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<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal"><b style><span style="font-family:Palatino">*************************************************************************<br></span></b></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><b style><span style="font-family:Palatino">AKARUI [Bright] confounds at Cleveland Public
Theatre</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Roy Berko</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino">(Member,
American Theatre Critics Association & Cleveland Critics Circle)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Cleveland Public
Theatre’s mission </span><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f">is to raise consciousness
and nurture compassion through ground breaking new, adventurous work.<span style> </span>Under the guidance of Artistic Director
Raymond Bobgan, the theatre challenges audiences mainly strong works.<span style> </span>Included in the winners have been t</span><span style="font-family:Palatino">his season’s ANTELBELLUM, and past offerings such
as DARWINNI, THE COMUPPANCE OF MAN, BLUE SKY TRANSMISSION:<span style> </span>A TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD, and
INSOMNIA THE WAKING OF HERSELVES.<span style>
</span>Some other offerings have confounded more than excited.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Unfortunately, AKARUI
[Bright], which closed the 2011-2012 season, tends to fall into the less than
successful offerings category.<span style>
</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino">The overly long and
over-staged work transports the viewer to a rave cave (scenic designer Todd
Krispinski’s effective metal scaffold set) at the supposed end of the
world.<span style> </span>Akarui, a<span style> </span>disk jockey, spins songs that summon
the lost and the desperate to examine their transitions.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Palatino">Yes, all things are in
transition.<span style> </span>Transsexuals,
transition from one gender to another.<span style>
</span>The dead find themselves in the nether world after their demise.<span style> </span>Those who commit crimes against others
are caught changing as their guilt develops.<span style> </span>In evolutionary terms, fish transition from swimming to
crawling to standing erect<span style>
</span>humans.<span style> </span>The butterfly is
the result of a transition from being a larva.<span style> </span>Scientists develop theories and change as their successes
and failures mount.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><i><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Verdana;color:white">AMENT, AN EVENING OF W. B. YEATS’ E
BOOK OF GRACE</span></i><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f">These are all situations which
writer Jen Silverman rolls out in AKARUI.<span style>
</span>These are the images that director Raymond Bobgan places before the
viewer.<span style> </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f">Silverman’s writing is often
poetic.<span style> </span>She proposes that until
transgender people complete their process of transition, they are only “half
done.”<span style> </span>That people “climb out of
their nightmares.” And, “you slap girls but you punch boys.”<span style> </span>Her script is filled with
allusions and metaphors.<span style> </span>These often
combine to make the obvious abstract.<span style>
</span>Though the author’s concept is clear, the continued repetition of the
same idea, makes for a long sit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f">The same could be said for Bobgan’s
staging.<span style> </span>The oft repeated stomping
choreography, drumming and chanting just became too much after there original
impact, stretching the production to a tedious level.<span style> </span>A combination of editing of both script and actions
would have aided to make this a more audience-friendly production.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f">The cast includes some excellent
performances.<span style> </span>Beth Wood as Baba
Yaga, the doctor/witch, James Alexander Rankin as Joshua, a youth brutally
killed who finds himself in the nether world, and Molly Andrews-Hinders, as DC,
who is transiting from female to male, show understanding of their roles. <span style> </span>David Aguila’s transition from fish to
human is visually mesmerizing.<span style>
</span>The chorus carries out Bobgan’s intentions well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f">Benjamin Gantose’s lighting and
Michael Roesch and Raymond Bobgan’s sound designs work well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-autospace:none"><span style="font-family:Georgia;color:#0f0f0f"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i style><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black">Capsule judgement:<span style> </span>AKARUI [Bright] brings to an end
another theatre year for Cleveland Public Theatre.<span style> </span>Though a challenging concept, the play and production just
didn’t have the same positive effect as some other offerings by CPT.</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;color:black"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Palatino;text-transform:uppercase">AKARUI
[Bright]</span><span style="font-family:Palatino"> ran through June 9. <span style="color:black"></span></span></p>
<p style="color:rgb(0,204,204)" class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************************<br><span style="font-family:Palatino"></span></p>
<br>