Cleveland Public Theatre: At-TEN-tion Span

Cleveland Public Theatre is quick to point out that that At-TEN-tion span isn't merely a festival of unfinished short plays but is, instead, a single show of twelve short plays loosely linked together.

This year all twelve works are works created by Cleveland artists and cultivated at CPT, and all are in effect world premieres. Some are funny, some are weird, some are introspective, some are most of the above. Though I was completely sober going into the show there are a few where, to be completely honest, I think a bit of a buzz could have helped make a bit more sense out of a few of them: And if you care to take my advice there, you're in luck: The bar in the lobby is open a bit early.

Throughout the evening performances move on and off stage and around the theater-- sometimes the audience is instructed to take a seat -- literally -- while moving from piece to piece; others you are moved to seating mysteriously prepared while you're otherwise occupied.

At-TEN-tion Span runs at CPT through February 4th.

The works are
Act I
The Refrain, conceived and directed by Jeremy Paul; featuring Ray Caspio, Jenni Messner, Adam Seeholzer
Openings, conceived and directed by Raymond Bobgan; featuring members of the ensemble
Crash Project conceived and directed by Pandora Robertson; featuring Ray Caspio, Lauren Joy Fraley, Caitlin Lewins, Adam Seeholzer
Fail, conceived and directed by Simone Barros; featuring Faye Hargate, Darius Stubbs
How... conceived and directed by Raymond Bobgan; featuring the ensemble
Act II
How 2, conceived and directed by Raymond Bobgan; featruring the ensemble
El Beth-el, conceived and directed by Dairus Stubbs; featuring Dionne D. Atchison, Stevem Schureger, Darius Stubbs
The Three Musketeers conceived and directed by Douglas H. Snyder; featuring Lauren Joy Fraley, Caitlin Lewins, Lauren B. Smith
To Fasten Your Seatbelts... conceived and directed by Renee Schilling; featuring Ray Caspio, Jere,y Paul, Amy Schwabuer, Lauren B. Smith
If I Lie, conceived  and directed by Chris Seibert; featuring Molly Andrews-Hinders, Amy Schwabuer, Adam Seeholzer
Sealed, conceived and directed by Raymond Bobgan, featuring the ensemble.

While the program was generally linked, as far as subject matter it was like channel surfing a hotel's cable TV lineup -- or Cleveland weather: If you didn't like what you were watching (or if it was making you think too hard) just wait a few minutes and something completely different would be along.

So for me I didn't really get The Refrain or Sealed -- and after the performance Rachel warned that if I tried thinking too hard my head might explode. How and How 2, both products of CPT Executive Artistic Director Raymond Bobgan bookended Intermission and the way in which the actors are utilized reminded me of atoms in a molecule bouncing off each other exchanging electrons and ideas.

I'm not sure how much I can say about Openings without giving away this delightfully surprising mirror on real-life-theater but be prepared to do quite a bit of looking around -- and perhaps choose a seat near the back for the best view

Fail takes a nervous tick and amplifies it before transferring it as one heretofore unsuccessful writer discovers that the successful writer doesn't have all the control that he thinks where a pregnancy is involved and was one of Rachel's favorites.

While all were well acted, The Three Musketeers was at the top of its game with what I think was a commentary on relationships -- again Rachel warned me that my head may go boom if I thought too hard on it -- and was just generally funny.

My hands down favorite, though, was To Fasten Your Seatbelts: It didn't require critical though but had me laughing out of my seat (I was within about a half inch of winding up on the floor) and is a subject near to my heart: Air travel. While the cast of zany flight attendants make it funny, I think the stress of an interview or an on-the-job test makes this relatable to just about anyone who's set foot in the real world: This alone was worth the trip to the West Side; combined with all of the others it was an evening well spent.

Synopses, summaries, or even the intended meaning of the plays was not included in the program so please feel free to share your take or interpretation in the comments

Lincoln

Great Lakes Theater Festival: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abriged)

Presented by Great Lakes Theater Festival; directed by Charles Fee, at the Hanna Theater, PlayhouseSquare

It's funny -- like Opera, the entire category of "Shakespeare" doesn't rank terribly high on my list of performing arts loves; I think it's a combination of of hearing "Romeo, romeo..." read in a stilted adolescent monotone a few too many times in middle and high school English classes, and some bad, edging on truly terrible*, interpretations of The Bard's works at the Old Globe in San Diego's Balboa Park, dragged at at a younger age by my good intentioned (and Shakespeare-loving) mother. I still don't get the iambic pentameter, but generally I've been (more) pleased by GLTF's takes on his works.

This is also not my first time with The Complete Works; though. I was going to
say I've seen it once before (with my dad) -- but during a phone call with the afore-mentioned good-intentioned mother, she "reminded" me that we had also seen it before. In all honesty, I don't remember that one. I remember the version I saw with my dad as being more of a reading than a play in an cramped, hot, unadorned black-box store-front theater. I remember it as being somewhere in the neighborhood of "mildly amusing".

That long exposition out of the way you may wonder why I wound up on East 14th Street this afternoon. The short answer is I'm really not sure why.

Reasons or antireasons aside, the hour and 15 minutes preceding intermission was a riotous romp covering 35 plays in an engaging and laugh out loud** funny. Though I spent a fair amount of time doubled over, the sight gags were plentiful and the wordplay was delightful.

Like I mentioned, I don't remember one of the two productions and all, and the other was a setless black box (with three guys in black T-shirts), so I wasn't expecting much from this production. Before the curtain went up, I was half wondering if the curtain would go up, or if all of the action was to be set on the forestage.

After an unintroduced curtain speech (ahem, who are you?) the play begins on amusing note after amusing note -- and that's before we even get to Romeo and Juliet. The curtain does rise and we have a miniature Old Globe-looking structure emblazoned with larger than life headshots of the bard serving kind of like the castle in a fish tank for actors to swim in front of, through, and behind. The lighting is clever without being obnoxious, and the sound is appropriate.


I think I got about 80% of the in-jokes, sight gags, and pop culture references, there were still more that others in the audience picked up on and flew over my head.

The pop culture references, by the way, are very current, not "what would have been pop culture when I saw this for the first (second) time 10 years ago" or "what would have been pop culture when the playwrights were writing 20 years ago" but include Facebook, President Obama, Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga]. Was Bieber even alive the first time I saw this? Suddenly I'm feeling very old. See also the "wardrobe malfunction" early in the first act with pictures of the scandal on Facebook. If you're up on Broadway news, pay attention to the Spiderman look-alike who comes crashing from the fly gallery when The Scottish Play's true name is uttered.

Cleveland references and in-jokes are also plentiful, but delivered with such ease and inconspicuously (I may have just made that word up) by the actors that you might miss them if you're too busy, I don't know, hunched over laughing at the last joke.

I don't remember there being an intermission in the version I had seen previously -- I was thinking one act, so it caught me as a bit of a surprise that intermission was called with 35 down and only Hamlet to go.

Honestly, that was the one part of the show that seemed to drag -- and trying to 30 minutes with gags, jokes, and commentary on one play (including audience participation and several takes on the ending) is hard not to drag. If, like me, you aren't a Shakespeare fanatic, a visit to the Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson bar during intermission may be worthwhile.


Lincoln
*- At least for my teenaged self, however my mother has admitted that they were far from the best she had seen. Odd side note, near my grandparent's place, Oregon Shakespeare Festival Ashland, Oregon's "New Stage" is serving as the inspiration for one of Cleveland Play House's new theaters in the PlayhouseSquare complex.
** - Rare for me. Kind of like screaming on roller coasters; I really enjoy riding them but I rarely open my mouth. This apparently goes back to my early days when, surviving my first roller coaster ride without a peep my dad though he had forever traumatized me. Until I asked "Can we do that again?"

2010 In Review

So I'm a few days late here and December was really somewhere between blah and depressing (Having a property tax payment, real mortgage payment, and mortgage-esque loan repayment to my parents perpetually on the horizon tends to get me stressed late in the month, and early in the month I was just feeling kind of isolated. Visiting my parents, I think, was that month's one saving grace. But then, of course, the year was capped off by the news of my paternal grandfather passing.

But the rest of the year, as a sum, really was pretty awesome.

The Situational Awareness and Dating Story: Though I did quite a bit of dating in 2010, I am still single. Aside from practice, I've tried to get a better idea of who I'm looking for, and what that feels like. I have a pretty good idea, intellectually, and physically who I'm interested in but I'm finally honing in on what really hooks me.

Situational awareness is "being aware of what is happening [around] to understand how information, events, and [...] actions will impact your goals and objectives, both now and in the near future". For better or worse, I tend to mantain a fairly high level of situational awareness, and it's rarely lost.

Essentially (since I've tried writing and rewriting this paragraph in a way that both provides more detail and doens't sound demented) I'm most attracted to people who that je ne sais qoui is so strong that I loose all situational awareness and we are the only two people in the world--the type of person with whom a connection is so compelling that I can walk into a parked car while listening to her. Its a feeling I've experenced but a handful of times....Ok, so enough of that...

January, spent my first quality time in New York City, primarily Manhattan, including 3 nights at the famed Waldorf=Astoria (probably not something I'll do again, though) and a night at the Hilton Times Square (one of the best hotels of 2010 for both location and service). I attended New York City Ballet for the first time [I wish Cleveland had a professional ballet company], and heard the Chicago Symphony at Carnegie Hall [I was underwhelmed...but reminded of what a gem we have with both the Cleveland Orchestra and Severance Hall]. I discovered that if I ever leave Cleveland, the only other city I can imagine living in is New York--I love the mass transit, walkability, energy, and immense culture. I'd love to have a pied-a-terre in Manhattan some day, but I don't know that I'd permanently leave Cleveland.

We started the year strong in a musical theatre sense with both the standard Phantom of the Opera and the new Next To Normal, but I didn't really fall in love with any of the other musicals I saw in 2010.

Chasing a musical that I love on several levels, I saw Spring Awakening in Detroit, both the matinee and evening performance from the on stage seats on the same day-- the night before leaving an Akron Symphony concert at about 10pm and arriving at the hotel at 1am, and needing to be at a project in Columbus for 9am the next day. These were the 7th and 8th times I've seen that show in the 4th state, making it the show I've seen the greatest number of times without having any creative involvement.

I went back to Minnesota and had an interesting experience with the Minnesota Orchestra, along with visiting the Walker Art Center for my 2nd time -- It is one of a handful of museums outside of Cleveland that I'd make a point to visit again (the only other that comes to mind is the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in NYC)

I found myself back in New York for a weekend mid-year with just a handful of days notice, courtesy of PlayhouseSquare...and I attended the Tony Awards. And almost tripped Scarlett Johansson twice.

For the Cleveland Museum of Art's Summer Solstice, my aforementioned friend and I participated in and won a photo scavenger hunt, making it one of the most memorable and fun nights to date. I almost went in for a kiss at the end of the night*. I chickened out. I think I'll regret that for a while. Meanwhile, more of the collection has been installed and the remaining pieces of the puzzle are well under way. I continue to be a proud member of this fantastic and free resource.

Over the summer I made my way to my maternal grandparents in St. Ignace, Michigan which combined with Mackinac Island is an amazingly picturesque corner of the world and a nice way to get away from that hustle and bustle--but yet again, had to drive to Columbus for a project. I did a lot of driving to Columbus (and greater Pittsburgh) for work this year; I'm not particularly fond of either city, but I also keep forgetting to visit the Andy Warhol museum in Pittsburgh [I swear it's on my list].

The only truly "new city" from this year was Jacksonville, Florida wherein I saw the "far" end of Interstate 10 -- the other end of which is near and no so dear in California, and touched the water of the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Compared to the wonderful energy and compactness of New York City, Jacksonville disappointed me with so/so culture and urban sprawl second only to Southern California.

September saw Cleveland Public Theatre's Pandemonium benefit party where, in one of the more disappointing events of the year the woman I had invited for a first "date" canceled with what would be the most creative excuse I've ever been given, had it not unfortunately, been true.

In October, I visited Las Vegas where I served as an excuse for my dad to avoid a baby shower, having previously seen Cirque du Soliel's O [wonderful] and Zumanity [**] on my own, my dad and I attended Ka, which ranks as one of the most technically captivating bits of live entertainment I've seen, and a great use of technology.

Later in October, I attended Heights Arts's 10th anniversary concert and party...as everything Heights Arts does, thoroughly enjoyable, though 2 glasses of pinot grigio might have been a glass too many and I finished the night with a silent auction bidding war that I hadn't planned on getting involved with. But it is for a good cause.

Of course, throughout the year in Cleveland there were almost countless performances at...

...Cleveland Play House (Bill W. and Dr. Bob being the most moving drama of the year, The 39 Steps being one of the funniest),

...The Cleveland Orchestra (wherein I haven't missed a performance of a program at Severance Hall since the beginning of the 09-10 season, and only missed two weekends of the Blossom season.) If I was going to choose one concert from 2010 -- it is tough. I've enjoyed most of them, though Ashkenezy's Pictures at an Exhibition and Mahler's Symphony No. 1 (combined with Franklin Cohen playing Neilsen's Clarinet Concerto) both spring to mind.

...The Cleveland Institute of Music continues to amaze with a seemingly endless (except at the holidays and summer) menu of free concerts by amazingly talented students and faculty. Quite possibly one of the most delightful recitals I've heard, was violinist Diana Cohen's Second Master of Music recital.

...If I were to list every other organization that made a mark on my 2010, I'd invariably leave a few out...and this post is already long enough.

Oh, and I've continued studying the violin. It's a long and steep hill, but I'm making progress. I'm getting pretty good at reading music, my tone is improving, but I still have a way to go with rythm.

Suffice it to say, it turns out 2010 wasn't that bad. Let's see if 2011 can beat it!

Lincoln
*- Excluding relatives, there have been exactly 0 thus far. Hey, I'm socially conservative.
*- Not really for me. Hey, I'm socially conservative.

Pickwick & Frolic: Cruise Ship Killer

"The best kind of ship is a friendship"

A fitting line from the production, and also the best advice for anyone considering attending. I found myself at the show with a small cadre of friends--when I had been invited I intentionally didn't ask any questions. I figured I'd give it a whirl.

An evening of firsts, this was my first venture into Pickwick & Frolic's facility on East 4th. This was also my first foray into the "Dinner Theater" genre and I was struck with some fear when a relative suggested that the dinner murder mystery format was highly interactive. Thankfully, all audience participation was strictly voluntary with a couple from my group participating in some pre-show karaoke.

To avoid ruining any surprise for future audiences (I'm not aware of any scheduled voyages at the moment), per the program's request I'm not going to say much about the plot or ending aside from the ending being a bit of a left field surprise.

The production quality wasn't the highest (the audio processing was distracting from the beginning and only seemed to get more noticeable as the show progressed) but the cast was enthusiastic and kept their over-the-top characters throughout; the pacing was reasonable. The audience was comfortable, and the waitstaff reasonably attentive without being intrusive.

The wine--in my case an unspecified Riesling--was likewise good, and the cheesecake dessert was delectable. The entree--at least the prime rib, however, was one of the more disappointing and unfufilling meals I've had recently: Cold and nearly flavorless I contemplated stopping along the way home to eat again.


It's not a show I'd do alone, but if you have a group of friends looking for an amusing night it's not a bad choice.

Recognize the friendships in your life and let the voyage last long.

Lincoln

Anyone Claiming "There's Nothing to Do In Cleveland"

As a non-native -- someone who doesn't instinctively respond "I!O!" when prompted by a stranger screaming "O!H!" -- people often ask why I say I love Cleveland, not infrequently adding "There's nothing to do here".

This reaction has tempted me, on more than one occassion, to kidnap a person to show them Cleveland through an outsider's eyes. That probably wouldn't end well. But the thought has crossed my mind.

I bring your attention to the past 9 days, wherein I personally...
Attended one visual arts event. Cruised the museum of art solo, twice. Saw two plays: One hysterically funny, one left me feeling as if I was a hostage to boredome. Attended two faculty recitals of chamber music. Heard the concert that opened the Orchestra's 2010-11 season. Saw a comedy show. Saw and heard an opera. Mingled during two happy hours. Met a new friend for wine. Had a violin lesson. Attended a rehersal that was amazing. Got a couple 10 mile walks in.

That's right...15 events in 9 days...and there are at least two that I was interested in that I didn't make it to for one reason or another. And yet, "Why would you move here? There's nothing to do in Cleveland!".

Disappointing, of course, that I didn't meet any singles "my age" during any of those events, but there are certainly things to do in Cleveland. And I'm just an "artsy guy" -- if you add sporting events to that list, you get well...a nearly endless variety.

Particularly worth noting is that more than half of those events were free; all but two under $50...(And I think there are options for both of those that would get them at or under $50 in the right circumstances).

Why I love living in Cleveland...

Lincoln
(Presently in Columbus for work.)

Playhouse Square: Tweetup and Last Call Cleveland

I've come to the conclusion that I need to widen my network of friends* and that the best way to do that is probably by attending more socially-focused events**. I'm also trying to turn down my overly-cautious [read: pessimistic] side by asking fewer questions.

As such, when I saw the announcement for the TweetUp from Playhouse Square, I had no idea what it was but I figured I'd check it out: Though the crowd was a bit quieter than I had expected, it was great to put a few names to faces and I had one of the better random-stranger conversations over a happy hour glass of white zinfandel. (By the way, I can be found over there as @lincolnjkc if you want to read my musings 160 characters at a time)

Immediately following the TweetUp in the same venue -- Playhouse Square's 14th Street Theater -- was a show by sketch comedy group Last Call Cleveland. The ticket was cheap, the parking was already paid for, what else would I do on a random Friday evening?

I laughed. I didn't laugh. I laughed some more. I think this is the first comedy show I've seen live. Though I'm not sure if Last Call is something I would go out of my way to do again, it was a pretty decent way to spend a few hours. My laughter level would have almost certainly been higher if I had drunk something alcoholic immediately before or during the show -- but overall it was enjoyable; the plot tying the sketches together got a bit tiring, but the jokes at Toledo's expense never did.

I thought I recognized someone from Pandemonium, but "Excuse me, were you wearing a swan as a dress two weeks ago?" was not a question I was prepared to ask with a straight face.

Lincoln
*- Generally as well as romantically: The online dating thing is leaving me even more frustrated than usual lately. (In seven words: "If you aren't interested, just say so.")
**- Let's face it, "Intermission At ________" is rarely listed as a place where people met friends, let alone significant others.

Cleveland Play House: (Hitchcock's) The 39 Steps

Every once in a while a play will come along that completely changes your outlook on life. This is not that play. The 39 Steps is a hell of a lot funnier than that play.

I've been looking for an excuse to use "a riotous romp" for a while, yet it seems a disservice to apply a such a menial tag to this: I laughed so hard that I cried. Twice.

The 39 steps -- where four actors (Joe Foust, Rob Johansen, Sarah Nealis, Nick Sandys) create a nearly limitless variety of characters. Sight gags run rampant, word play is plentiful, theatrical references are thoroughly sprinkled throughout. The stage is free from distraction with props sliding, flying, being dragged, pushed, pulled, carried, or tumbled into position as needed and disappearing just as quickly and just as oddly. It is one of the few times I can recall contributing to spontaneous mid-scene applause.

The 39 Steps is truly a "you have to be there to get it" show: I couldn't possibly do justice to try describing a favorite scene, assuming I could identify a favorite scene. If I have one complaint about the evening it is that the theater was too cold*. Well, and the show ended a little too quickly.

It seems that there may be generational appeal, though: If anyone has labeled you an "Old Fogey" or the like, this show may not be for you: Two older women in my row decided to leave during intermission because it "wasn't all that funny" and--though hardly an accurate judge of age--the laughter had a distinctly sub-50 tinge to it.

Of course I'd be remiss to not mention the Cleveland Play House's "Handcuffed for Half Price" promotion: If you show up at the box office handcuffed to your date (well, handcuffed to someone who will become your date) you can purchase tickets for half price. I seriously considered handcuffing myself to a random (attractive) stranger, but on further consideration that seemed like it would make a bad first impression, and a good case for assault charges. As it stands it was hard enough to get a ticket for one for the sold-out house.

Go. See. This. Show.

Lincoln

*-Seriously, though, in a heavy-ish sport coat**, dress shirt, and undershirt I was still on the chilled side. I'm never cold with that combination.
**- My normal play going jacket is still in the care of my dry cleaners after my Pandemonium Bridge Building Exercise.

Cleveland Public Theatre: Pandemonium

"I don't need your umbrella, that's OK, I like the rain" - No More Kings, Umbrella

"Well, I'm a horrible dancer, I ain't going to lie, but I'll be damned if that means I ain't going to try / Yeah, I'm a sh---y romancer, baby I ain't gonna lie, but I'll be damned if I ain't going to try" - The Limousines, Internet Killed the Video Star

"No time for cameras, we'll use our eyes instead, I see flashes of gold" - Matt and Kim, Cameras

So... I'm confronted with a conundrum: I had planned on attending Cleveland Public Theatre's Pandemonium with someone who I would have been meeting for the first time and who had a rather pressing personal matter come up. Despite the best efforts of myself, friends, and even a few random strangers I couldn't come up with someone to use the ticket. Thus, if I'm evaluating value at $125 per person Pandemonium was a fantastic hit; if I'm evaluating value at $250 per person, effectively what I paid, eh...it's a bit steep.

The event, covering nearly the entire CPT campus, including parts that I had never before realized were parts of the CPT campus defies easy description: With performances ranging from stand up comedy to interpretive dance on 20-odd stages throughout the complex, mingled with food from an equally diverse selection of providers, all without being nickle-and-dimmed-- admission is truly all-inclusive.

Early in the evening I decided not to ask questions, but before we get there... I helped to build a bridge. Literally. And it may have been the single most memorable part of the night for me. As the event began it was raining, and a small river formed between the main entrance and half of the stages. Several CPT volunteers and staffers looking quite nice in their evening wear were shuttling bricks in to form a dry walkway and it seemed like it would have been most ungentlemanly of myself to not lend a hand while they were wading through the water...so that's exactly what I did. Eventually a 8' table also appeared, and between the table and bricks we solved a problem. Boom.

Then we get to the not asking questions part: Those who know me know I'm probably one of the pickiest non-itarian eaters you'll encounter in the wild. Tonight I made a conscious effort not to ask what I was eating, or to examine it too closely: I took a small portion, tasted, and moved on. While all of the food was reasonably good, I have to say that Bourbon Bakeshop's plate was delicious: A wild mushroom risotto with dates, thyme, and toasted almonds, basil gougers, and summer vegetable compote with goat cheese was fantastic. I don't generally like mushrooms, and I've had mixed luck with vegetables and almonds but the combination was tasty, and I probably could have eaten the basil gougers (I'm still not entirely sure what a gouger actually is) all night.

Entertainment wise, I took a similar approach wandering from stage to stage without paying particular attention to the schedule. I didn't make it to all of the stages -- and the evening's entertainment was over before I could really blink -- but I saw some funny stuff (stage 20), some disturbing stuff (stage I-can't-remember), some thought provoking stuff (stage 18, The Petition Box -- a project that when I first walked in I didn't get, but reading submissions I felt compelled to add my own note to the wall).

Approaching random strangers is not something that comes easily to me but I did initiate a few conversations on my own; unfortunately none really went anywhere (One: "If I ever get married for a third time, I'm keeping it simple. I gotta pee. Nice talking to you.") and it was exceptionally difficult to tell who was with whom, but, anyway.

Once the entertainment was finished, dessert came out in the form of tables with people in the middle roving through stage 1. I've never had to chase dessert before.

Following that, I caught up with a friend from CPT who made some easy introductions and several hours of good conversation flowed. I'm glad. Taking to other humans has a distinct stress-relieving component to it.

Ok, and now I'm going to fall asleep.

Lincoln

Cleveland Play House: Cloud 9 (CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Program)

Another spur of the moment attendance decision lead to one of the funniest plays I've seen in Cleveland. Due to mature content, specifically virtually boundless sexual references and more double entendre than you can shake a stick at, I'm not sure that the show is advisable for those under 16 or over 50. But anyone (based on the amount of distinctly feminine laughter and cackling behind me) in the sweet spot in the middle should have some fun..

The cast consists entirely of the Case Western Reserve University/Cleveland Play House Master of Fine Arts Acting Program Class of 2010 -- with a name nearly as long as a play and an unpronounceable abbreviation that's longer than many words (CWRUCPHMFAAP -- "Crew Ceph Mmm Faarp"?), the name may be the worst part of the show (well, and the fact that there is no semblance of a plot synopsis nor even a director's note in the program).

The actors, Dan Hendrock, Andrew Gorell, Yan Tual, Eva Gil, Kelli Ruttle, Kim Krane, and Michael Herbert, all doubling roles, have impeccable comedic timing and convey a fantastic amount of accurate expression through their body language and facial expressions. Once again, CPH artistic staff, notably scenic designer Jill Davis support the near-farcical action on stage quite well. The only negative acting bit that sticks in my mind -- perhaps so because of the truism "you only get one first impression" -- Ms. Gill's entrance as young Edward was lost under music; I'm not sure if it was a case of the music being too loud or her needing to project more, I had no problems hearing her dialogue during the remainder of the show.

The boundary-pushing, gender-bending show, written by Caryl Churchill justaxposes the conservative and oppressive British Victorian colonial period with the much looser 1970s, as the colonization was drawing to an end. With some characters being played by actors of the opposite gender, the line between man/woman and sex/gender is somewhat blurred and the audience challenged as to how they decide to perceive that character.

Generally well paced, the show is by no means short (1:15/15/1:11) and a large part of the 2nd act seemed to add minimal value -- yet, the random song number and appearance of a swing made it worthwhile.

Lincoln

Dobama Theatre: Speech & Debate

To shamelessly steal a line near the end of Speech & Debate, at Dobama Theatre through April 4th, "I encourage you to show up with an open mind. If you go to listen, you will leave talking"

Attempting to summarize Stephen Karam's Speech and Debate without giving away the plot is impossible to do while rendering proper justice to the tremendously witty play featuring the trio of Nick Pankuch's Howie, Nicholas Varricchio's Solomon, and Shelby Bartelstein's Diwata along with Elizabeth Ann Townsend filling the adult roles of Teacher and Reporter.

Beginning with Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man, Speech and Debate catches that audience's attention and then holds it through the 2-hour intermission-less performance that feels much shorter. Essentially you expect that the often-referenced but never seen drama teacher's secrets will be revealed, but along the way each of the teens own secrets are revealed culminating in a three-way blackmail triangle that the wonderfully frumpy Diwata leverages to forward her agenda of a speech and debate club, while touching social taboo, prejudice, teenage angst and any number of other items (Arthur Miller's The Crucible as a musical! Schools that will alter plays to suit conservative taste while ignoring the author's intent and creative control!*).

It's funny, it's musical, it's thought provoking. It's entertaining. I felt as though I was watching through a hallway window outside the classroom: Without immersion it was quite easy to remain emotionally detached from all of the characters, yet it is one of the better, more entertaining dramas I've seen in several years. It's not too bad as a camp musical either.

Directed by Scott Plate; Now through April 4th / $22 adults / $10 students. Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights.

Lincoln
* - Personal connection: My senior year of high school we produced The Who's Tommy, a rock opera based on the concept album (Pinball Wizard, etc.) -- for political reassons the character of the Gypsy was cut entirely (along with the song Acid Queen: "I'm a Gypsy, an acid queen, pay me before we start"), leaving a bit of a hole. Yours truly did "lighting design", intelligent lighting programming, conventional lighting programming, and bench repair for that show. It was fun.