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<!--StartFragment-->
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">GRIZZLY MAMA at
Dobama, truth may be stranger than fiction <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Roy Berko<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">(Member,
American Theatre Critics Association)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">--THE TIMES
NEWSPAPERS--<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Lorain County
Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times<span style="mso-tab-count:1"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">--coolcleveland.com—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">In George
Brant’s GRIZZLY MAMA, now on stage at Dobama Theatre, the fictional Deb
Marshall moves into the house next to Patty Turnback, an Alaskan Tea Party
leader (think Sarah Palin) in order to destroy her.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Deb is the daughter of the titular leader of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century women’s movement (think Gloria Steinem) who has supposedly pledged, on
her mother’s death bed, to get rid of the ultra-right Turnback.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Turnback (note the “clever” play on
words) has moved the women’s movement back into the dark ages, the days-of-old
when women were homemakers and protected their young against wild animals
(liberals). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yes, Grizzly Mamas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Think the
idea is preposterous?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Well,
think again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>On September 20, a
new book about Palin will be released by </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:
14.0pt;font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">author Joe McGinniss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>McGinnis has been studying Palin for
three years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He even moved next
door to her home to dig up dirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His
purpose?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To destroy her by killing
the lady’s reputation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So, truth
can be stranger than </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:
Palatino;mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia">fiction.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Palatino"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">On the surface, Brant’s
play seems like a farcical, overstated, unbelievable dark comedy of spiteful
revenge. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It rolls out as a script
about </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">murder,
motherhood,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>moose and a bunny
rabbit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span><span style="font-family:Palatino">A little mental digging reveals a study of the
relationships between mothers and daughters and how they bond, conflict, love
and betray each other.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:
Palatino;mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:
italic"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">Brants’ character’s
are overdone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Deb is written as a
divorced out-of-control suburban mom who reimagines herself as a righteous
liberal avenger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Her motivations
and actions seem unrealistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Her
daughter, Hannah, is an overdrawn self-centered texting teenager who gets
wrapped up in the hunt when she becomes friends with the Grizzly Mama’s
daughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A daughter with a major
problem, especially for the daughter of a religious ultra-conservative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">The script was
commissioned by Dobama to compliment the political atmosphere in which we find
ourselves and is about to explode even larger.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>It is filled with many clever lines and ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Daughter Hannah, for example, explains
that she is going to a high school where she is taking an AP (advanced
placement) course in Intelligent Design and is writing a required paper on
Jesus and the Dinosaurs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Deb goes
to a local gun store, where she is sold an Uzi-type gun and gets a free handgun
thrown in. In order to stop her daughter from texting, Deb nukes the girl’s
cell phone in the microwave, but Hannah’s fingers just keep texting away, even
without the phone, assuming that the messages will get to her friends back home
by cosmic energy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And, Laurel,
Turnback’s daughter, complains because her chastity ring has gotten too tight
for her finger due to her unwed pregnancy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">On the other
hand, the characters don’t ring true, the lines are often forced, there are so
many text message references that, as one member of the audience whispered, “If
I hear one more omg, lol, or wuzup, I’m going on stage and strangle
someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(The program has a page
listening texting terminology for those who are interested.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The logical bridges between scenes
aren’t always clearly developed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>One must wonder whether the author is aiming at high comedy, farce, or
has some really strong message which gets lost because of the lack of a clear
rudder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic">There are some
excellent performances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Erin Scerbak
develops a clear Laurel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>She is
believable in being conflicted and vulnerable.<span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>She often develops meaning beyond what her lines say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Caitlin Lewins (Hannah) plays teenage
angst and hysteria with ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Heather Anderson Boll has some problems developing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>a consistent character as Deb, but much
of that appears to be the lines she is given, not her acting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;font-family:Palatino;
mso-fareast-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
Georgia;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold;mso-bidi-font-style:italic"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Laura
Kepley’s direction is generally on-target, but there are some lag times in the
pacing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Jill Davis’s
log cabin house design gives the right feel and leaves lots of room for the
characters to move with ease.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes">
</span>Sound designer Richard Ingraham’s use of “I Am Woman” as background and
scene change music, is a stroke of genius.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">CAPSULE
JUDGEMENT: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>GRIZZLY MAMA is
not well written, but there is enough humor and nice acting to make it a
pleasant evening of theatre that could incite some interesting going home discussions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">GRIZZLY MAMA runs
through October 2 at Dobama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Call
216-932-3396 for tickets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--></span></div><div> </div><div><i><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#8000FF">Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2011, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info. His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and www.NeOHIOpal</font></i></div></div></body></html>