... and so, Good Night.

There is a theatrical tradition that a light bulb should be left upon the stage in a theatre, so that the ghosts and spirits may have light by which to perform and rehearse shows of their own. In some ways, individual theatres (as institutions) were linked to their lights in terms of their fortunes.

On the evening of April 29th, 2009, one of Savannah's lights was put out for the last time. With it's revival production of An Apology for the Course and Outcome of Certain Events Delivered by Doctor John Faustus on His Final Evening, Cardinal Rep closed its doors and turned out its light, closing the book on four years of setting benchmarks for quality, artistic achievement, and community involvement. Those four years began, interestingly, with a production of the above.

As a dramaturg, it is often difficult, personally and professionally, when such a light is extinguished. But then the habits of a working lifetime take hold.

Begun in 2005, and performing in any venue they could find, Savannah Actor's Theatre/Cardinal Rep was founded to bridge the gap between a fairly progressive SCAD Department of Media and Performing Arts and a more conservative community theatre. If anything, SAT/CR has succeeded in pushing the envelope and opening new horizons for other theatres in town. Indeed, it seems interesting that SCAD is now resorting to musical revues such as Beehive and dinner-theatre fodder like Lend Me a Tenor while groups like Little Theatre of Savannah explore the wilder side of camp in Psycho Beach Party.

Further, SAT/CR has perhaps come closest to ideals of tribal theatre and communal involvement with production as set out by Scott Walters at Theatre Ideas and endorsed here in the pages of The Savannah Dramaturgy. In the halls of the Freight station during productions such as Catch-22 and The Rocky Horror Show, this author can attest to a real feeling of true collaboration and mutual ownership of the project between all participating artists. This is, in some ways, more a tribute to the collection of people involved in the work than to the institution in and of itself, but what a group.

Further, SAT/CR has set a high standard for quality on a shoestring. This author once had a sign over his desk the read:

We, the willing,
led by the incompetent,
have been doing the impossible
for the ungrateful.

We have done so much,
for so long,
with so little,
that we are now certified to do anything
with nothing.

This is precisely what they have done, sometimes with nothing more than a table, some cans of tuna, and the recycled set from a Little Theatre production. While the SCAD answer seems increasingly to be throwing a chequebook at any problem, SAT/CR made it abundantly clear, with works like Laughing Wild, Doubt, and Pillowman that excellence isn't about depth of pockets, but about depth of character (both on and offstage).

At The Savannah Dramaturgy, we must give credit to Cardinal Rep and Ryan McCurdy for their support of our operations, even when we were less than enthusiastic about some of their productions. Our reviewers were always welcome, and for that, and much else, we are thankful.

Mr. McCurdy, rumour has it, will be departing our environs in fairly short order. We wish him the best of luck, and look forward to his continued success. Because, though we have not always agreed in regards to aesthetics, his achievement has been substantial.

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.

So This is Christmas: Cardinal Rep

The holiday spirit descended upon Savannah a little early this year, much to the joy of each of its beneficiaries. "So This is Christmas," the Cardinal Rep Christmas program, is truly a gift under the tree this season.

For lack of better terminology, one can call this work a music revue... or perhaps something of a cabaret. But no matter what tag it bears, it is a great deal of fun. Ryan McCurdy uses his extensive musical talents on pieces ranging from A Nightmar Before Christmas, Vince Guaraldi's Peanuts Themes, and Christmas in Sarajevo from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Backed up by various members of the Cardinal Rep family, the evening reaches heights of true Christmas joy.

Valerie Lavelle begins the evening by outlining other holiday offerings, panning numerous elementary school pageants with the sort of gusto all theatre critics wished they had. Sheila Lynne provides an entertainingly depressing rendition of Frosty the Snowman, and Phil Keeling not only plays guitar ably, but is delightfully disturbing in his turn as grandmother Christmas.

But more importantly, this is an evening "with the Cardinal Rep family." Given that this is embraced, it lends a very tribal and inclusive feel that has marked Cardinal Rep's best work. Indeed, the only criticism falls on the calendar... that we will be waiting another year for the next holiday evening with the Cardinal Rep Family.

Doubt: A Parable: Cardinal Rep

"What do you do when you are not sure?" This question begins John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning powerhouse Doubt: A Parable. It is a good question, one that resonates through Shanley's writing. However, Cardinal Rep's production of Doubt: A Parable, closing their 2008 season under the direction of Ms. Sheila Lynne, essentially answers this and any other question the audience might have.

Centered on the issue of ecclesiastical pedophilia, Doubt: A Parable tells the story of one Father Flynn, who is suspected of sexual misconduct with one of the parish altar boys. Perhaps one of the greatest strengths of Shanley's writing in this case is that he is remarkably evenhanded. Given the 2004/2005 writing and performance history of the show, coming during one of the major upswings in a longstanding issue (John Geoghan, a defrocked priest and convicted molester, had been killed in prison in 2003, and Paul Shanley was convicted in 2005), it would be all too easy to grind Father Flynn beneath a literary boot. However, Mr. Shanley's writing manages to present each character's point of view reasonably... thereby keeping doubt, and Doubt, very much alive.

However, as stated earlier, this production has the unfortunate auspice of answering the questions all too clearly. Father Flynn (played by Mark Rand), is immenently likeable and immenently wronged by a crusading Sister Aloysius (played by Dandy Barrett). However, instead of a righteous avenging angel, Ms. Barrett comes across as a crushing steamroller, obliviously trampling not only Father Flynn, but any who cross her path. And herein lies one of the central rubs of this production, the audience is not convinced that Sister Aloysius is acting in good faith. Instead, she often comes across as a hellbound version of the No Child Left Behind statute made into flesh and sewn into a wimple.

Despite this, there is ample opportunity to continue to raise doubts. When Sister Aloysius interviews the boy in question's mother, Mrs. Muller (played by Lakesha Green), the issue arises that the boy himself might be gay, and that Father Flynn, as opposed to preying on him, is simply reaching out. If this idea could properly been given wings and lofted, there might then have been doubts on the part of the audience. However, Ms. Green utterly fails to provide the needed thrust and simply comes across as putting forth absurdity in order to dodge a meeting with her son's school principal.

Thus, one should not only have doubts, but should be fully immersed in them. Is Father Flynn a predator? Is father Flynn even remotely well-meaning? Is the Muller boy in need of an understanding hand because of his sexual orientation? And yet, Ms. Lynne's interpretation either clearly answers the questions, or fails to put them forward for consideration. The result is ultimately unsatisfying.

Which brings us, in passing, to other issues. The satisfaction of a theatrical community, the ability to be involved in work, is important. And the fact that this show was simply pre-cast, and filled out without the benefit of auditions, does not sit well. In the building of a theatrical community, the need for engagement with artists is required. Simply not holding auditions sends a very clear message that one is not interested in the possible input of others. While it is no sin to have a cast in mind, auditions must still be held, if only for the sake of appearance. Otherwise, there is a very clear message of elitism... one that exacerbates this production's inability to deliver. And there are some very real, practical reasons for auditions to be held. Cardinal Rep stalwart, Valerie Lavelle, turned in an uncharacteristically flat performance as Sister James. While the role is ouside of her usual repertoir, is is not outside of her ability. However, Ms. Lavelle has also been wildly overworked recently. Auditions may very well have helped find somebody as capable and better rested.

Further, theatre today must engage with its audience, and violation of the audience/show conventions must be undertaken with great care. Baz Kershaw wrote in Modern Drama of a very real expectation on the part of the audience during the curtain call. Indeed, the expectation of being able to honestly thank the cast, and have them accept those thanks, does much to build goodwill. The use of a "tableux curtain call" in this production smacks of a certain disregard for the audience. Indeed, the same was done in Ms. Lynne's production of McDonagh's The Pillowman with the same ungrateful effect. In an attempt to seem edgy, or stylish, the audience is distanced. That distance is not something that the Savannah theatre community can easily afford, and it may be that Ms. Lynne is spending on credit.

However, this production does manage to find some bright points. Mr. Rand is truly moving as the infinitely likeable and utterly wronged Father Flynn. Indeed, much satisfaction that is lost in the overall interpretation is fished back out by Mr. Rand in terms of sheer enjoyment during his sermons and lectures. Ms. Lavelle, though she does not manage to hit the "forbidden fruit" tone in her uncertainty each time, plays the pupil to Ms. Barrett's mistress effectively. However, in a textually driven piece like Doubt: A Parable, solid likeability by the actors, and a will to like it from the audience, is insufficient.

Laughing Wild: Cardinal Rep

Life is tough, why must we make it tougher on ourselves? This is the message promulgated by award winning playwright Christopher Durang in his show Laughing Wild. Chronicling the course of events surrounding an ill-fated shopping trip for tuna fish, Mr. Durang suggests that life could indeed be easier if we all would just breathe, live, and empathize with our fellow humans.

Written during Durang's early years in New York City, a city which he regarded with the deepest fear and loathing, the damaged souls that he parades before the audience do what they can to cope, even if it requires violence. And yet, despite the fact that the minds of his characters are not merely twisted, but indeed are fully sprained, there is a hopeful call for understanding between fellow humans.

One of the limitations of this script, however, is its inherent topicality. Very much a product of 1980's angst, numerous references are made to Chernobyl, the rising AIDS epidemic, and the king-hell of all unsympathetic father figures, Ronald Reagan. Given this topicality, which borders on the level of stand-up comedy at times, one might wonder if Laughing Wild can still speak to audiences today. Indeed, topicality in scripts is an issue that one must wrestle with when considering production. Even hallowed Rent, very much a product of its times, has been considered a candidate for topical update, in the hopes that freshness will be retained if the transcendent message is leavened with fresh topicality. However, one should note that all truly great drama not only contains these connectors to transcend time and place, but also is firmly rooted in the milieu of the time in which it was created.

Laughing Wild is a product of the Boomer/Yuppie ennui of the 1980's, he who dies with the most toys wins. While there are striking similarities between that ennui and the existential boredom that currently infests the culture, one should note that they have distinct roots. While today's ennui is the outcome of failed economic policy, fear, and interminable war, that of the 1980's was far for affective upon the fringes. Given that the United States would soon emerge victorious from the Cold War as the world's last remaining superpower, there was a tinge of victory in those times. Yet, the ennui of Durang is very much that of one who will not share in the celebration. Thus, The Savannah Dramaturgy applauds the director, Ms. Bridget Tunstall, and Cardinal Rep for refraining from updating this script. Only Twinkies keep their freshness unsullied through the ages, and keeping Laughing Wild rooted in the original context of the 80's actually helps the audience build a greater understanding of their own disillusionment by seeing that of another age honestly depicted.

Further, Caridal Rep has constructed, in Laughing Wild, a strong argument for its consideration as the flagship of Savannah's theatrical community. Given the spare set, really a stripped and repainted version of the Little Theatre's Moustrap, one is allowed to focus far more on the talents of actor and director without being distracted by flash. Ms. Tunstall, in her professional debut, has molded a moving and entertaining piece that reaches across the almost twenty years since its writing to shake the audience roughly awake and shine an almost Beckettian light in their faces. The acting, ably executed by Cardinal Rep Literary Director Phil Keeling and stalwart Valerie Lavelle, navigates the twisting, thesaurus infected stream of consciousness Mr. Durang has provided. Foundering upon the rocks of obscure referentiality or simple, ridiculous absurdism in order to keep the audience laughing would be easy with this piece, and yet the cast navigates well. Mr. Keeling effectively conveys the fear of one living in the United States and yet trying to retain that small shred of dignity and coherence that could all too easily be whisked away. Ms. Lavelle quite simply glows in the dark with the crushing madness of one who has already lost everything and now seeks only to survive.

Indeed, much can be said about the acting here. Which is another of the strengths of this piece, and Cardinal Rep's choice thereof. Though Edward Albee's Seascape had originally been planned for this slot, only having to be abandoned due to certain personnel issues, Laughing Wild has a particular strength in service the Cardinal Rep's mission to build an indigenous theatrical community for the city of Savannah. The sparse nature of this production, along with the opportunity for virtuoso performance from the city's actors, provides much-needed exposure to the talents available to the city's growing theatre. While Seascape is a wonderful play, it provides far less of this and therefor may be considered of lesser service to the development of Savannah's theatre community. Savannah now knows, because if they have not seen then The Savannah Dramaturgy is telling them, that there are some true virtuosos at their disposal. Further, we issue a warning that such talents MUST BE fostered if there Savannah truly aspires to have a theatre of its own. This extends to those groups outside of Cardinal Rep, and should be addressed across the board.

Finally, it is worth noting the intesly communitarian spirit felt in this production. The setting at the Freight Station Theatre is delightfully intimate and projects an aura of ongoing activity. In much the same way that mid-century movie houses would run their fare continually, including newsreels, on the off chance that one must step out and return, the feel around Cardinal Rep is very much that while you might miss one thing, the institution is here to stay. Indeed, if Mr. McCurdy and company keep this up, then The Savannah Dramaturgy prophesies that "The Rep" will soon become shorthand and an integral part of the Savannah lexicon.