[NEohioPAL] Berko review: EXACT CHANGE (Cleveland Public Theatre)

[Roy Berko]

*•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••A life in transition captivates
at Cleveland Public Theatre*

Roy Berko
(Member, American Theatre Critics Association & Cleveland Critics Circle)

What is it like to live much of your life perceiving that you have been
born in the wrong body and then going through the process to correct this
mistake of birth?  That’s the major issue exposed by Christine Howey in her
one-woman, self-acted and self-written play, EXACT CHANGE, now on stage at
Cleveland Public Theatre.

To understand Richard Howey’s dilemma (that was Christine’s name before he
transitioned), requires an awareness of human sexuality.  An individual’s
gender is usually identified at birth by their biological sex--male or
female.  This determination is made by an examination of a person’s sexual
paraphernalia (vagina or penis).   As a person develops there is a personal
growing awareness of sexual orientation (heterosexual, homosexual,
bisexual) and gender identity (the way a person perceives their biological
sex).

In Howey’s case, the awareness of gender identity occurred early, probably
around the age of three.  Early on, he wanted to be a girl, dress like a
girl, play with the girls, be called a girl’s name.   What followed was a
life of conflicted feelings, marriage, parenthood, and then an awareness of
the need to be true to his/her needs and identification.

EXACT CHANGE, an adaptation of Howey’s earlier work, LIKE A DOBERMAN ON A
QUARTER POUNDER, a one-act play presented at CPT during last year’s season,
the new play is ninety-minutes of intense emotion, humor and revelation.

The evening begins with Howey’s poems, monologues and dialogues, all
highlighting various levels of the human condition, but not necessarily
leading up to Howey’s own emotional and physical conflicts.  Howey expounds
upon how Beowulf deals with breakfast, the dilemma of why the “k” is silent
at the start of words when immediately followed by “n” (e.g., knife), and
the thoughts and actions of William Randolph Hurst.

The second part of the presentation turns personal, as Howey shares her
journey from Richard to Christine.

Howey is a master of words, and her talent is well illustrated in the
beginning segment.  She is a member of the Northeast Ohio Slam Poetry Team
and has done many solo poetry readings, as well as being a
multi-award-winning theatre reviewer.

The author, who for many years acted and directed at Dobama, is also a
skillful actor.  Those skills were recognized by her receipt of a 2012
Times Theatre Tribute award for performance excellence for LIKE A
DOBERMAN.

Throughout, Howey grabs and holds audience attention with her compelling
vocal and physical expressions.  This is a tour-de-force performance well
deserving of the heartfelt concluding standing ovation.

The script is a work in progress.  The author might want to ask whether her
tale of Richard to Christine is the major focus or whether it is the
multi-talent of the writer/performer.

If the former, then elimination of the starting poetry and expansion of the
life story would help.  Questions abound.  We know Richard was married.  We
know that he was the father of a daughter, Noelle, the author of DRESS
CODES,  a story of three girlhoods—her mother’s, father’s and hers.  These
facts are not well fleshed out in the staged version.  We lose, to some
degree, Richard’s expressed motivation to transition, the coming out
process, and his desire to go through the sex change procedure.

This change of focus would flesh out the personal story and make it open to
more productions, and hopefully an off-Broadway run.

Howey is supported by Scott Plate’s direction, Danny English’s original
music, and Jeff Herrmann’s scenic design.

*Capsule judgement: EXACT CHANGE is a fascinating evening of theatre, which
is a must see for anyone interested in the real human condition, an
awareness of gender dysphoria, fine writing and compelling acting. Bravo!*

EXACT CHANGE runs through January 26, 2014  at Cleveland Public Theatre.
For tickets call 216-631-2727 or go on line to www.cptonline.org.

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