REVIEW: Below the Fold

Ann K. Flynn plays the neglected wife of a compulsive blogger (Jesse Pearlman) in Dave Flomberg's autobiographical drama Below the Fold, recently given a world premiere by Equinox Theatre Company.

Too bad you missed it. But it's not surprising. A new play, produced by a new theatre company in a small theatre tucked somewhere in the Lowry development and performing only on Sunday afternoons, Monday and Tuesday nights? It's a wonder anyone made it to see Below the Fold.

And yet, Equinox Theatre Company enjoyed several well deserved full houses at the intimate John Hand Theatre. Those who got to see the show will long remember it as a thoughtful, intelligent and heartfelt autobiographical drama about a compulsive blogger's reflections on life, family, echoes of Vietnam and anti-Semitism, punctuated by touching human interest stories.

Based on several years' worth of actual blogs by former Rocky Mountain News columnist Dave Flomberg, adapted for the stage and directed by his sister Deb Flomberg, Below the Fold boasts a fair amount of self-obsessed journalistic navel gazing, but the sincere search for meaning in life and reconciliation with childhood hurts makes for a compelling, often humorous evening of theatre.

This isn't the first time a columnist has seen his work performed onstage. James Thurber, Jules Feiffer and others come to mind. But this is the first one I've seen that evolved from the free and instantly proliferated world of Internet blogging.

The vignettes vary in length and focus, but are tied together by the blogger Michael (Jesse Pearlman), whose introspective sharing of personal experiences becomes cathartic and therapeutic, even while he neglects and endangers actual relationships with his wife and parents. Whether he's meeting strangers on a bus, immigrant co-workers or recalling childhood bullies, it's always about HIM.

What prevents Flomberg's public presentation of private musings from becoming self-indulgent exhibitionism is his sensitivity to the tenderness, pain and humor intrinsic in all fallen humanity. I couldn't help but think that if Russian playwright Anton Chekhov had a blog in the late 19th century, these are the kinds of stories he'd write.

Deb Flomberg's direction is keen and insightful, turning internal monologues outward, giving meaningful action to a cast of ten. Pearlman deserves special mention for carrying an enormous literary load and keeping it all straight, but he's backed by an excellent supporting cast, particularly Ann K. Flynn as Michael's wife, Patrick Mann as a homeless vet, Joseph Graves as an aggrieved father, and Meg Ralph as Michael's sister.

Below the Fold was presented by Equinox Theatre Company at the John Hand Theatre. For more information, e-mail equinoxtheatreco@yahoo.com or call 720-434-5245. Also, check out Deb Flomberg's Denver Theatre Examiner blog at www.examiner.com/x-474-Denver-Theater-Examiner, and Dave Flomberg's Below the Fold blog at www.belowthefold.us.

REVIEW: Ten Buddhist Tales

The Bug Theatre's commitment to experimentation, randomness and artistic freedom, showcased each month in their long-running, genre-defying "Freak Train" program, has paid off big time.

The Department of Redundancy Department, an avant-garde, ecstatic, freakish group of talented actors and uninhibited performance artists has polished at least ten of their outrageous "Freak Train" sketches, set them in a unifying framework loosely related to the tenets of Buddhism, and turned the whole thing into a wild, raunchy and bloody full-scale production called Ten Buddhist Tales.

Sure, there's some Buddhism here: ambiguous and paradoxical statements, appeals for right living, compassion, doing no harm, vegetarianism, demonstrations of the negative effects of craving, breaking the wheel of desire, etc.

But there's also a sausage-slicing Samurai, a ballet dancing Tampon (don't ask), a safron-robed monk firing a chain gun at a girl in a poodle skirt, a bearded lady, sexual gratification through electric shock, existential cavemen, guys dancing the tango together, maniacs running around in nothing but Depends...and an elusive duck.

There's more than a little Monty Python zaniness here, but really the sketches have more in common with the underground comics of the 70s, like the Furry Freak Brothers, Heavy Metal, and other subversive, counter-cultural periodicals my parents wouldn't let me see, but which I read anyway.

There's a lot of noise, a lot of randomness, bizarre and kinky behavior, and yet the production values are superb. The Absurdism is more akin to Antonin Artaud's Theatre of Cruelty than Beckett, Ionesco or Albee. Though it's clearly intended to shock, this extreme theatre is not intended to MERELY shock.

In fact, because the show pushes the boundaries of good taste so far beyond any previously acceptable limits, the performers actually make their Buddhist point about the futility of sensuality, cruelty and self-centeredness perfectly clear and compelling. But I doubt they'd admit it.

I'm not sure who's really responsible for Ten Buddhist Tales, though Rick Bevins, Kenn Penn, Mike Thornwall, Antoine Valot and the late Don Becker are credited as playwrights. But let's give them all some level of deniability, and let everyone take some credit/blame for this offensive, fascinating, hilarious and surprisingly sublime outrage of a show.

Because of frequently shouted profanity, gratuitous violence, pervasive near-nudity, simulated deviant sex acts, overall grotesque and perplexing behavior and sheer mind-blowing freakiness, Ten Buddhist Tales is totally inappropriate for children and immature grown-ups, but has everything late-teens and young adults are looking for in shock-value entertainment.

Those who are willing to do the work to find meaning and method in all this madness won't be disappointed, and real Buddhists probably won't bother.

Ten Buddhist Tales plays at the Bug Theatre in north Denver through April 5. Call 303-477-9984 or visit www.bugtheatre.org for information and reservations, and to see past Department of Redundancy Department performances, visit www.reredundancy.com.

Two 1sts for ACTS' 'Hunchback' premiere

The Colorado ACTS Friday Homeschool High School will present the regional premiere of my VERY comedic adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. March 19-21, the first-ever production at our new theatre location in Arvada.

Performances are Thursday, March 19, Friday, March 20 and Saturday, March 21 at 7 p.m., with matinees at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 20 and at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 21.

Tickets are $5.00 per person. Children four and under are FREE.

The unforgettable characters from the beloved novel come to thrilling, laugh-happy life in this “festival” adaptation of Victor Hugo’s popular literary classic. Outside the great Notre Dame cathedral 50 years after the original story’s fateful events, a troupe of youthful players leads the rabble of Paris—and sometimes even the audience—in recreating the riotous adventures of the misshapen but tender-hearted bell ringer Quasimodo. Of course, the story wouldn’t be complete without the beguiling gypsy dancer Esmeralda and her clever goat Djali, dashing Captain Phoebus, despicably devious Dom Frollo, romantic and starving poet Pierre, the down-to-earth gang-leading Queen of Thieves, comically bitter recluse Paquette, and more! The Hunchback of Notre Dame provides a fast-paced, fun-filled opportunity for audiences to become engaged in a literary masterpiece with imagination, ingenuity and lots of laughter. This play is presented by arrangement with Pioneer Drama Service.

The currently yet-to-be-named theatre space is the new home for Colorado ACTS and THE TROUPE. It has been constructed on the "garden level" floor of the Early College High School building, 4905 W. 60th Avenue, Arvada, CO. The building is close to the intersection of 60th and Sheridan, just north of the I-76 underpass, and one block east of Sheridan.

For information and reservations, call 303-456-6772 or e-mail coloradoacts@yahoo.com. Visit our web sites at www.coloradoacts.org and www.thetroupetheatre.blogspot.com.

REVIEW: Eurydice

Jim Hunt plays a dead father whose love reaches out to his daughter from behind the veil in Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl's contemporary re-interpretation of the Orpheus myth at Curious Theatre Company.

Though much of Christian theology is informed by neoplatonic philosophy, no where is the distinction between Christian and Greek mythology more evident than in the depiction of the afterlife.

In the Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice, the gifted musician Orpheus loses his beloved bride Eurydice on their wedding night. Using his musical skills, he travels to the gloomy land of the dead and negotiates with Hades, Lord of the Underworld, for her return. Hades' one caveat--that he return without looking back or else lose her forever--seals Eurydice's doom.

Sarah Ruhl's contemporary adaptation of the story Eurydice , playing at the Curious Theatre through April 18, speculates on exactly what the mortal muse is doing in the underworld while Orpheus seeks her release.

As it turns out, Eurydice's got a heroic journey of her own, as she seeks to overcome the forgetfulness that has stripped her of all language, erased her memories of Orpheus and the world of the living, and prevents the rekindling of the tender relationship she'd once had with her long-dead father.

The production is outstanding, but only because of the herculean and inspired contributions of director Chip Walton, choreographer Garrett Ammon and designers Michael R. Duran (set), Shannon McKinney (lights), Brian Freeland (sound), Kate Roselle (props) and Janice Lacek (costumes).

The problem with the script is that Ruhl seems to have been so strongly influenced by Absurdism, and most likely Samuel Beckett. Consequently, the dialogue, while eloquent, is nearly incomprehensible. Sure there are lots of images and symbols, and quirky contemporary references, but it doesn't add up to real conversation. The point that the dead don't communicate effectively is belabored, but the living characters don't talk sensibly either.

There is no real distinction between the poetic, random non-speech of the living and that of the dead, and the bridge that supposedly ties the two worlds together -- music -- is downplayed in this show. Everyone is so busy speaking meaningless dialogue, key relationships, particularly between Eurydice (Karen Slack) and Orpheus (Tyee Tilghman), and then between Eurydice and Her Father (Jim Hunt), never win over our sympathy, despite the best efforts of an exceptional cast.

Compensating for the babble, Walton, Ammon and the designers have conceived and staged a breathtakingly original production which is more surreal than absurd, with floating umbrellas, a pool of water, and an elevator that rains inside. This is a show that is a lot of fun to watch, but frustrating to listen to.

What I enjoyed most about the production was the depiction of the Greek image of a lifeless, meaningless eternity devoid of relationships and ruled by a pervert, from which the only escape is to overdose on water from the river of forgetfulness and slip into catatonia.

The Christian promise of a vivid afterlife, perfect communication, fulfillment of self identity, restored relationships, limitless possibilities and ruled by a compassionate, entirely good king is much more attractive. It's THIS world that we see through a glass darkly, that makes no sense, and into which we enter with total amnesia and the inability to speak.

Which begs the audience to consider what THEY are looking forward to when they die, and to what extent they would go to have a chance to come back. I'm grateful to Curious Theatre and Eurydice for publicly posing the question.

Eurydice plays at Curious Theatre Company through April 18. Call 303-623-0524 or visit www.curioustheatre.org for information and reservations.

REVIEW: Phantom of the Opera

Kim Stengel has played diva Carlotta Giudicelli in more than 4,500 performances of The Phantom of the Opera.

Last week I saw The Phantom of the Opera for the zillionth time, and though it's never been one of my favorite musicals, I seem to get something new out of it every time.

There's so much NOT to like about this show: the plot line is haphazard and filled with logical inconsistencies, progressing from mood to mood rather than telling a cohesive story. Most of the characters are shallow caricatures who take themselves way too seriously. But the biggest problem I have with Phantom is that it is just so very DARK.

Basically we've got a sexually dysfunctional, hideously deformed homicidal stalker who seeks to psychologically and spiritually possess a pretty and talented young woman and suck the life and joy out of her soul. And even though he loses the girl, this slippery psychopath escapes unpunished to allow for a sequel (which is actually in the works).

Put a machete or a chain saw or a boat hook in his hand and he'd be just another garden variety slasher who dresses like a dandy and uses an organ to compose bad opera in his secret lair. But The Phantom's principal weapon is smoke and mirrors, bait and switch, misdirection and deception, and so his villainy is COMPLICATED.

And yet the show is undeniably fascinating. The parts of the set that are actually lit are really fun to look at, the costumes are gorgeous, and there are half a dozen singable tunes that are repeated again and again so you can be sure to remember them.

But most notable this time around were two moments involving Christine's response to The Phantom that were actually almost redemptive. When The Phantom first takes her down a labyrinth to his psychologically warped but pretty cool bachelor pad, she unmasks him, gets a good look at his face, then hands the mask back.

She decides that sure, he may be seriously messed up inside and out, but she can work with this bad boy and maybe improve her languishing career. By restoring his dignity, she actually gains some control over the monster.

Later, when the jig is up and The Phantom is going to have to find another damp but lavish subterranean bunker to haunt, he lets Christine and her vapid boy toy Raoul go. He looks even worse than before--his brain is exposed, for crying out loud--but she comes back and plants two big ones right on the kisser.

For just a moment, I thought of Jesus healing the lepers, of Father Damien serving the same, of Hospice of Saint John opening its doors to AIDS patients before anyone really knew what it was. There was a flash of self-sacrificial compassion, of swallowing back the urge to vomit and offering a kiss of peace instead, and I thought to myself, "I LIKE this musical."

But then it was gone. I recognized the kisses as just an artificially overblown romantic gesture. Heroines don't give Hannibal Lecter a pat on the back, or high five Freddy Krueger. This isn't Esmeralda giving a cup of water to The Hunchback of Notre Dame. He's a twisted, diabolical predator. She should have taken the noose he was using to slowly strangle her boyfriend and made HIM sing the high notes.

The next time The Phantom of the Opera comes around, I'll gladly see it again. It's still fun, but the mask is slipping and it's showing its age. As unchangeable as a movie, Phantom , like Night of the Living Dead, is becoming more and more campy with each viewing.

REVIEW: The Visitor

Cancer stricken and Nazi-harassed Jewish atheist Sigmund Freud (Rick Bernstein) attempts to psychoanalyze a mysterious stranger (Eric Mather) who may or may not be the Almighty in Miners Alley Playhouse's production of Eric Emmanuel-Schmitt's tragi-comedy The Visitor.

Miner's Alley Playhouse's production of The Visitor has everything I love about theatre: big ideas in a small package, and packing an emotional punch. If I want flashy explosions, I'll go to the movies. But for breathtaking fireworks of the internal kind, Miners Alley Playhouse is the place to go, and The Visitor is the play to see.

And who better to set off those fireworks than God Almighty (or perhaps His stand-in) and the towering giant of atheism himself, Sigmund Freud? Ideas are launched over the audience's head like rockets, but the display is grounded in a kind of urgency that never lets the debate go merely to the head.

It's 1938 and the Nazis have taken over Vienna. Elderly and mortally ill Freud (Rick Bernstein) sits in his study as outside the window, Nazis round up his fellow Jews for deportation to the camps. He resists signing the safe passage document that would allow him to flee to Paris as a celebrity refugee, despite the desperate urgings of his adult daughter Anna (Laura Lounge), and the bullying intimidation of a Gestapo Officer (Jeremy Satore).

If ever there was a time to angrily deny the existence of God--or cave in to wish fulfillment and desperately cry out to Him for salvation--this would be it. But Freud, ever a crusader after truth, has made a life and career out of explaining the Creator away as the product of unresolved abandonment issues. How inconvenient then, that just when his daughter is hauled off for "questioning," a dapper young man (Eric Mather) pops in through the balcony window, hops on the fabled analyst's couch, and gives Freud the opportunity to psychoanalyze God Himself!

Oh, boy, I thought. This is gonna be good. And it was!

French playwright Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is a well-known playwright everywhere but in the United States. To his credit, he gives both The Visitor and Freud compelling arguments -- no straw men here -- and yet maintains enough ambiguity that the audience must decide for itself who The Visitor might be. Several common topics of debate for and against God's existence are presented, but even the familiar points are expressed clearly and even eloquently, and are always rooted in the depths of human need and emotion.

These aren't merely hypothetical speeches, and The Visitor isn't just yanking Freud's chain. The angel who wrestled Jacob all night wasn't just doing it for the exercise. EVERYTHING is at stake here.

Bernstein and Mather achieve superhuman performances, as befitting their titanic roles. Bernstein is especially effective as a monolith who uses his grasp of a corrupt Nazi's subconscious fears to turn the tables on his powerful adversary, yet can't control his own anxiety over his daughter's uncertain fate while stubbornly and irrationally refusing to sign the "get out of Vienna free" document. Mather makes the most of opportunities for comic relief as the elusive gadfly, but summons a thundering presence when rejecting blame for the evil in the world that is the result of mankind's exercise of free will, and prophesying the apocalyptic consequences of a materialistic worldview.

First-time director but well-known actor John Arp deftly puts these actors through their paces, and Richard Pegg's set design is perfect: realistic enough to help ground the action, yet providing a wide variety of playing areas to help keep the debate visually interesting.

The Visitor is everything good theatre should be. Don't miss this opportunity for the theatrical experience of a lifetime. Besides, this metaphysical fantasy may be your only chance in all eternity to see God and Freud together on the same stage! Then again, you never know...

The Visitor plays at Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden through April 5, 2009. For information or tickets, call 303-935-3044 or visit www.minersalley.com.

Colorado ACTS to present 'Puss in Boots'

Colorado ACTS Fri. homeschool class of 10 to 12 year olds will present Puss in Boots, March 6 and 7 at Pinebrooke Community Church in Arvada.

This may be Colorado ACTS' last production outside of the new space at 60th and Sheridan! Remodeling is coming to a close, inspections are taking place, and we're waiting for a certificate of occupancy. In the meantime, if you're available, please support these young people in what we hope will be our final "nomadic" production.

We're hoping that the first Colorado ACTS production in our actual space will be my own VERY comedic adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, performed by high school students, opening March 12. Information will be coming soon.

And watch for THE TROUPE'S productions of Be Careful What You Wish For and Philemon, running in repertory in late May/early June.

PUSS IN BOOTS

Who's the cleverest cat in the kingdom? Who else--PUSS IN BOOTS! This is a delightful re-telling of the classic tale. Tom, the miller's son, is left his father's cat for an inheritance. He expected to get the family mill. The cat, however, is no one's fool. He promises that if Tom gets him a pair of boots he will make his fortune. Once he has the footwear and becomes Puss In Boots, the cat sets out on an amazing adventure. It involves meeting the King, the Queen and the lovely Princess Pam, who Puss thinks will make a nice wife for his master! There is only one real obstacle to the cat's brilliant scheming--The Great Ogre! This scary creature eats trees and keeps prisoners in the dungeon, where they are fed nothing but oyster crackers. By the final curtain, all of the cat's plans have come to pass, and we've met a hilarious cast of characters, including the Ogre's giggling bride-to-be and her snobbish mother, the Ogre's servants and his comical dog.

Performances are: Friday March 6th @ 10am & 7pm, and Saturday March 7th @ 2pm at Pinebrooke Community Church, 11700 W. 80th Ave., Arvada, 80005

Tickets are: $3 per person, with a maximum charge of $12 per family

Questions? Call or contact ACTS at 303-456-6772, or coloradoacts@yahoo.com