Every generation seems to believe that they are the doomed ones. That after them, it is all going downhill. That after (or thanks to) their actions, something will be lost. The first thing they often bring up is the arts. How often have we heard that the theatre, an entity that has existed for millennia, is now dead? Though people are not usually so drastic on this take when it comes to film, the consensus of many has become that it is no longer an art form so much as entertainment. The Little Theatre of Savannah's production of Ron Hutchinson's Moonlight & Magnolias offers the comfort of knowing that people have always felt this way, and will perhaps continue to feel this way for eternity.
Set in the office of producer David O. Selznick, Moonlight & Magnolias is a fictional account of five days during which Selznick, writer Ben Hecht, and director Victor Fleming starved, fought, typed and possibly lost their minds. All to create the film adaptation of Gone With The Wind, arguably one of the greatest epics ever brought to the silver screen. Directed admirably by Grace Diaz Tootle, this production is one of the finest I have seen the Little Theatre undertake. Tootle has assembled a brilliant cast, each one suited for his or her character.
As Selznick, Sonny Schneider brings an energy to his performance as a famous producer who has reached the end of his rope, sure that a failure with this film will be the end of his career. Selznick is clearly a man of power, but Schneider also brings with him a sympathy that cannot be denied: Selznick may be a business man, but he has not lost his love for the art to which he has dedicated his life. The chemistry between Schneider and his partners in crime is outstanding. Louis Clausi brings the most humanity to the stage as the idealistic scriptwriter Ben Hecht, who tries desperately to keep Selznick true to his Jewish roots and warns against creating any message of intolerance, seeing dark clouds on the horizon (the year is 1939). As director Victor Fleming, Les Taylor is hilarious as he slips slowly into hysteria. Taylor and Schneider's antics reenacting the book for Hecht's benefit are among the most memorable in the production. Last, but certainly not least, Jennifer Doubleday is absolutely charming as Miss Poppenghul, Selznick's overworked secretary.
In our own lives, exhaustion becomes frustration and frustration becomes hysteria, and it's some comfort to know that this feeling is universal, even in the world of motion pictures, where everything seems to gleam with perfection. Even better is if you can laugh at the manic antics of those involved. The Little Theatre of Savannah is to be commended for an excellent production.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Rock the Vote
Recently, members of the Savannah Theatre Community have issued a call for voters to support the Savannah Shakespeare Festival in Connect Savannah's annual "Best Of Savannah" awards in the category of Best Local theatre Production/Play. We here at The Savannah Dramaturgy would like to echo this sentiment and encourage our readers to also stand on behalf of our resident Shakespeare Festival.
Though there have been numerous quality productions (many frequented and spearheaded by our own staff), the consensus is that Shakespeare on Love best fulfills not only quality requirements, but also inclusion and community involvement.
Not only did this work involve the majority of the Savannah performing arts communty, but it also provided high quality work to the city's public free of charge. The event itself was the epitome of artists working in their community.
Basic information regarding Shakespeare on Love can be found here.
Voting for the Connect Savannah can be found here.
If you could find it in your hearts to also support The Savannah Dramaturgy as the best local blog/blogger... we'd not look unkindly on that either.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Many Thanks
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Savannah Dramaturgy is proud to announce that it received its 500th hit since we began counting back in December. This, interestingly, nearly coincides with our 1 year anniversary, coming up on the 22nd of March.
Many thanks to our readers.
The Savannah Dramaturgy is proud to announce that it received its 500th hit since we began counting back in December. This, interestingly, nearly coincides with our 1 year anniversary, coming up on the 22nd of March.
Many thanks to our readers.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Stimulus and the Arts
It is with dismay that The Savannah Dramaturgy notes that much of the Congressional right-wing find the idea of arts funding something to give them the fits and blind staggers. The arts, evidently, are in no real need of stimulus from the government.
To answer Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Jack Kingston (R-GA) and their charges of "pork-barrel" spending in regards to the arts, The Savannah Dramaturgy has to ask how money to the NEA is any more pork barrel than highways, bridges, or ANY OTHER SPECIAL APPROPRIATION TO ANY OTHER INDUSTRY? To quote Rep. Kingston from the Boston Globe "We have real people out of work right now and putting $50 million in the NEA and pretending that's going to save jobs as opposed to putting $50 million in a road project is disingenuous." This begs the question, then, of why artists aren't "real people."
Assuming that Mr. Kingston is willing to admit that your average artist is a homo sapiens (which, while the vagaries commited by the current leadership of the Republican party are many, denial of this is far-fetched even for them), then one may make the safe assumption that Mr. Kingston is simply not interested in jobs for artists. One might tell such artists to simply "get real jobs." Jobs like, waiting tables or somesuch. And yet, certain bankers have produced no more tangible product than an actor... but nobody tells them to get real jobs.
And herein lies the rub. Harry Hopkins, aid to Franklin Roosevelt, was once asked about the hiring of thousands of artists during the Great Depression. He reportedly said, "Hell, they've got to eat like everyone else." I don't think that artists' dietary requirements have changed, but they are no longer considered professionals. We here at The Savannah Dramaturgy are all trained in our fields, and if our field was anything other than the arts... the concept that we were unable to find gainful employment in our field would be decried as sheer travesty by the right. I guess we simply need to start writing odes to the wisdom of Rush and O'Reilly if we are to get any support.
To answer Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Jack Kingston (R-GA) and their charges of "pork-barrel" spending in regards to the arts, The Savannah Dramaturgy has to ask how money to the NEA is any more pork barrel than highways, bridges, or ANY OTHER SPECIAL APPROPRIATION TO ANY OTHER INDUSTRY? To quote Rep. Kingston from the Boston Globe "We have real people out of work right now and putting $50 million in the NEA and pretending that's going to save jobs as opposed to putting $50 million in a road project is disingenuous." This begs the question, then, of why artists aren't "real people."
Assuming that Mr. Kingston is willing to admit that your average artist is a homo sapiens (which, while the vagaries commited by the current leadership of the Republican party are many, denial of this is far-fetched even for them), then one may make the safe assumption that Mr. Kingston is simply not interested in jobs for artists. One might tell such artists to simply "get real jobs." Jobs like, waiting tables or somesuch. And yet, certain bankers have produced no more tangible product than an actor... but nobody tells them to get real jobs.
And herein lies the rub. Harry Hopkins, aid to Franklin Roosevelt, was once asked about the hiring of thousands of artists during the Great Depression. He reportedly said, "Hell, they've got to eat like everyone else." I don't think that artists' dietary requirements have changed, but they are no longer considered professionals. We here at The Savannah Dramaturgy are all trained in our fields, and if our field was anything other than the arts... the concept that we were unable to find gainful employment in our field would be decried as sheer travesty by the right. I guess we simply need to start writing odes to the wisdom of Rush and O'Reilly if we are to get any support.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead: Cardinal Rep
"We're doomed from the start..." said Christopher Heady to Connect Savannah in the preview article to Cardinal Rep's February 2009 production of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. Though these words are not completely accurate in regards to Cardinal Rep's latest offering, they do hold an uncomfortable level of resonance.
The play, considered by many to be Stoppard's masterwork in a long and substantial career, centers around two benighted characters from the fringe of Shakespeare's masterwork, Hamlet. Originally charged by Claudius to find out Hamlet's intentions, and then to urge him in his past-times... they then find themselves carrying a letter to the King of England orderign Hamlet's execution. The letter is swapped out for one ordering their own execution. Yet throughout all of this, the machinations of the court remain outside of their control and understanding.
And it is here that the primary rub of this production comes into play, the idea of understanding. Mr. Stoppard's existential opus is a difficult and finicky show to pull off. Centered on the two doomed apparats, Rosencrantz (Christopher Soucy) and Guildenstern (Christopher John Heady) never graps what is happening to them. However, when one plays a lack of understanding it is all the more vital that the impression is given that the actors themselves do understand the stakes of their plight, lest the audience cease to care. Unfortunately, it never becomes clear that there is a real grasp of the show's fairly deep meaning.
Mr. Heady, as the generally more enlightened Guildenstern, has unfortunately found himself in a position that plays against his greatest strengths. Unforgetably entertaining and skilled in clowning, as per his performance of Sgt. Towser in Catch-22, he lacks oomph required to carry the "straight-man" in a comic duo. Interestingly, Abbott & Costello split their revenues not 50/50, but instead 60/40... with 60% going to Bud Abbott, the "straight man." Such divisions were considered natural, as it is generally acknowledged to be much harder to find a straight man to properly power a comic duo. And unfortunately, without its straight man, the duo of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern lacks the required dynamism to sustain this long and difficult show.
If the primary duo lacks needed vitality, the Player (Ryan McCurdy) and Tragedians charge the show with Pinteresque menace. Unfortunately, there are times where one finds oneself echoing Rosencrantz's statement of, "Somebody interesting might come on." Mr. McCurdy, resembling Jeroy Hannah charged with electricity and sincerity, makes abundantly clear the futility of a struggle to understand. The Player, backed by his company, who faintly resemble a bad LSD-trip induced by watching a Bill Irwin special, reinforces the existential angst felt by our primary pairing.
The cast, on all counts, performs with gusto and a will to please the audience. Indeed, as the Player points out, that is why such things exist. However, lacking central cohesion, one finds oneself grasping at straws in an attempt to get the jokes.
Despite this, one does find an effective design schema. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's earth-tones might allow them to be mistaken for furniture, but help to set off the almost jarring effect of the player company in Ms. Ariel Pellman's designs. The set, rickety scaffolding, is well used, and the music and sound by Myke Chapman and Ryan Brown help to set the stage well.
All else aside, Ms. Valerie Lavelle is to be congratulated on completing her directorial debut and Cardinal Rep on undertaking a difficult work. To complete Mr. Heady's comment to Connect, "...but we're making the most of our journey and keep going anyway." Perhaps truer words were never spoken. Ms. Lavelle and Cardinal Rep have dared something worthy, and the attempt itself is laudable.
The play, considered by many to be Stoppard's masterwork in a long and substantial career, centers around two benighted characters from the fringe of Shakespeare's masterwork, Hamlet. Originally charged by Claudius to find out Hamlet's intentions, and then to urge him in his past-times... they then find themselves carrying a letter to the King of England orderign Hamlet's execution. The letter is swapped out for one ordering their own execution. Yet throughout all of this, the machinations of the court remain outside of their control and understanding.
And it is here that the primary rub of this production comes into play, the idea of understanding. Mr. Stoppard's existential opus is a difficult and finicky show to pull off. Centered on the two doomed apparats, Rosencrantz (Christopher Soucy) and Guildenstern (Christopher John Heady) never graps what is happening to them. However, when one plays a lack of understanding it is all the more vital that the impression is given that the actors themselves do understand the stakes of their plight, lest the audience cease to care. Unfortunately, it never becomes clear that there is a real grasp of the show's fairly deep meaning.
Mr. Heady, as the generally more enlightened Guildenstern, has unfortunately found himself in a position that plays against his greatest strengths. Unforgetably entertaining and skilled in clowning, as per his performance of Sgt. Towser in Catch-22, he lacks oomph required to carry the "straight-man" in a comic duo. Interestingly, Abbott & Costello split their revenues not 50/50, but instead 60/40... with 60% going to Bud Abbott, the "straight man." Such divisions were considered natural, as it is generally acknowledged to be much harder to find a straight man to properly power a comic duo. And unfortunately, without its straight man, the duo of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern lacks the required dynamism to sustain this long and difficult show.
If the primary duo lacks needed vitality, the Player (Ryan McCurdy) and Tragedians charge the show with Pinteresque menace. Unfortunately, there are times where one finds oneself echoing Rosencrantz's statement of, "Somebody interesting might come on." Mr. McCurdy, resembling Jeroy Hannah charged with electricity and sincerity, makes abundantly clear the futility of a struggle to understand. The Player, backed by his company, who faintly resemble a bad LSD-trip induced by watching a Bill Irwin special, reinforces the existential angst felt by our primary pairing.
The cast, on all counts, performs with gusto and a will to please the audience. Indeed, as the Player points out, that is why such things exist. However, lacking central cohesion, one finds oneself grasping at straws in an attempt to get the jokes.
Despite this, one does find an effective design schema. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's earth-tones might allow them to be mistaken for furniture, but help to set off the almost jarring effect of the player company in Ms. Ariel Pellman's designs. The set, rickety scaffolding, is well used, and the music and sound by Myke Chapman and Ryan Brown help to set the stage well.
All else aside, Ms. Valerie Lavelle is to be congratulated on completing her directorial debut and Cardinal Rep on undertaking a difficult work. To complete Mr. Heady's comment to Connect, "...but we're making the most of our journey and keep going anyway." Perhaps truer words were never spoken. Ms. Lavelle and Cardinal Rep have dared something worthy, and the attempt itself is laudable.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Full Monty: Armstrong Atlantic State University
It is a story as old as time itself, a man loses his job and decides to take off all his clothes in order to make ends meet. Well, perhaps it is not that old of a story. It is, however, quite the story, and it is this story that the Armstrong Atlantic University Masquers tell in their production of The Full Monty this weekend under the direction of Benjamin Wolfe.
This show is not without some trouble. As with any musical spectacular, it is inherently heavy on technical aspects, which AASU seems to be attempting to cope with gamely. Further, though engaging and moving in his portrayal of Jerry Lukowski, Phil Parham simply lacks the pipes required for much of the difficult vocal work. While there is much to be said for being able to act through a song, yet there are times that the lack becomes glaring.
However, the cast deserves honours for their accomplishment. Jonas Boyd is delightful as the gauche Malcolm and John Martin carries the role of proto-Parkour enthusiast Ethan Girard to new heights. Indeed, each member of the act carries his insecurities on his sleeve in a way to build empathy with the audience without overtly jerking tears. Georgie Lukowski (Med Meadows) and Vicki Nichols (Brittany Brown) almost make their watchers envious of their deep affection for their husbands. Gail Byrd, as hardened pianist Jeanette Burmeister, inspires laughs and acts as the quintessential raissoneur for the budding Chippendales in waiting.
Mr. Wolfe does indeed have a show, and the cast performs with such goodwill that one is willing to overlook many of the flaws. The Full Monty (and full moon if there isn't a bit better timing on the ligth board) is definately worth a look.
This show is not without some trouble. As with any musical spectacular, it is inherently heavy on technical aspects, which AASU seems to be attempting to cope with gamely. Further, though engaging and moving in his portrayal of Jerry Lukowski, Phil Parham simply lacks the pipes required for much of the difficult vocal work. While there is much to be said for being able to act through a song, yet there are times that the lack becomes glaring.
However, the cast deserves honours for their accomplishment. Jonas Boyd is delightful as the gauche Malcolm and John Martin carries the role of proto-Parkour enthusiast Ethan Girard to new heights. Indeed, each member of the act carries his insecurities on his sleeve in a way to build empathy with the audience without overtly jerking tears. Georgie Lukowski (Med Meadows) and Vicki Nichols (Brittany Brown) almost make their watchers envious of their deep affection for their husbands. Gail Byrd, as hardened pianist Jeanette Burmeister, inspires laughs and acts as the quintessential raissoneur for the budding Chippendales in waiting.
Mr. Wolfe does indeed have a show, and the cast performs with such goodwill that one is willing to overlook many of the flaws. The Full Monty (and full moon if there isn't a bit better timing on the ligth board) is definately worth a look.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Love Letters: Little Theatre of Savannah
Put people at a desk and have them read to the audience. Could be a particularly bad university lecture, could be a revival of the work of Spalding Gray, or it could be The Little Theatre of Savannah's production of A.R. Gurney's Love Letters.
Though The Savannah Dramaturgy may be a touch behind on the coverage for this piece, there are still a number of things that bear stating about this particular evening of theatre. In essence, this production demonstrates the power of a stripped down piece. Two people, and they connect.
Though there were two casts who served on a rotating basis, this reviewer only managed to get in to see the combination of JinHi Soucy Rand and Mark Rand. These two actors have demonstrated, once again, the reason they have been reliably entertaining Savannah audiences under a variety of banners. Mr. Rand performs with the same warmth and charm that made it impossible to believe in his guilt in Cardinal Rep's recent production of Doubt. JinHi embodies the freewheeling spirit of the formerly WASPy artist Melissa to the point that she truly does dance, even while seated.
Though they move little, one thing that the audience cannot help but notice is their ability to react to one another as the turn the pages of the letters. As each letter is turned over (and they are ably read, but not obviously or glaringly so) we watch as Melissa and Andy steadily and gradually age from note-passing elementary schoolers to Senate and psychosis.
Though credited with having a director (Jeroy Hannah, who also played Andy on the alternate nights), this cast hardly needed one, carrying the day with innate grace and the ability to truly listen to one another that must only be born out of deep partnership. Despite a general lack of utility, Mr. Hannah's director's note from the program does manage to use a lot of big words.
Love Letters seems to be following in a rash of smaller, intimate shows from a variety of Savannah theatres. Much like Cardinal Rep's Laughing Wild, this gives us a chance to sit down with some of our talent. Though larger shows (Catch-22 or Wait Until Dark) rpovide opportunities for work, closet shows like this have a capability all their own.
Though The Savannah Dramaturgy may be a touch behind on the coverage for this piece, there are still a number of things that bear stating about this particular evening of theatre. In essence, this production demonstrates the power of a stripped down piece. Two people, and they connect.
Though there were two casts who served on a rotating basis, this reviewer only managed to get in to see the combination of JinHi Soucy Rand and Mark Rand. These two actors have demonstrated, once again, the reason they have been reliably entertaining Savannah audiences under a variety of banners. Mr. Rand performs with the same warmth and charm that made it impossible to believe in his guilt in Cardinal Rep's recent production of Doubt. JinHi embodies the freewheeling spirit of the formerly WASPy artist Melissa to the point that she truly does dance, even while seated.
Though they move little, one thing that the audience cannot help but notice is their ability to react to one another as the turn the pages of the letters. As each letter is turned over (and they are ably read, but not obviously or glaringly so) we watch as Melissa and Andy steadily and gradually age from note-passing elementary schoolers to Senate and psychosis.
Though credited with having a director (Jeroy Hannah, who also played Andy on the alternate nights), this cast hardly needed one, carrying the day with innate grace and the ability to truly listen to one another that must only be born out of deep partnership. Despite a general lack of utility, Mr. Hannah's director's note from the program does manage to use a lot of big words.
Love Letters seems to be following in a rash of smaller, intimate shows from a variety of Savannah theatres. Much like Cardinal Rep's Laughing Wild, this gives us a chance to sit down with some of our talent. Though larger shows (Catch-22 or Wait Until Dark) rpovide opportunities for work, closet shows like this have a capability all their own.
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