plays | Dangerous Common Sense

“Peter and the Starcatcher”

By Galen|2020-05-31T12:00:32-07:00March 29, 2020|plays|

story by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearsonadapted for theater by Rick Elicemusic by Wayne Barkerrdirected by Matt Goodrich Ashland, ORat the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Peter and the Starcatcher (2020): Preston Mead (Boy), Grace Chan Ng (Molly). Photo by Jenny Graham, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. I didn't grow up watching, reading, or otherwise being infused with Peter Pan lore. Sure, I knew that there was a kids' story about him and fairy we clapped for named Tinkerbell. But, when I walked into the theater for Peter and the Starcatcher I didn't remember anything about lost boys, Mrs. Darling, or any plot. My [...]

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“Bring Down the House, Part II”

By Galen|2020-03-22T15:35:08-07:00March 21, 2020|osf, plays|

by William Shakespeareadapted by Rosa Joshi and Kate Wisniewskidirected by Rosa Joshi Ashland, ORat the Oregon Shakespeare Festival Bring Down the House, Part One (no photos yet posted for Part Two)Ensemble. Photo by Jenny Graham, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Through a scheduling snafu I missed the opening of Bring Down the House, Part I and took up the Henry VI story halfway through. Because co-adapters Rosa Joshi and Kate Wisniewski have done such a good job of curating scenes and speeches, I fell right into the story, despite the potentially confusing rush of characters and battles. I had a fun time [...]

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“Significant Other”

By Galen|2019-06-07T16:14:23-07:00June 7, 2019|plays, San Francisco Playhouse|

We walked away from the theater disappointed that a witty, entertaining evening ended with the message that straight millennials will couple up in happy marriage while their gay contemporaries are destined to remain single and desperate. As much as I love throwback memories, reliving the experience of watching a negative stereotype of lonely queens wasn't what I expected,... or wanted. The play watches four best friends, three women and one gay man, navigate social life in their late 20's. The four start out spending all their time together and being jaded about traditional dating/family. But, one-by-one the women fall in [...]

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“Sister Act” at Theatre Rhinoceros

By Galen|2019-05-21T17:17:40-07:00May 19, 2019|plays, Theatre Rhino|

Theater Rhinoceros' gender-bending production of Sister Act brings an updated excitement to this early 1990's staged musical that really benefits from the quality, energy, and queer freshness that director AeJay Mitchell's vision delivers in the intimate Gateway Theatre. The Cast of Sister ActPhoto by David Wilson The show is simply a lot of fun. A supremely good 2 1/2 hours of entertainment. The plot is simple and simplistic, and it comes from the hit 1992 Whoopi Goldberg movie of the same name. A gangster's (Curtis played by Crystal Liu) moll (Deloris played by Branden Noel Thomas) runs afoul of the [...]

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“Between Two Knees”

By Galen|2019-06-08T06:50:23-07:00May 18, 2019|osf, plays|

After trying for a month to moderate my initial reaction to the show, I admit failure. So, I reluctantly tell you, "Run! Turn your tickets back!! Seeing Between Two Knees is a waste." The "play" is a two-act, juvenile, mental-masturbation orgy of insult humor written without wit and performed without inspiration. It feels unedited, unworkshopped, and unrehearsed, OSF protestations to the contrary notwithstanding. About the cleverest thing about Knees is how it inoculated itself against criticism by suggesting that any complaints directed toward it are based on white fragility, insensitivity, or worse. Aside from this self-vaccination against disapproval, there is [...]

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“Mother Road” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

By Galen|2019-04-14T15:47:57-07:00April 14, 2019|osf, plays|

World Premiere by Octavio Solis directed by Bill Rauch Mark Murphey (William Joad), Tony Sancho (Martín Jodes)Photo by Jenny Graham, Oregon Shakespeare Festival. My subconscious has delayed my writing comments about Ashland's Mother Road. I saw it opening night in early March, but I haven't felt like it was time to write about the play. Not when I first saw it. Not when I got back home and had a chance to think about it. Not ever. The problem is that I want to construct an enthusiastic collection of comments that matches the applause the audience -- including me -- [...]

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“Hairspray” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

By Galen|2019-03-29T14:40:40-07:00March 29, 2019|osf, plays|

Hairspray created and written by John Watersbook by Thomas Meehan and Mark O'Donnellmusic by Marc Shaimandirected by Christopher Liam Moore Prepare to smile, laugh, feel good, applaud, and appreciate an uplifting story sung and danced into your heart by a strong, beautiful, coordinated cast. Get ready for a perfect production of a archetypal feel-good big musical. Beyond the summary above, everything else is just dreary supporting detail. The story has a socially marginalized fat girl scoring a position on a TV dance show that is a bastion of white privilege and teenage snottiness. She and her black friends break barriers [...]

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“Cambodian Rock Band” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

By Galen|2019-12-29T11:03:39-08:00March 22, 2019|osf, plays|

Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yeedirected by Chay Yew Photo by Jenny Graham. Understanding your parents and their motivations is a difficult and uncomfortable act for most of us humans. In Cambodian Rock Band it's an impossible task for first-generation American Neary (played by Brooke Ishibashi) whose Cambodian-born parents don't talk much about the pre-USA times. Neary, a thoroughly American young adult, has decided to go to Phnom Penh and work with NGOs to bring to justice people who helped the Khmer Rouge. She's gathering evidence against the superintendent of S21, a notorious killing prison, when her father (Chum, played [...]

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“The Underpants Godot”

By Galen|2019-03-21T08:08:28-07:00March 19, 2019|plays, Theatre Rhino|

The Underpants Godot By Duncan PflasterDirected by Alan Quismorio Jordan Ong (as Mark, an actor playing Estragon) and Francisco Rodriguez (as Tim, and actor playing Vladamir) Photo by Joseph Tally. What fun! Especially for a theater fan who still cringes when he remembers going to a production of Waiting for Godot when he was precocious senior in high school. I was too young, too tired, or too something for the non-action on stage. I don't remember the details of the play, but I remember the agonizing pacing, and I remember wondering if the plaudits for Beckett's writing weren't a giant [...]

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“As You Like It” at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

By Galen|2019-03-28T20:41:42-07:00March 16, 2019|plays|

As You Like It by William Shakespearedirected by Rosa Joshi As You Like It (2019): Román Zaragoza (Orlando), Jessica Ko (Rosalind). Photo by Jenny Graham. At the very least yet another romp through Arden Forest should be enjoyable fun. Done with artistry, a director can use this comedy to make Shakespeare seem like a feminist. After all, the freedom to love will win out and the women's decisions share the shaping of action in Arden Forest. At least I think they do. On the other hand, the current Oregon Shakespeare Festival's offering didn't even amuse me. The show is both [...]

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