[NEohioPAL] Review of "Exact Change" at Cleveland Public Theatre

[Bob Abelman]

Cleveland Public Theater's "Exact Change" pays dividends

 

Bob Abelman

Cleveland Jewish News

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics 

 

This review will appear in the Cleveland Jewish News  on 1/17/14

 

 

Christine Howey's autobiographical "Exact Change" was conceived from the heartache of being a transgender female, fueled by a heroic journey of reinvention and renewal, and first given form as a short, limited-run one-woman show in last season's New Work Development Series at Cleveland Public Theater.  

 

Currently on stage at CPT's James Levin Theatre, "Exact Change" is a fleshed out version of that earlier work that now runs nearly 90-minutes and is absolutely wonderful.

 

This piece of performance art begins with a dozen original poems, monologues and character studies that explore the inner-workings of a con man, what Beowulf would be like at breakfast, and urination, among other seemingly random topics.  

 

What this collection of short stories does, besides entertain brilliantly, is showcase Howey's ability to turn a deliciously descriptive phrase and engage in absolutely riveting storytelling.  It also introduces her wonderfully acerbic wit, the ease with which she creates convincing male and female personas, and her unique take on the human condition. 

 

All this comes into play when she then offers up tales of her transition from Dick to Christine.  

 

Now her take on the human condition becomes personal and loaded with revealing self-disclosure.  

 

The opening series of short vignettes set the stage for the snapshot observations and insights Howey offers about her years transitioning from living as a man to living as a woman.  

 

Her wit helps make the painful journey palatable and provides a safety net for all the personal and artistic risks she is taking on stage.

 

Director Scott Plate's staging also provides a safe haven for Howey's intimate revelations.  The set consists of three free-standing windows with closed venetian blinds, behind which Howey occasionally hides while speaking, and a centrally placed chair from which Howey comfortably shares her most personal experiences.  Her marvelous story about learning how to act feminine from a San Francisco drag queen comes from that safe and secure setting.  

 

Plate also drapes Howey in muted lighting throughout the production, which is designed by Benjamin Gantose, and smoothly transitions from one tale to another with soft jazz composed by Danny English and played by English on piano, Scott Shaughnessy on percussion, David Nainiger on bass, Griffith Gentilcore on trumpet and Daniel Muller on saxophone.  

 

A video screen at the corner of the performance space projects images of Howey during her frustrated youth.  

 

See Dick.  See Dick run.  See Dick wishing he were Jane. 

 

Over the years, there have been several inventive one-woman shows that have graced Cleveland stages, including Cleveland Play House's "The Lady With All the Answers."  Renowned actress Mimi Kennedy portrayed self-help columnist Ann Landers and did a fine job.  In "Exact Change," something special occurs when the subject of the story is also the storyteller on stage.  Everything rings truer, is more poignant, and is more powerful.  

 

And the performance, while an exhibition of fine acting, is also an extraordinary act of bravery.  

 

"Exact Change" runs through Saturday, January 25, at CPT's James Levin Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue in Cleveland's Gordon Square Arts District.  For tickets, which are $12 - $28, call 216-631-2727 or visit www.cptonline.org.
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