osf | Dangerous Common Sense

Destiny of Desire

By Galen|2018-03-03T20:23:03-08:00March 3, 2018|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Destiny of Desire by Karen Zacarías directed by José Luis Valenzuela Destiny of Desire is an evening of a schlocky, cheesy, unbelievable, perfectly-executed, spectacularly entertaining, brilliantly-written live telenovela. Before I write my 1000 words of "Oh my God, I loved it, here's why...", a picture: Vilma Silva, Ella Saldana North, Esperanza America. Photo by Jenny Graham. The photo is truly worth more than 1000 words of descriptive praise. (Click on it to see it full size.) But, here goes... Director José Luis Valenzuela has directed Destiny at four theaters -- everywhere it's been produced (or [...]

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Othello

By Galen|2018-03-03T19:01:35-08:00February 25, 2018|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Othello by William Shakespeare directed by Bill Rauch I know I have seen Othello before, at least a couple of times. But, I never experienced this deliberate, painful story with believable Evil, blinded goodness, and flawed purity. Other Othellos were classic SHAKESPEARE. This was 2018 artistry. I left the theater wondering if Othello's tragedy is personal or is the real sadness that racism, dislike of foreigners, faux-Christian superiority and male dominance has changed so little in 400+ years? Othello (Chris Butler) is certainly flawed and succumbs too completely to Iago's (Danforth Comins) suggestions of marital infidelity. [...]

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Henry IV, Part 2

By Galen|2017-08-27T09:58:12-07:00August 22, 2017|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Henry IV, Part 2 By William Shakespeare Directed by Carl Cofield Daniel Jose Molina as Prince Hal. Photo by OSF/Jenny Graham. This production is unique in my Ashland experience. Not in a good way. At all. The Festival is allowing an actor to go onstage who does not know his lines and cannot read them from the script he's holding on a clipboard. It is bizarrely unbelievable that this nationally-known repertory theater has hired an actor for a single role which he cannot do. And, they have left him in the role, [...]

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UniSon

By Galen|2017-04-25T13:08:59-07:00April 25, 2017|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Steven Sapp (Poet), Asia Mark (Apprentice) photo from OSF UniSon A new musical by UNIVERSES Inspired by August Wilson's Poetry In association with Constanza Romero WORLD PREMIERE UniSon is a brief, brilliant, shotgun wedding between poetry and drama, lubricated into position with just the right amount, and right style, of original music. UNIVERSES and collaborators pulled off a transformation. Wilson's original poetry, supplemented by UNIVERSES verses, are used as the dialogue in a coherent, sensible, sensitive narrative. No longer just words, even vivid words, the views and observations in poems are given context [...]

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Hannah and the Dread Gazebo

By Galen|2017-04-23T12:54:51-07:00April 23, 2017|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Hannah and the Dread Gazebo :: Photo OSF Hannah and the Dread Gazebo by Jiehae Park WORLD PREMIERE At least half of the audience has a wonderful time seeing a fun show with amusing characters. But, make no mistake about what's amusing: Asian stereotypes speaking pigeon English while committing cultural faux pas that annoy the very "American" 20-something children of the butt of the jokes. 2017 audiences would not put up with a performance whose entertainment value hinged on older African Americans portrayed as lazy Stepin Fetchit's. That racism would not be considered amusing. But, apparently it's [...]

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Henry IV, Part One

By Galen|2017-04-23T17:10:02-07:00April 22, 2017|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Henry IV, Part I :: photo by OSF Henry IV, Part I by William Shakespeare Writing about a performance you saw two months ago gives the "review" a different perspective. I have been slammed and until now unable to spend an hour or so detailing my thoughts of the plays I saw opening weekend. So now I remember only the more important parts of the time I spent in the theater. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe it will result in shorter and snappier commentary! What I don't clearly remember about Henry IV, I is [...]

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Great Expectations

By Galen|2016-09-05T12:25:34-07:00September 5, 2016|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Great Expectations adapted by Penny Metropulos and Linda Alper from the novel by Charles Dickens directed by Penny Metropulos Benjamin Bonenfant and Judith-Marie Bergan in "Great Expectations". OSF photo. Sadly, spectacular acting cannot overcome a flawed script, and this world premiere adaption of Dickens' Victorian masterpiece novel feels more like a well done intellectual exercise instead of engrossing theater. Adapters have to be ruthless. They have to identify what can be communicated in the new medium and then transform the storytelling to work on stage. No doubt that beautiful plots and characters present [...]

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The River Bride

By Galen|2016-09-05T11:56:59-07:00September 5, 2016|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival The River Bride by Marisela Treviño Orta Some plays are so mystical and rich with meaning that I feel inadequate. I know I should be getting more from the plot, from the language, from gestures, from everything. I am not worthy to be viewing the performance and should only be allowed back in the theater after completing a refresher course of Symbolism 201. Either that, or the play itself actually is thin, obvious, and over hyped. My ego makes me choose the later reason for my reaction to The River Bride. Ensemble from "The River Bride". [...]

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Twelfth Night

By Galen|2017-01-02T14:28:10-08:00September 5, 2016|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Director Christopher Liam Moore invented a brilliant, fun concept for this workhorse comedy: set it on a 1930's movie musical set. Emphasize the scripted music and add more song and dance! Unleash the voices and tapping toes! Keep the Shakespeare give it 20th Century Foxiness! Scenes are sharp, funny homages to classic the musical films of the day. Susan Tsu's costumes are elegant and completely right. You get your ticket's worth from the fashion show alone. Twelfth Night - photo by OSF You will be talking for years about Moore's [...]

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The Happiest Song Plays Last

By Galen|2015-08-26T15:05:37-07:00August 25, 2015|osf, plays|

Ashland, Oregon at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival The Happiest Song Plays Last by Quiara Alegría Hudes Daniel Duque-Estrada (Elliot) and Barzin Akhavan (Ali). Photo by Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The Happiest Song Plays Last, the third installment of Iraq war veteran Elliot Ortiz's struggle with his combat experience and aftermath, fulfills the promise of the complex emotional saga. While nominally about Elliot, three characters have legitimate claim to be considered the lead: Elliot (Daniel Duque-Estrada), his cousin Yaz (Nancy Rodriguez), and Yaz's neighbor Agustin (Armando Duran). Even then, some of the deepest scenes center on other characters, Ali (Barzin Akhavan) [...]

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