Megan Westman & Eugene Fertelmeyster. Photos courtesy of Ryan Maxwell Photography

Anytime you look on the popular website Craigslist you are barraged by job listings and people looking for companionship. Every once in a while you come across a listing that is really ridiculous. If you’ve ever answered one of these ads, you know that it’s always a crapshoot as to what the outcome is going to be.  Flying V Theatre’s newest offering is entitled The Best of Craigslist, and it brings us some of the best and worst that Craigslist has to offer in a funny and sometimes touching way.

…the things you find on Craigslist never cease to amaze…The cast and direction make it an unflaggable experience.

Conceived by Edward Daniels and created by the show’s cast we are taken through the wild and sometimes odd marketplace that is Craigslist with director and Flying V’s Artistic Director Jason Schlafstein as the driver of our tour bus.

Britt Duff & Megan Westman. Photos courtesy of Ryan Maxwell Photography.

As on Craigslist there is plenty to choose from, so I am going to highlight a few of my favorite pieces first. Let’s start with a listing from a couple (Megan Westman and Edward C. Nagel) about to have a garage sale. The sketch is entitled “Garage Sale Etiquette” and it deals with all the whacked out things customers do at garage sales. Things like showing up an hour ahead of the start time when the ad says, “No early birds please,” or customers asking “Do you take credit cards?” This piece is very funny and Westman and Nagel make a cute couple. It’s like, how can you behave like that to such nice people?

Next would have to be a solo monologue performed by Britt Duff called “Who Put The Dead Bird in My Mailbox?” You’ve seen these listings before, a plea to the person who did something like this to step forward. Duff delivers this monologue brilliantly.

Then we have Katie Nigsch- Fairfax in a piece called “Rusty Trombone,” which is about a woman looking to purchase a rusty trombone for her husband’s birthday because that is what he wanted–very funny in text and performance.

Craigslist is also a forum for people to list out of desperation. A top monologue choice for me is one called “Need to get Pregnant Fast,” and it is performed heartbreakingly by Megan Westman. It concerns a married woman who is looking to get pregnant to save her marriage after trying with her husband for awhile. It’s a listing that if you saw it you’d probably ask: “Is this some kind of joke?” It’s not.

One more monologue choice would have to be the gut wrenching “A Letter to My Dead Girlfriend” performed by Eugene Fertelmeyester. Imagine writing a posting as an expression of grief and putting it out there for everyone to see. I can’t even imagine.

Megan Westman & Edward C. Nagel. Photos courtesy of Ryan Maxwell Photography.

Now that you are all sobbing in front of your computers, I’ll lighten things up with one more sketch called “Orange Popiscles,” which is performed by Eugene Fertelmeyester and Nick Hagy. It deals with two guys having to clean out their freezer for two separate reasons. One is to lose weight and the other is going vegan. Because of this the two guys have four orange popsicles to give away to a good home. Ah, the things you find on Craigslist never cease to amaze.

I’d be remiss if I did not mention a group piece called “A Missed Connection with Washington DC” in which all six characters have moved or are going to move away from the area and offer their thoughts on what they will miss. This piece shows off the talents of the full ensemble in spades as does the opening production number.

Like Craigslist, it is impossible to hit a home run all of the time with this kind of show.  I must say though, the cast does make every attempt to do so with every piece but things like “Seeking Eunech” and “Dragon Slayer” at least for me went too far off the rails.

Production elements are minimal but serve the production well. Andrew Berry’s multiple location unit set makes good use of the performance space while Kristin A. Thompson’s lighting pushes the minimal lighting inventory with great result.

Neil McFadden’s soundscape is a cacophony of riches as if it were an audible Craigslist listing.

Jason Schlafstein’s direction is funny and touching and not too over the top, which it very well could have become. He is a director to watch as I think he is going to hit big soon.

All in all The Best of Craigslist is just like the website it depicts. You never know what you are going to get but for the most part I think after seeing this show a satisfactory purchase will be your answer. Flying V makes theatre affordable for everyone so there is no excuse to miss this show. The cast and direction make it an unflaggable experience.

Running Time: One Hour and 45 minutes with no intermission.

The Best of Craigslist  presented by Flying V Theatre Company plays through June 30, 2013 at The Writer’s Center - 4508 Walsh Street, in Bethesda, MD. For tickets, purchase them online, or at the door.

The cast of ‘Social Security,’ (front row) John Rowe as Maurice Koenig, Marge Ricci as Sophie Greengrass.
(back row) Jennifer Skarzinski as Barbara Kahn, Greg Guyton as David Kahn,
Thom Peters as Martin Heyman and Regina Rose as Trudy Heyman.
Photo by Amy Jones Photography.

Community College of Baltimore County’s Cockpit in Court presents Social Security in their Cabaret-style theatre in the round.  The café feel, with the audience at tables circling the stage, is a very engaging way to see such a personal family dramedy, and this strong ensemble cast throws open their front door and greets you with a smile and a drink in their hands.

‘Social Security’ offers a truly enjoyable evening, one that will make you feel right at home.

Social Security, written by Andrew Bergman, who was dubbed by New York magazine in 1985 as “The Unknown King of Comedy,” opened on Broadway on April 17, 1986.  Security centers around two married art gallery owners, Barbara and David Kahn, who are happy focusing their lives on great works of art and the artists who paint them.  Their shining world is shattered when Barbara’s housewife sister Trudy leaves a cryptic phone message and announces that she and her husband, Martin, are on their way to talk to Barbara and David.

Regina Rose, Marge Ricci and Jennifer Skarzinski.
Photo by Amy Jones Photography.

Hilarity ensues when Trudy and Michael Heyman must travel to Buffalo, NY to “save” their college-aged daughter from her choice of a ménage a trois living situation and deposit their archetypal Jewish mother on Barbara and David’s doorstep.  The family grows, becomes stronger and lives through a few bumps and bruises to an eventual happy ending.

Greg Guyton, as David Kahn, was fervently engaging as a fast moving, slightly uptight, successful art dealer, and Jenifer Skarzinski as Barbara Kahn portrays a women who must balance her guilt over lack of family involvement with her need to maintain her ideal life.  She does a fantastic job at showing the character’s fast-changing emotions.

Greg Guyton and Jennifer Skarzinski.
Photo by Amy Jones Photography.

Regina Rose, as Trudy Heyman, is great at playing the sheltered, easily-shocked house wife, and Thom Peters, as Martin Heyman, effortlessly plays the slightly nerdy husband looking for more excitement in his life.

Marge Ricci, as the mother, Sophie Greengrass, steals the laughs with her purposely flat delivery of her lines, her movement on stage and her facial expressions.  Rounding out the cast is John Rowe, as the famous artist (and the Kahn’s houseguest) Maurice Koening.  It is a joy to watch him play a famous artist that more funny than egoistical.

Social Security offers a truly enjoyable evening, one that will make you feel right at home.

Running Time:  Approximately 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.

Social Security is running through June 30, 2013 at CCBC’s Cockpit in Court, 7201 Rossville Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21237.  For tickets call 443-840-1369 or click here.

Jason (Brian S. Kraszewski) and Medea (Rachael Rash).
Photograph by Nicolle Walker.

In Medea, now playing at Mobtown Players, an ancient drama is played out amidst the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood. It is the story of a woman driven by rage and indignation, seeking revenge for the destruction of her marriage, who makes a choice no mother should have to make.

Directors Melissa O’Brien, Caitlin Bouxsein, and Tara Cariaso have taken something very old and done something very new with it, and done it extremely well. It is definitely worth watching.

Mobtown’s production is a gorgeous and surprisingly sympathetic rendition of Euripides’ classic tragedy. Most interesting is the setting, and how it colors the lens through which we view the story–the production includes an entire scene done as a short, silent film, with members of the Chorus (Caitlin Bouxsein, Claire Coyle, Abby Grimsley, Evangeline Ridgaway, and Kristine Sloan) sitting in the audience, munching on popcorn and making catty comments about Jason (Brian S. Kraszewski). This altercation between Jason and Medea (Rachael Rash) played out in traditional clothes, with the overacting of classic silent cinema, is so realistic that it immediately validates the setting.

Jason, Medea, and their children (Amelia Henry and Claudia Henry).
Photograph by Nicolle Walker.

The set design is largely art deco, almost Mediterranean in concept–as with all Greek drama, the convention is that all scenes take place outside, while much of the action takes place offstage (i.e., inside). To this end, the set is basically a courtyard, with a circle of paving stones, and walls painted a sunset red. On the far wall is a poster of Medea, starring in A Flock of Sorrows (the silent film). As the play progresses, the steps below this poster become a sort of altar to the much-maligned eponymous character.

The real scene-stealers of this play are Medea’s children (Amelia and Claudia Henry), ultimately the victims of her rage and impotence.

Creon (Will Carson).
Photograph by Nicolle Walker.

Their heartbreaking innocence as they comfort their weeping mother, their ignorance of their fate, and the absorption with which they play Rock, Paper, Scissors while their mother argues with herself over killing them, lends another emotional dimension to this work. Will Carson, who plays Creon, was the epitome of a threatening mobster, while Griffin Stanbro (Reporter) conducted his role with a sort of perverse delight in narration that added a little laughter to a very unhappy play. Rash herself portrays Medea as a woman defined by her anger and her impotence, left with very few choices in a world to which she does not belong. Ridgaway’s singing of “Tiny Feet” was an unusual interlude, but exceptionally poignant.

Directors Melissa O’Brien, Caitlin Bouxsein, and Tara Cariaso have taken something very old and done something very new with it, and done it extremely well. It is definitely worth watching.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours, with a 10-minute intermission.

Medea is running through June 29, 2013 at Mobtown Theater, Meadow Mill, 3600 Clipper Mill Road, Baltimore MD. For tickets click here.

Thane Tuttle, Christopher Schwartz, and Craig Geoffrion, Photo courtesy of Providence Players.

If things look a bit funny along Leesburg Pike or Washington Street these days, it may be because Falls Church theatre-goers have been treated to a taste of good, old-fashioned, All-American tomfoolery for upwards of the last two weeks.  Mark Twain’s only play, Is He Dead? has finally come to the stage, offering heaping doses of broad farce and biting social wit.  Who’d a’ thunk it; adapted by David Ives, famous for his cock-eyed satires of everything from typing monkeys to David Mamet’s foul-mouthed brood, the play is a classic study in 19^th-century American theater, with a modicum of 21^st century touches to keep it honest.

…a real treat

Inspired by the artwork of one of Twain’s favorites, the great impressionist Jean-Francois Millet, the plot’s conceit is clear from the very first scene:  Millet, a starving artist, is facing eviction at the hands of the evil (cue that upright piano, wax that moustache) Bastien André.  Realizing that an artist’s work is worth more when he’s dead,  Millet plots with his students to fake his death and, in the guise of his “twin” sister, bask in the money from sales of his work—which he, in theory, would still be able to produce.  The fact that Millet is madly in love with Marie Leroux the whole time, well, let’s just say it creates issues down the road.  The additional fact that not one but two men fall in love with his “sister,” is the stuff of delicious farce, which is given its full due under Beth Hughes-Brown’s direction.

Patrick David. Photo courtesy of Providence Players.

Twain populates the stage with typical stage characters from his day – a plain-speaking American (Agamemnon Buckner “Chicago”), a bumbling German (Hans von Bismarck, AKA- “Dutchy”) and an impossibly chipper Irishman (Phelim O’Shaughnessy) who seems to spend half his time step-dancing.    Ethnic stereotypes abound in this play, but Twain actually likes these three lads; it’s the rich who come in for the most withering treatment:  landlords, art dealers, randy widowers, you name it.

Leading the cast are Craig Geoffrion as “Chicago,” and Patrick David as Millet.  Twain seems to give these two the best one-liners and the most hilarious schtick, which true to form only get more intense as the evening wears on.  As Papa Leroux, the father of Millet’s sweetheart, John Barclay Burns takes the prize for the thickest French accent of them all, and he gets plenty of laughs as his pious widower from Act 1 morphs into a lusty goat chasing after Millet (in hoop skirts, mind you) by Act 2. Millet isn’t the only one into cross-dressing, of course, and true to the fashion of his day, Twain has Ceceile Leroux (Marie’s sister) don a moustache and trousers, passing herself off as an inspector in Act 2.  Danine Welsh has great fun with this role, and if anything seems much freer in the man’s part.  One of the richest character parts in the show belonged to Cheryl Sinsabaugh, who opens Act 2 as Millet’s footman, tending to his (ahem, her) many suitors in that richly appointed salon.  Like everyone else, it seems, Charlie has a secret identity, which only heightens the fun.

Patrick David and Liz Mykietyn. Photo courtesy of Providence Players.

Of course much of the humor of this play revolves around mistaken identities; with all that cross-dressing it’s inevitable that men chase after men and women appear to kiss women, etc.  It’s all still funny, of course, but the reasons for laughing have changed; through some clever edits, Ives ensures that Twain remains a commentator on our own morals as well as his own.

The Set Designer Raedun de Alba, with the aid of Chig Gertzog’s lights, has made excellent use of the stage’s depth at the James Lee Center, giving us a shallow and cramped garret (Millet’s studio) for Act 1 that gives way to a spacious, beautifully-appointed Parisian salon for Act 2.

Entertainments in Twain’s time were long by design, easily occupying the better part of 3-4 hours; and it seems that David Ives struggled with the question of whether to keep everything intact.  Perhaps modern tastes have changed, but the production could have benefitted from a few cuts here and there, especially in the exposition-heavy Act 1.  Nothing, however, can compare with the hilarious absurdity of the show’s climax, when Millet beats off two suitors only to see his own “funeral” arrives outside, and his coffin (stuffed with bricks and a kilo or two of “Dutchy” ‘s favorite Limburger cheese) dumped unceremoniously in the middle of the room.  This is farce done right, which is to say farce done to the extreme.  Providence Players have given their audiences a real treat this time!

Running time:  2 ½ hours with one intermission.

Is He Dead? has completed its run at the Providence Players of Fairfax, the James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA  22042.  For more information about the Players, click here.

Shannon Wollman as Rose and Laura Donnelly as Louise (Gypsy Rose Lee).
Photo by Amy Jones Photography.

Baltimore County Community College’s Cockpit in Court production of Gypsy opened to a full house humming with excitement to see what many  critics believe is the greatest American musical.  With popular toe-tapping songs including, “Everything’s Coming up Roses,” “Together (Wherever We Go),” and “Let Me Entertain You,” chances are you have heard these songs, even if you have never seen Gypsy.  Whether Cockpit in Court’s production is the first time you see Gypsy or the tenth, you will be moved.  Court’s show has the power of Broadway but the intimacy of local theatre.

…this production is a wonderful way to spend an evening with friends and family.  You won’t be disappointed that you did.

Gypsy is based on the memoirs of Gypsy Rose Lee (known as Louise Hovick), the famous striptease artist in the 1920s and 30s, and her mother, Rose, the epitome of stage moms.  Rose is unyielding in her goal of having her daughters star on the Vaudeville stage.  While obviously favoring her more talented, younger daughter June, she bullies both June and Louise into performing in a new town almost every night.  She equally bullies stage managers and directors into hiring their musical act, with June in the center and Louise as a backup dancer – and years later as the act changes, the front end of a cow.

Laura Donnelly as Louise (Gypsy Rose Lee) and Anna Holmes as June.
Photo by Amy Jones Photography.

Their act has some success, but as Vaudeville dies and the pressure from Rose becomes too much for June, she elopes with a male dancer.  Rose is crushed but quickly recovers when she realizes she could direct her desires for fame toward her less-talented daughter Louise.

Louise eventually stumbles into fame as the burlesque stripper know as Gypsy Rose Lee.  Although Louise achieves Rose’s goal of celebrity, Rose is still not happy.  In the song, “Rose’s Turn,” she realizes that despite all the determination she had for her daughters to become stars, she was the one that really wanted the recognition and her name in lights.

Shannon Wollman as Rose is fantastic.  She commands the stage, and her powerful voice and stage presence was perfect for Rose’s strong-willed character.  Nevertheless, in the songs, “Small World” and “Rose’s Turn,” Wollman easily shows a vulnerable and melancholy side to Rose.

Laura Donnelly as Louise (Gypsy Rose Lee), Roger Schulman as Herbie and Shannon Wollman as Rose.
Photo provided by CCBC, Cockpit in Court.

Laura Donnelly and Anna Holmes are also wonderful in their roles as Rose’s daughters June and Louise, respectively.  Roger Schulman is very likable as Rose’s love interest, Herbie.  There was no weak acting link in this production, and there are more than a few treats.  One of the best is during the song “You Gotta Get a Gimmick,” performed by Mazeppa (Lisa Pastella-Young), Tessie Tura (Laura May) and Electra (Sarah Ford Gorman): pay attention when the lights dim.

John Desmone directed and Bambi Johnson choreographed smoothly what was, at many times, a large cast on the stage.  The only aspect that detracted from the show was the long set changes that left the theater in the black way too often and for too long.  The sets were great, but the long time between scenes took away from the flow of the overall production.

With that small criticism out of the way, I can say that this production is a wonderful way to spend an evening with friends and family.  You won’t be disappointed that you did.

Running Time:  Approximately 2 hours with one 15 minute intermission.

Gypsy is running through June 30, 2013 at Baltimore County Community College’s Cockpit in Court, 7201 Rossville Blvd., Baltimore, MD 21237.  Call the Box Office at 443-840-ARTS (2787) or click here.

Cast of ‘Anything Goes.’ Photo by Joan Marcus.

Ladies and gentleman, this is your reviewer speaking. Climb aboard a luxury ocean liner for an evening of hit tunes by Cole Porter and award winning choreography by Kathleen Marshall. Your ship is called the Anything Goes and it departs from Kennedy Center’s Opera House. Once onboard be prepared to find mistaken identities, medaling debutante mothers, filthy rich businessmen, gangsters, and a Mae West type singer named Reno Sweeney playing nightly with her angels in the Porter  nightclub of the ship.

…a nice albeit leisurely excursion through a simpler time in musical theatre land.

This ship originally docked on Broadway in 1934 and had a passenger list that included Ethel Merman as its star. It then had a off – Broadway sailing in 1962 with a smaller production. After a long refurbishment process with Timothy Crouse and John Weidman providing a new book, the ship docked at Lincoln Center Theatre in 1987 and enjoyed almost two years of delighting passengers with Patti Lupone and later Leslie Uggams starring. In 2011 Roundabout Theatre Company purchased the ship and set sail with a brand new production full of energy with Sutton Foster and later Stephanie J. Block as Reno and Joel Grey as Moonface Martin. The Roundabout ship is now touring the country with Rachel York as its lead and while I did enjoy some of the musical numbers on this sailing, what was a high speed trip on Broadway is now more of a leisurely cruise across the Atlantic.

Alex Finke and Josh Franklin. Photo by Joan Marcus.

Now let’s get it out of the way that this is still a 1934 musical where the book was never the strong point and the songs were what delighted audiences. There is the filthy rich stockbroker Elisha Whitney (Dennis Kelly),his assistant, Billy Crocker (Josh Franklin) who is in love with Hope Harcourt (Alex Finke), and her mother, Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt (Sandra Shipley) who wants her to marry Lord Evelyn Oakleigh (Edward Staudenmayer).  Then we have the sleezy night club singer Reeno Sweeney (Rachel York) and Moonface Martin (Fred Applegate) who is a gangster masquerading as a minister and is looking to climb up the public enemy list to number one.

Now it is time to get to the features of this ship. Cole Porter’s song list reads like a weekly Billboard chart of hits. A few standouts include the high energy title number with Rachel York belting out Porter’s lyrics as only she can. Equally as exciting is “Blow Gabriel Blow” with York again giving a knockout rendition with the rest of the company giving high powered support.  With “It’s De-lovely” Barton and Finke show their characters love for each other through Porter’s lyrics and Marshall’s choreography. We get to hear them again later on in “All Through the Night” which brings the mood down but not the talents of these two performers.

We cannot forget Porter’s list songs, as they are one of his trademarks. Songs such as “You’re The Top” and “Friendship” are performed here to maximum potential and get very enthusiastic reactions from all of the passengers.

If there is anything wrong with this ship, it is that when the book scenes are happening the energy seems to drop to below sea level. Some of the jokes , particularly the ones delivered by Applegate as Moonface Martin, did not fare as well as they should have and it just seemed to me that the first third of the sailing was like drifting in the middle of the ocean waiting to see land. Once Porter’s stuff kicked in, the cruise became a very enjoyable one, but it does take some time to reach that point.

Then we have the ship’s band made up of 15 players and led by Jay Alger. They provide the swinging musical accompaniment all the way through the sailing. Michael Gibson’s charts from Lincoln Center are utilized with Bill Elliot adding to Gibson’s originals and Dance Arranger David Chase providing new dance music arrangements for this sailing. While I did think the band, as always at Kennedy Center sounded fantastic, it struck me that some of Alger’s tempos lacked the energy from the Broadway sailing of this production. As good as the band sounded it felt like the swing factor could have been more prominent in a few spots than they were.

Rachel York and cast of ‘Anything Goes.’ Photo by Joan Marcus.

Derek McLane’s ship design captures the feel of a 1930s ocean liner nicely and the costumes by the late Martin Pakledinaz, adds to the period specific production. This was Pakledinaz’s last production and it is a fitting tribute to a truly great theatrical designer.

It is very easy to see why Kathleen Marshall is so lauded as a choreographer with this production. She has won multiple awards, and with such numbers as the aforementioned title song and “Buddie Beware,” performed by Moonface’s girl Erma (Joyce Chittick), it proves that Marshall is up there with the great choreographers that have come before her. When I boarded this ship in NYC, I found that the direction was slick and fresh. Here for whatever reason it is not. Maybe it’s the size of the venue but for some reason (at least for this passenger) the direction is just missing its sheen and polish.

That being said, this cruise is for the most part a good time. With Cole Porter’s legendary score and a talented bunch of performers, this Anything Goes will offer you a nice albeit leisurely excursion through a simpler time in musical theatre land.

Running Time: Two Hours and 20 minutes with one intermission.

Anything Goes plays through July 7, 2013 at The Kennedy Center Opera House - 2700 F Street, NW, in Washington, DC. For tickets, call the box office (202) 467-4600, or purchase them online.

The Cast of Richard Campbell’s ‘Frankenstein’: Robert Bradley, Irene Jericho, Andrew Lloyd Baughman, and Greg Bowen.
Photo by Jack Sossman.

A Gothic-novel-turned-musical is good, but a Gothic-novel-turned-rock-opera is better. Landless Theatre Company’s Frankenstein is atmospheric and exciting, a surprisingly faithful adaptation of Mary Shelley’s original novel. Strong vocal performances overshadow a few minor flaws in design. The lyrics are poetic but passive, but the orchestration adds complexity and dimension to a familiar story.

If you’re looking for mad scientists and angry mobs, this is not the Frankenstein for you. Composer Robert Campbell’s Frankenstein pulls straight from the original novel, although some key characters and subplots are missing. (I admit a bit of personal bias on the subject— I’m a huge fan of the novel— so if I can overlook omissions of original elements, anyone can.) The story doesn’t suffer for the changes, but feels more like a “Highlights of Frankenstein” than a point-by-point adaptation. This version is more personal, taking the obsession-and-revenge angle instead of the more common beware-the-dangers-of-science angle. It’s easy enough to pick apart the story like your high school English teacher taught you, and condemn Frankenstein and his creation for their recklessness, but this production invites you to crack open the characters’ heads and identify with them on a personal level.

…culminates in a dramatic ending that would make any die-hard fan of the novel proud.

The concept behind Frankenstein is strong and cohesive. The show is a “Prog Metal” opera, so don’t expect schmaltzy ballads and quirky group numbers like you might find in any old rock opera. If you’re not familiar with the term “Prog Metal,” think classical, symphonic musical structures combined with electric guitars and synthesizers. For followers of the genre, the music in Frankenstein sounds like Sleepytime Gorilla Museum with a dash of Bauhaus. Not unlike Mary Shelley’s novel, prog metal often treats lofty philosophical concepts like the meaning of life and death as macrocosms of the individual human condition. Experimentation with form speaks to the heart of Frankenstein— a desire to reshape the old into something new.

The Creature (Greg Bowen) and Victor (Andrew Lloyd Baughman).
Photo by Jack Sossman.

Vocal performances are excellent across the board. Rob Bradley plays the sea-explorer Walton, who opens the show. Bradley has an incredible voice, but his characterization of Walton is inconsistent. He plays Walton with the effeminate genuflections of a glam-rocker, but breaks out into fits of brooding when it seems he’s run out of other ideas. This is due in part to a text that leaves him with not much else to do besides narrate. Andrew Lloyd Baughman plays Victor with a strong voice that fully embodies the character’s range of emotions and passions. Victor is the architect of his own destruction, but Baughman’s grounded physical presence does not betray his descent into madness. It’s hard to believe he spent months in a laboratory, up to his elbows in dead things, suffering for his work.

Irene Jericho plays Victor’s paramour Elizabeth with subtlety and elegance, not at all the simpering ingénue that Elizabeth is in the novel. Devin Gaither plays Victor’s childhood friend Justine, blamed for the murder of Victor’s brother. Gaither is a good physical actor, but the onstage band overpowers her vocals as she pleads her innocence on the gallows. If you are not familiar with her role in the novel, you might lose track of the action.

The scenes between Victor and the Creature are where the production really works. Greg Bowen is magnetic as the Creature, with a physicality that sets the character in a world apart from the others. His face is painted white with dark shadows, more like a skeleton than the unfortunate hulking mass of previous iterations. The Creature’s grotesqueries—so shocking to Victor— are fascinating to watch. Bowen twists his face into sharp angles, grinning as if his skin is stuck that way, exactly the sort of freakishly tall, skeletal Peter Murphy/Nick Cave type you expect from a rock-and-roll horror story.

Frankenstein is strong on concept, but weak in structural execution. The characters often seem disconnected from the action because Campbell’s lyrics are passive and expositional. Much of the lyrical material comes word-for-word from the novel, without translation from prose to dramatic dialogue. The characters rarely interact or want anything from each other. Director Melissa Baughman stages each scene to occur in real time, but the characters are stuck in retrograde, forced to tell us what is happening rather than showing us the action. That being said, the direct quotes work well in the creation scene, as Victor describes the Creature coming to life before him.

Victor (Andrew Lloyd Baughman) and Elizabeth (Irene Jericho).
Photo by Jack Sossman.

Design concepts are not fully fleshed-out. The scenic design by Jared Davis is minimal, a set of three baclit windows and platforms, more suited to a rock concert than a play with multiple locations. While the justification for this choice is sufficient, the costume design by Elizabeth D. Reeves wavers between period-appropriate attire and an alternative neo-Victorian goth style. Both choices make sense in context, but the design lacks cohesion and does not make the most out of so much theatrical potential. The production also employs shadow puppetry to depict offstage violence and the occasional floating, ominous skull for foreshadowing. The puppeteers’ hands are often visible, and the manipulation of the puppets is clumsy. However, I did see the performance on the last night of previews, so perhaps this technical element is still in a development phase.

Frankenstein is not a show for the masses, with a counter-culture, cult-classic charm that is endearing despite a few structural and design flaws. The production is more like a concept album performed onstage than a living, theatrical story, but culminates in a dramatic ending that would make any die-hard fan of the novel proud.

Running Time: approximately 1 hour 10 minutes without an intermission.

Frankenstein plays through June 30, 2013 at the Gala Hispanic Theatre at Tivoli, 3333 14^th St. NW, Washington, DC. For tickets call 301-473-2233, or click here.

Jennifer J. Hopkins and Daniel Cory. Photo by Johannes Markus.

S.N. Behrman’s Biography, currently enjoying an infrequent revival at The American Century Theater, is a depression-era meditation on love, art, and all the intersections of the two.

So go see ‘Biography.’ You won’t be shocked, but you might be moved.

The story centers around Marion (Jennifer Hopkins), a Tennessee girl turned bohemian artist, whose scandalous affairs have garnered more notoriety than her portraits.  The arrival of an imperious young editor, Kurt (Daniel Corey), seems to be the answer to her financial distress, but his offer to publish her biography has serious, political implications for the whirlwind of men caught up in her past.

Frank Britton, Jennifer J. Hopkins, Cam Magee. Photo by Johannes Markus.

In his program notes, Artistic Director Jack Marshall argues that “Behrman epitomizes the brilliant theatrical talent of the past whose creations are being consigned to underserved oblivion due to no flaw of their own.” On one point, I agree completely; in 1932, Behrman put forth what was undoubtedly a shocking, socially progressive play with a strong female lead.  Now, eighty-one years later, premarital sex isn’t exactly theatrical dynamite, and the underlying, quite genuine love story isn’t quite enough to make this play relevant or cool.  The problem is that, all context aside, Biography is not a masterpiece.  It’s highly quotable—full of the very “epigrams” that Kurt detests—but ultimately feels like Neil Simon without the punch lines or O’Neill without the carnage.

The cast is the best part of this production.  Frank Britton makes a delightful, if brief visit as Hollywood actor Warwick Wilson, Craig Miller finds some clever nuances as the Austrian composer and self-professed ghost Feydak, and Joe Cronin’s Orinn gestures at vices that are probably just the tip of the iceberg.  Senator-to-be (or-not-to-be) Leander “Bunny” Nolan (Jon Townson) is painted a little broadly; at times more accent than character, he nonetheless exposes some heartfelt cracks in his political façade. The marital stakes are oddly low between him and his fiancée, Slade (Caitlyn Conley), but she makes a welcome and well-calculated intrusion into what is at risk of becoming a man’s world.

Jon Townson, Jennifer J. Hopkins. Photo by Johannes Markus.

As for the central pair, Jennifer Hopkins takes the lead as Marion—simultaneously frantic and careless, sociable and sincere. She’ll forgot your name (or make one up), but in a charming way.  Hopkins shines most in her interactions with Corey, who absolutely nails his portrayal of a violently disaffected and secretly vulnerable young man.

Robert Echanique’s set comes across as a beautiful, spare idea that grew into a cluttered and distracting mess.  The perimeter of sconce-lit and script-laden flats are the perfect boundary for Marion’s world; it’s everything inside—including a bizarre floor pattern and what appears to be a modern, children’s table—that blemishes the picture. Meanwhile, the onstage portraiture, with no regard for the basic concepts of oil painting, is sadly unconvincing.  Still, excepting a tiresome, door-slamming sound cue, the rest of the design team does well—in particular Alison Johnson, whose elegant costumes give a clear sense of period, character, and status.

It’s a long show, but there’s a lot to enjoy; director Steven Mazzola has gotten some wonderful scene work out of a talented cast. It’s classic American realism, and that, perhaps obviously, is what American Century Theater is all about. So go see Biography. You won’t be shocked, but you might be moved.

Running Time: two hours and foty-five minutes with one intermission.

Biography runs through June 29^th at Gunston Theatre Two. Tickets are available online.

Jessica Frances Dukes

Jessica Frances Dukes is currently giving a performance for the ages in Beneatha’s Place at Centerstage where she plays the title role. As if that weren’t enough she is also playing in Clybourne Park in the dual roles of Francine and Lena. Both plays make up The Raisin Cycle which runs at Baltimore’s Centerstage through this Sunday. DC Area credits include productions at Centerstage, Folger Theatre, Fords Theatre, Studio Theatre,, The Kennedy Center, The Lincoln Theatre, African Continuum Company, The Washington Stage Guild, Theatre Alliance, Round House Theatre, Theatre J and Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company where she is a company member. Regionally, Jessica has performed at Cleveland Playhouse, Indiana Repertory Theatre, Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, and Horizon Theatre in Atlanta, GA. Jessica received a Helen Hayes nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Musical for her role in Spunk at Tribute Productions. Jessica’s performance as Beneatha will leave a lasting impression on you so if you can get to Baltimore this weekend, check out her performance in Beneatha’s Place. In fact make a day of it and see both plays that make up The Raisin Cycle. It’s a don’t miss experience and Jessica Frances Dukes is one of the reasons for that.

What was your first performing job in the DC/Baltimore area?

My first Professional performance gig in the DC area was straight out of Grad School performing in Sherry Shepard Massat’s Starving at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Co. Directed by Seret Scott. I was so privileged to be alongside Dawn Ursula, Craig Wallace, Lizan Mitchell, Doug Brown, Michael Anthony Williams, J Paul Nicholas, and Bethany Butler. The bar was set pretty high!!!

How do you best describe the character you play in Beneatha’s Place?

The Journey of The Progressive Black. Beneatha is ahead of her time when we meet her in A Raisin in the Sun, she is the mouth piece for Lorraine. She is civil rights, the feminist movement, and the motherland in one. When we meet her in Beneatha’s Place she has grown up, learning a new part of “The system” in every minute. Learning how to affect change in those areas that are important to her. In Act 2 she has climbed to the heights of Royalty in her field and has spent a life time perfecting this so called system. Beneatha is forward movement, she is change, she is progress!!

Can you please discuss the parallels between Clybourne Park and Beneatha’s Place?

Whew! Clybourne Park is a discussion on race, class, and gentrification while Beneatha’s Place talks about legacy and ownership. The two parallel in structure as they both take a character from A Raisin in the Sun and continue the story where we left them, Clybourne Park that same day and Beneatha’s Place 4 years later. The idea of land and who gets to control that land is a very important theme in both. The idea of invaders is parallel in both and what happens to a community or country when those invaders set in. Act 2 in both plays deal with this idea of a post racial society in which certain battles are being fought differently through the world of academia and community organizations to secure ownership. Conversations lead us into verbal missteps that spiral all involved down the rabbit hole of a conversation that is hopefully continued as u walk out the door. Are we really communicating? And who has the right to what?

How do you like performing two shows in repertory and is this the first time you are doing so?

Charlie Hudson III and Jessica Frances Dukes in Beneatha’s Place. Photo by Richard Anderson.

This is the first time I have gone on the Rollar Coaster of two shows in rep and what a privilege to do so with The Raisin Cycle. I feel like they are 4 different one acts. It actually makes it easier if I approach them as such. Each story has a purpose. And each woman (character) has a mission within that purpose. As long as I stick to that I don’t get them mixed up. This cast has been a joy every night. The director and playwright and creative team have worked hard to make sure that our job is easy! All we have to do is live in these 4 very specific worlds and it is a joy to do every single night!

After The Raisin Cycle closes where can we see you next?

You can always check out www. Jessicafrancesdukes.com for upcoming events, shows and projects. Look out for the Documentary on The Raisin Cycle to air nationally on PBS as part of The Fall Arts Festival.