renaissance, the
Civil Rights movement and beyond.  It uses traditional
songs  (“When I Fall in Love,” “Lover Man” “Let My
People Go“and “I Will Be Free”) and original music. 
The piece contains speeches by the likes of Martin
Luther King, Barbara Jordan, and Nelson Mandella.  It
illustrates real historical incidents, such as Rosa
Park’s failure to go to the back of the bus in
Montgomery, Alabama, which many credit with
jump-starting the Civil Rights movement.  

The production is at its best when the singing and
dancing are joined together.  The audience broke into
applause each time Gula’s choreography combined with
the wonderful singing.  It is at its least inspiring
when speeches follow speeches, when song follows song.
 Not that the acting or singing were weak.  They
weren’t...they were excellent, as was the wonderful
band.  

It is the company’s goal to continue to refine the
work and take it into various venues.  It’s latest
trek to New Jersey was well received.  The Ohio
Theatre performances resulted in a sold-out matinee
and an enthusiastic evening showing.

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT: Ohio Dance Theatre’s ‘JOURNEY’ is a
work in progress that has much potential but needs a
shot of theatricality to make it great.

For information about the Ohio Dance Theatre go
on-line to ohiodancetheatre.org.


BOULEVARD THEATRE PRESENTS ‘WAVERLY GALLERY’

Theatre troupes exist for various reasons.  Founded in
1999, Boulevard Theatre is a program of the City of
Shaker Heights.  It is committed to the idea that
“theatre is a profound medium whereby people of
various interests and talents work in concert to
entertain, provide insight and provoke thought.”

This is not a professional company.  It does not
intend to compete with the likes of the Cleveland Play
House and the Great Lakes Theatre Festival.  The
participants are volunteers who are involved for the
love of the theatrical experience.

Their latest production, presented at M% Gallery
located on Larchmere Road, was Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘THE
WAVERLY GALLERY.’ It is a thought-provoking, often
humorous look at aging.  In the spirit of educating
the community, the final Sunday performance was
followed by a discussion with members of the
University Memory and Aging Center at Fairhill Center
for the Aging.   

The small stage area, carved out from the gallery
space, though cramped, allowed the audience to be
up-front and experience an intimate view of
aging/dementia/Alzheimer’s.  The production qualities,
under the direction of Sarah May, were quite good. 
Especially powerful was the acting performance of Lee
Mackey, one of Cleveland’s acting legends.  

For information about Boulevard Theatre call
216-561-8588 or 216-751-5936.


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