[NEohioPAL]BERKO REVIEW: ‘PTERODACTYLS’ at CONVERGENCE CONTINUUM

[Roy Berko]

‘PTERODACTYLS’--THOUGHT PROVOKING EXCELLENCE AT
CONVERGENCE CONTINUUM

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)


--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

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


What happens when the prodigal son returns home to
announce he has AIDS?  In most families there would be
concern, a pulling together, an attempt to work toward
a change in the family system.  This is definitely not
what happens to the Duncan family in Nicky Silver’s
‘PTERODACTYLS,’  now on stage at
convergence-continuum, Cleveland’s off-beat theatre.

The Duncans are THE poster people for the definition
of “dysfunctional family.”  This is a brood which
thrives on alcoholism, incest, escapism, cruelty and
denial.  When you spend an evening with the Duncans,
you should leave your logical ideas of the meaning of
“healthy family”  at the door. 

The Duncans are quite a crew.   There's Grace, the
matriarch of the family who shops and drinks too much
and hides from the authentic world by ignoring
reality.   There’s Arthur, the father who has paid too
much attention to his daughter while ignoring his son,
but still believes that he and the boy are close.  He
has a fantasy nick-name for him and an imagined story
of how they used to play catch all the time.  There’s
Emma, the traumatized daughter who has blocked out the
real world with selective amnesia.  And, last but not
least, there’s Todd, the son who escapes the family
grasp through art, his study of anthropology and
excessive sexual activity.  The extended family
includes Tommy, who is Emma’s clueless fiancé, who is
unclear about his sexuality.  Grace has enlisted Tommy
 to be the family’s servant.  He cavorts around
wearing a provocative maid’s outfit. 

Believe me, this group is not the Cleavers of ‘LEAVE
IT TO BEAVER’ fame.  And, for sure, father does not
know best.

As is often the case with the plays chosen by
continuum’s Artistic Director Claude Simon, this is an
absurdist black comedy.  Silver uses Todd's building a
sculpture of a Tyrannosaurs Rex as a representation of
how the family and those who are like them live in
emotional chaos.  He purports that the extinction of
the dinosaurs and the descent of this family, and by
implication humanity in general, is eminent.
The concept is down-right scary.  

The convergence-continuum production is well paced and
finely conceived by Clyde Simon.  Though there are
some acting inconsistencies, the overall effect is on
target.

Lauri Hammer is chilling as Grace.  She has built a
fantasy world by drowning herself in booze and escape.
 When her son announces he has AIDS, she puts all her
efforts into a “welcome home” party for him.   Hammer
makes the character totally believable.  She is one
hell of a good drunk!

Wes Shofner’s development of Arthur, the father, is
somewhat shallow.  He stays on the surface of the
character, often not traversing into the realm of
being a real person.  He sometimes emotes lines
without much meaning.

Jovana Batkovic has some excellent moments as the
demented Emma.  Unfortunately, since she doesn’t
texture the characterization, the empathy we might
feel for Emma is missing.  We often don’t know if the
character is playing a game of amnesia or that is her
reality.  Her last speech, a pivotal clue as to what
will happen, lacks clarity of purpose.

Brian Breth sparkles as Todd.  Breth possesses a James
Dean-like sensuality that perfectly fits the
character.  Breth grabs hold of the underlying
motivations of the character and makes him real.   He
shows complete comfort in the scene where he deep
kisses Tommy and uses the young man for not only
Todd’s pleasure but to exert control and create chaos.
 His speech explaining to his father how he contacted
AIDS is mesmerizing. 

JdBowman is excellent as Tommy.   He has several
outstanding scenes, especially those he shares with
Breth.  The script clearly tells us of the abandonment
and abuse the boy has been through so there is no
wonder that he is desperate to be part of a family,
any family, even this bizarre one.  But, without
Bowman’s fine-line portrayal, the reason for his
eventual fall would not have been as effective.

Though the play seems cramped on the tiny Liminis
stage, the closeness of audience to the action adds to
our involvement in the happenings, especially when we
are brought into the proceedings by cast members
asking the audience questions and sharing intimacies
with us.

Capsule Judgement:   Anyone going to
convergence-continuum must realize that this is a
theatre that takes seriously its tradition of doing
plays that most other theatres would not consider.  
‘PTERODACTYLS’ continues that tradition.   In the
competent hands of the director and the cast, Nicky
Silver’s very post-modern play is simultaneously
funny, vicious, obscene, intellectually scary and very
worth seeing!

‘PTERODACTYLS’ runs at 8 pm Thursdays, Fridays and
Saturdays through October 8 at convergence-continuum’s
artistic home, The Liminis, at 2438 Scranton Rd. in
Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood.  Tickets are $12
general admission and $9 for students and seniors. For
information and reservations call 216-687-0074.
Seating for this production will be limited to about
50.

EVENTS TO CONSIDER:

DOBAMA THEATRE:  ‘THE GOAT OR, WHO IS SYLVIA,’ Sept
23-Oct16 at the Cleveland Play House.  Call
216-932-3396.

ENSEMBLE THEATRE:   ‘ANNA IN THE TROPICS,’  Sept.
17-Oct. 2 at Cleveland Play House.  Call 216-321-2930.

GREAT LAKES THEATER FESTIVAL:   ‘AMADEUS’ and ‘AS YOU
LIKE IT’ at Ohio Theatre, Sept 16-Oct. 22.  Call
216-241-5490

DANCECLEVELAND:  ‘JOSE LIMON DANCE COMPANY, State
Theatre, Sept 24.  Call 216-241-5490 or 440-914-0744.

BECK CENTER FOR THE ARTS:  	‘URINETOWN,’ Sept 16-Oct
9.  Call:  216-521-2540.

CAROUSEL DINNER THEATRE:  ‘FOOTLOOSE,’ Sept 14-Nov 12.
 Call:  800-362-4100.

KALLIOPE STAGE:  ‘CABARET,’ September 15-October 16. 
Call 216-321-0870.

CLAGUE PLAYHOUSE, ‘SOMETHING TO HIDE,’ Sept 9-Oct 2. 
Call 440-331-0403.

PLAYHOUSE SQUARE:  ‘STOMP,’ Allen Theatre, Sept 13-18.
 Call  216-241-5490.  

HANNA THEATRE:  ‘DAVE GORMAN’S GOGGLEWHACK!
ADVENTURE,’ Hanna Theatre, Sept 13-25.  Call
216-241-5490.  

GROUNDWORKS DANCETHEATER:  ‘7th AMAZING YEAR,’ Akron
Icehouse, Sept 16-18, Sept. 23-25.  Call 
216-691-3180.

ACTORS SUMMIT:  ‘THEY’RE PLAYING OUR SONG,’ through
Sept 25.  Call:  330-342 0800.

PLAYHOUSE SQUARE CENTER:  ‘CLIFFORD THE BIG RED
DOG’--Sept 23-25--Palace Theatre.  Call: 
216-241-5490.


Roy Berko's web page can be found at www.royberko.info.  His theatre and dance reviews appear on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.

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