STEVE MARTIN'S NEW COMEDY "METEOR SHOWER" LIGHTS UP THE OLD GLOBE

Josh Stamberg as Gerald and Jenna Fischer as Corky
 in Steve Martin's "Meteor Shower". All photos by Jim Cox

Steve Martin is a multi-talented creative artist and performer that has reached back with his new play to his 1960s counter-culture days on the Smothers Brothers TV show, where he played a wacky guy who dispensed cheeseburgers in comedy skits to the delight of his young audience.

Fifty years later those earlier audiences are now in their 70s and 80s and Martin is still drawing them into his comedy orbit, only this time he’s the playwright not that goofy cheeseburger slinging performer.

“Meteor Shower”, his latest play, is currently wowing audiences at the Old Globe with his far-out sense of humor that deals with the social mores of 1990s California. It has already been extended twice. Martin’s cleverly crafted comedy, peppered with adult situations and dialogue, is wickedly directed by Gordon Edelstein, artistic director of the famed Long Wharf Theatre of New Haven, Connecticut.

California, some claim, is a state of mind. In the past, it has dealt with flower children, Timothy Leary and LSD, Haight-Ashbury pot, TV driven mega-churches, along with evangelism, auto-centric grid-lock traffic and a host of fads too numerous to mention here. Guess what? California is still here. The life-style and the weather in the Golden State is still a dream that beckons and is worth pursuing.

Jenna Fischer, Greg Germann, Alexandra Henrikson
and Josh Stamberg in "Meteor Shower"

“Meteor Shower” is a fresh comedy take on those wild and crazy days of the sexual revolution in the 60s. Martin sets his production in Ojai, California, a community about 90 miles east of Los Angeles. In short, the action revolves around Norm (wackily played by Greg Germann) and his suburban wife Corky (Jenna Fischer) who invite another couple Gerald (an over-the-top narcissist/stud played to the hilt by Josh Stamberg) and his predatory wife Laura (sexily played by Alexandra Henrikson) to a backyard party to watch the evening meteor shower in the night sky.

As the stars come out and the cocktails flow, tempers flare, and the sparks fly – literally, according to program notes (but no spoiler alerts at this time). The dialogue and adult situations are not out of Edward Albee’s playbook as in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” , but are more in line with a super cool Neil Simon-like comedy spiced with touches of very sophisticated ‘naughty’. However one views it, the play is pretty damn funny, at least it was the night I attended. Judging by the laughs, I would say the females in the audience caught more of the essence of the dialogue and situations than the gentlemen by far.

Greg Germann and Josh Stamberg in
"Meteor Shower"

When one stops trying to figure out where this story is going and just lets the surreal action unfolding on the stage wash over oneself, you will have a much more enjoyable experience.

Jenna Fischer and
Greg Germann in
"Meteor Shower"

How could one not enjoy it? Director Edelstein has gathered four talented farceurs who know their way around a farce production when they find themselves in one.  Mr. Germann is a comic delight with rubbery facial expressions that speak volumes along with posture and great timing.  Ms. Fischer, the epitome of reserve in Act I, is a revelation in candor in Act II; a delicious case of the worm turning.

Alexandra Henrikson and
Josh Stamberg in
"Meteor Shower"

Mr. Stamberg is the kind of preening, no-woman-can-resist-my-charm male party guest you would love to spill a tray of drinks on. Ms. Henrikson, as the predatory Laura, does her best in that svelte red sheath with ruby-red lips to match as she unnerves both Corky and Norm.

Martin’s dialogue sparkles in a surrealist way, as long as you’re on his wavelength. If you’re not, you may miss his comic thrust of situations some think they would like to find themselves in.  But, be careful what you wish for…

Director Edelstein leads the creative team headed by scenic designer Michael Yeargan’s clever backyard set, lighted by designer Donald Holder, along with costumes designed by Jess Goldstein. The original music and sound design is by John Gromada.

“Meteor Shower” is a highly entertaining comedy production that performs in the round on the Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre stage and will perform through September 18, 2016.

-- Jack Lyons

WOODY ALLEN RETURNS TO HIS ROOTS IN “CAFÉ SOCIETY”

Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg star in
Woody Allen's newest film "Cafe Society"

In a full disclosure confession up front, I have been a fan of Allen Konigsberg, aka Woody Allen, since I saw him perform stand-up comedy routines in clubs in Chicago, and of course, on TV.

When he moved from standup to TV and film writing, to acting, and directing in the late 60s and 70s,  I rarely missed a live comedy gig or a film he was connected with.  For me, Woody is the quintessential New York comedy writer/performer and the standard bearer of East Coast humor. He has, let us say, always had a thorny relationship with LA and West Coast culture, which he claimed never suited his lifestyle.  He even passed up accepting one of his three writing/directing Oscars at ceremonies held in Hollywood years ago. As an embedded New York playwright Allen, however, had to share the comedy crown with the King of comedy playwriting and movies, the nonpareil Neil Simon, eight years his senior.

Simon was more of a traditional linear writer who turned his life story into countless award-winning plays and movies.  Allen was the newbie champion of the nebbish, nerdy, Jewish social misfit of the counterculture 60s and 70s.  His writing was fresh, funny, and resonated big time with a younger society who was enjoying the benefits of the sexual revolution and the freedom to explore every aspect of American life to its fullest.

Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg in
Woody Allen's "Cafe Society"

“Café Society”, written and directed by Allen, once again takes us on a nostalgic journey back in time to the 1930’s. Gorgeously photographed by Academy Award- winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, who makes the New York romantic sequences a picture-perfect postcard truly ‘made for a boy and a girl’, as the lyrics say in Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers’ iconic song tribute to the Big Apple in “I’ll Take Manhattan”.

Although the movie is stacked with solid actors and solid performances along with trenchant Allen dialogue dripping in self-deprecating zingers, some of which still have the bite of the Woody of old, it seems to be firing on just seven cylinders instead of the traditional eight.  When Allen places his story in Europe, for example, the languid pace works, as in "Midnight in Paris" and "To Rome with Love". But once back in the hustle and bustle of New York and L.A. the film slows down.

Allen is a sucker for romantic love stories. “In Café Society”, there are so many echoes of past Allen films: ‘Hannah and Her Sisters’, “To Rome with Love”, “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”, the highly popular and successful “Midnight in Paris”, and now “Café Society”.  Allen, at 80, is still relevant when he goes back in time to give us characters with which we we can identify.

Jesse Eisenberg, Corey Stoll and Laurel Griggs
in a scene from Woody Allen's "Cafe Society"

The story in short, revolves around a young New Yorker (think Woody Allen in his mid 20’s) Bobby Dorfman, terrifically played by Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg has steadily grown as an actor since his “Social Network” days; now he’s more confident and sure of himself as an actor. He shines as Bobby, who is tired of working in his father’s Jewelry business and moves to Hollywood in the 1930’s to work for his uncle Phil (Steve Carell) a powerful and well-connected movie agent. He soon falls for Phil’s secretary Vonnie (Kristen Stewart), unaware that she is secretly having an affair with his uncle. Stewart and Eisenberg have worked together in three previous films and their on-screen chemistry is spot-on. Stewart’s ambition and vulnerability as Vonnie are two character flaws that drive her performance, making her interesting to watch on screen. Gone, thankfully, are her “Twilight” saga days.

Steve Carrell stars as Uncle Phil in
Woody Allen's "Cafe Society"

Steve Carrell keeps widening his range in the roles he tackles. His conflicted movie super-agent/husband is a case study of infidelity; he's a middle-aged man of power who feels his mortality and seeks to become younger by having a much younger woman as his partner - but not without the guilt pangs of leaving his wife and children in its wake. It’s a finely judged performance.

In time, a disillusioned Bobby returns home to New York to run a nightclub for his gangster brother Ben (Corey Stoll), where he meets and marries a beautiful divorcee Veronica (Blake Lively). Lively is a real stunner and captures the essence of the Hollywood of the 1930s. Despite her beauty and connections in Hollywood, she chooses Bobby to settle down with and raise a family. All is going well with Bobby and Veronica, until one evening when Phil and Vonnie walk into the now successful nightclub (echoes of “Casablanca”, an Allen film fave).

Jesse Eisenberg and Blake Lively in
Woody Allen's "Cafe Society" 

No one knows the New York milieu like Allen, except maybe for Martin Scorsese, when it comes to making movies about it. “Café Society” is vintage Allen replete with his team of technically gifted artists like production designer Santo Loquasto and costume designer Suzy Benzinger. However, a note to Allen is in order: At 80 years of age, the narrator’s voice either needs a shot of adrenaline before recording or Allen should hire a New York-raised voice-over actor to set the tone for one of the eight million stories in Allen’s ‘Naked City'.

“Café Society” is now playing on screens across the country.

-- Jack Lyons

MATT DAMON EARNS HIS PAYCHECK IN JASON BOURNE

Matt Damon stars in "Jason Bourne",
the fourth film in the Bourne series

When the Jason Bourne franchise was launched in 2002 with Matt Damon playing the super-secret, “Black Ops” government assassin who didn’t know his own name or life back-story thanks to amnesia, the producers realized they had a gold mine of an action-driven series of films that they thought would go on forever: “The Bourne Identity” (2002), “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004), “The Bourne Ultimatum” (2007), and now “Jason Bourne” in 2016.

In Hollywood, forever is usually about three or four films. After that, the “James Bond” syndrome begins to set in. Translation: the newness of the first film concept (and its conceits) gets devoured by fans who then expect the sharp, crisp writing and plotting to continue. When that doesn’t happen in the fourth film in the franchise - after all how many car chases and crashes can a film franchise endure? (even if some of film is staged in Las Vegas) before boring its faithful audience into a state of ennui?

As former Texas Senator Lloyd Benson famously said “When they say it’s not about the money… it’s about the money.”  In Hollywood, it’s always about the money. “Jason Bourne” earned $87 million at the box office from July through August 5th, and an additional $50.7 million in other markets, for a total box office of $138 million in just four weeks. The budget was $120 million. If one does the math, the box office receipts in future become the icing on the cash-cow cake. And money is power.

Having said all of this, the fourth film starring Damon delivers very little artistic new material surrounding the Jason Bourne saga. The story, in short, has Bourne once again on the run from CIA hit squads as he tries to uncover hidden truths about his past.

Matt Damon and Julia Stiles in "Jason Bourne"

When former CIA operative Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) hacks into the agency database, she discovers evidence about its illegal assassination program and about Bourne’s recruitment. Now Bourne begins to understand who he truly is. After Parsons' breach, CIA Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones) orders CIA cyber head-hunter Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander) to find the pair. Once the nasty “Asset” (Vincent Cassel) under the secret direction of Director Dewey, is given the okay to take out Damon and Stiles, the cat and mouse game between super-villain Cassel and good guys Damon and Stiles now begins in earnest.

Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander in "Jason Bourne"

There is a weak subplot that involves a Silicon Valley billionaire Aaron Kallor (Riz Ahmed) as the CEO and Founder of a company called Deep Dream with ties to questionable practices between his company and the U.S. government.

Critical reception has been generally mixed. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the flick three and a half stars out of a possible four; I think he was very generous. The lengthy cinematic piece-de- resistance segment that takes place on the Las Vegas strip is merely a demolition derby on steroids. Not a frame in this Vegas sequence has a scintilla of believability in it. The sound track delivered to the audience is slightly north of 4000 on the decibel scale. I think it’s a safe bet to say that the entire movie is an assault on the eyes and ears with sound and fury signifying nothing (with apologies to Bill Shakespeare).

In all fairness, however, this latest and perhaps the last movie of the Bourne saga isn’t targeted to anyone over 40. This age demographic doesn’t give a fig as whether the story makes any sense as long as the images fly by at warp speed. The actors and technical geniuses may be wasted in this effort that has cleverly cobbled together documentary footage of Europe on fire by protesters in the streets over the Arab spring in Egypt, the Athens Greece riots over their financial crisis and meltdown and other protesting factions located around the world.

If, however, you have some discretionary income lying about and you’re under 40 years of age, by all means partake of the Jason Bourne saga at a theatre near you. It is now in wide release. And remember, no texting to your friend sitting next to you during the movie. You might miss another one second image cut. However, I don’t think it makes any difference to the story.

-- Jack Lyons

HIGH ENERGY MUSICAL ON STAGE AT NORTH COAST REP THEATRE

L to R - Cynthia Thomas, Tony Perry, YVONNE,
Anise Ritchie and Ron Christopher Jones in
"Ain't Misbehavin'". Photos courtesy of North Coast Repertory

"Ain’t Misbehavin’", a sassy and toe-tapping tribute to the music of legendary piano-playing jazz musician, composer and all-round entertainer Thomas "Fats" Waller, is knocking the socks off audiences at the North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach.

The high energy show directed by award-winning actor-singer-producer-director Yvette Freeman, who is familiar to audiences for her roles in the popular and long-running NBC drama “ER” and "Orange is the New Black", deftly stitches together 20 Waller songs taking us on a nostalgic trip back to those radio days of the 30s 40s and 50s and the heyday of nightclubs like the Cotton Club in Harlem.

Waller was a real force in the jazz genre of the 1930s and 40s. His canon ran the gamut from his comedy songs like "Your Feet’s Too Big" and "This Joint is Jumpin’" to winsome songs like "Ain’t Misbehavin’", "Honeysuckle Rose", and "Keeping out of Mischief", being just a few among many.

Cynthia Thomas, YVONNE and
Ron Christopher Jones in "Ain't Misbehavin'"
at North Coast Repertory

Director Freeman has gathered her creative cast of singer/dancers from San Diego, Los Angeles and New York. There is very little that escapes her keen directing eye. Freeman herself was a cast member of the First National Company, of "Ain’t Misbehavin’" on Broadway and around the world.

Joining Freeman is choreographer Julia Lema - who was an assistant to the original Broadway choreographer Arthur Faria - and now has successfully met the challenge of remounting the dance numbers for the intimate stage of North Coast Repertory Theatre.

Anise Ritchie and Tony Perry in
"Ain't Misbehavin'" at North Coast Repertory

The talented and pizzazz-laden five member cast includes YVONNE as Charlaine, Cynthia Thomas as Ammelia, Ron Christopher Jones as Andre, Anise Ritchie as Nell, and Tony Perry as Ken. With 20 songs in the show each performer gets to shine. Stand out numbers include the title song, wonderfully performed by the company, Ron Jones then leads the company in the sly and entertaining number "T Ain’t Nobody’s Biz-ness If I Do", Cynthia Thomas delivers "Squeeze Me" to the delight of the audience, while Anise Ritchie’s smoldering "I’ve Got a Feeling I’m Falling" and her "Mean to Me" numbers are memorable, while a pert YVONNE really swings nautical in her "Yacht Club Swing" number.

Ron Christopher Jones and Tony Perry
in "Ain't Misbehavin'" at North Coast Repertory

Ron Jones and Tony Perry team up to explain about “The Ladies Who Sing with the Band" and Tony brings down the house with his hilarious rendition of "Your Feet's Too Big". The Company scores big time with two splashy numbers: "The Joint Is Jumpin'" and "Spreadin’ Rhythm Around".

The ladies look lovely in their costumes designed by Anastasia Paulova, and the gentlemen really get into their characters with some colorful, snappy and cool-looking Paulova-selected threads. And of course the music is terrific with a beat that makes it hard to keep one's toes from tapping, thanks to the five-piece band that features piano man and conductor Kevin Toney, along with drummer Danny King, bass player Greg McKinney, trumpeter Julian Davis and tenor sax and clarinet by Malcom Jones. Lanny Hartley serves as the Musical Director for the production.

The Company (YVONNE, Tony Perry, Cynthia Thomas,
Ron Christopher Jones and Anise Ritchie) in
"Ain't Misbehavin'" at North Coast Repertory

The sets and lighting by resident designers Marty Burnett (set) and Matt Novotny (lights) are always first rate and lend a visual appeal to all of the musical numbers.

"Ain’t Misbehavin’" at North Coast Rep Theatre is a delightful evening of song and dance from one of America’s iconic composers and performers. Don’t miss this musical tribute to the great Fats Waller.The show runs through August 7, 2016.

-- Jack Lyons

OLD GLOBE STAGES A SPARKLING MUSICAL GEM

Wayne Wilcox as Edward Ferrars and Sharon Rietkerk as Elinor Dashwood
in The Old Globe’s production of "Sense and Sensibility".
All photos by Liz Lauren, courtesy of Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

When it comes to precious stones, diamonds in particular, there are precious few that are flawless. However, when it comes to musical adaptations of classic source material, the field is wide open.

San Diego’s venerable Old Globe Theatre is currently staging a vibrant, engaging and thoroughly delightful production of Jane Austen’s "Sense and Sensibility". Austen’s timeless classic tale of romance and manners in late 18th century England is lovingly re-imagined by Tony-nominated composer/lyricist/librettist Paul Gordon. Gordon also penned Austen’s "Emma", another smash musical production that was seen at The Globe in 2011. It appears that Mr. Gordon is going to be two for two in winning musical adaptations from the pen of the superbly talented and clever Ms. Austen.

This dazzling production brilliantly staged by Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s founder and artistic director Barbara Gaines (who makes her Old Globe directing debut with this production) is vividly directed with assurance, style and elan. There is something refreshing and positive to be said about artistic directors like the Globe’s Barry Edelstein, who imports talented and creative theatre artists and acting companies in a cross-pollination exercise, like Gaines’ mainly Chicago-based actors now gracing the boards as cast members in "Sense and Sensibility".

Megan McGinnis as Marianne
Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility"

Playwright Gordon’s musical re-imagining of Austen’s 200 year-old novel of the same name is not only faithful, but is beautifully realized with his rich and lush score along with many winning two-part harmony numbers sung by Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood and Sharon Rietkirk as Elinor Dashwood, becoming almost Mozartian in its precision and clarity. Both leading ladies are wonderfully in-the-moment actors as well as gifted singers.

Sharon Rietkirk as Eleanor Dashwood
in "Sense and Sensibility"

The production is chock full of clever and insightful musical numbers. Stand-out crowd pleasers include: ‘Lavender Drops’, and ‘Somewhere in Silence’, both sung by Ms. McGinnis and Ms. Rietkirk.  ‘Elinor’, is nicely sung by Wayne Alan Wilcox as Edward Ferrars, a shy suitor to Elinor, who together with McGinnis and Rietkirk form a fine trio to sing ‘So the Poets Say’ later on.

Sean Allan Krill as Colonel Brandon delivers a haunting and an achingly poignant falsetto rendition of the song ‘Lydia’, in a tender memory moment to his late wife. Krill also scores again with his bittersweet lamentation concerning an older gentleman’s pursuit of a much younger woman (Marianne) with the song ‘Wrong Side of Five and Thirty’.

Sean Allan Krill as Colonel Brandon and Paula Scrofano
as Mrs. Jennings in"Sense and Sensibility"

‘House with a View’ sung by Lord Middleton (Brian Ray Norris) and Mrs. Jennings (Paula Scrofano) provide the lighter and comedic moments in a production that is full of deft directorial touches and performances.

This wonderful fourteen member cast/ensemble is a potent combination with nary a false move in its flawless execution. Not only are the performers strong and sure in their performances, they have the knowledge and the experience of working together many times for director Gaines at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. For this production, familiarity definitely ‘breeds success’ which is a big plus for Globe audiences.

Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood
and Peter Saide as Willoughby
in "Sense and Sensibility"

In the technical department the creative team led by director Gaines is outstanding. The Old Globe Theatre has few equals when it comes to providing a large technical arsenal available to fulfill the director’s creative staging requirements.




Scenic Designer Kevin Depinet creates a stunning, eye-popping, and dominating architectural touch to his wide space-staging components that demand precise execution when flying various set pieces, including three large (8 feet by 8 feet) framed oil paintings, two chandeliers, an on-stage swing (shades of Sir Peter Hall), and a host of other clever designer and directorial touches that are a visual feast for the eye.

Megan McGinnis as Marianne Dashwood
in "Sense and Sensibility"

Complementing Depinet’s sublime visuals is the highly nuanced and mood-inducing lighting design by Donald Holder, who supplies just the right amount of light to see and appreciate the gorgeous period-perfect costumes designed by Susan E. Mickey.

The production is further enhanced by a nine piece orchestra under the baton of music director and conductor Laura Berquist. There is really no substitute for a live orchestra when presenting a musical; the audience likes it and the singer/actors respond to it. It’s a luxury worth every penny is costs to have live music. Musical theatre doesn’t get much better than this when it comes to entertainment.

"Sense and Sensibility" is a splendid musical production not to be missed by Jane Austen lovers; it’s just one more example that quality live theatre is alive and well at San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park.  The production performs at the Donald and Darlene Shiley stage through August 14, 2016.

GREY GARDENS AT THE AHMANSON IS A RICHES-TO-RAGS MUSICAL DRAMA

Rachel York as "Little Edie" and Betty Buckley as Edith
Bouvier Beale in "Grey Gardens" Photo by Craig Schwartz

“Grey Gardens”, the musical currently on stage at the Ahmanson Theatre, received ten Tony nominations in 2007, going on to snare three wins: Christine Ebersole for Best Actress in a Leading Role, Mary Louise Wilson for Best Actress in a Featured Role, and William Ivey Long for Best Costume Design.

It was such an immensely popular production that it was re-imagined in 2015 for a short run in Seattle by playwright Doug Wright, Scott Frankel the composer, and Michael Korie the lyricist, and then into a new 2016 production now in Los Angeles.

“Grey Gardens” is once again being staged by the award-winning director Michael Wilson who helmed the production back in 2007. His cast in this 2016 production stars a sensational Rachel York as ‘little’ Edie Beale/Edith, and a terrific Betty Buckley as Edith Bouvier Beale.

Sarah Hunt and Rachel York in "Grey Gardens"
Photo by Craig Schwartz

In short, “Grey Gardens” is the story of an alpha female mom, Edith Bouvier Beale played by Betty Buckley and her daughter Edie Beale played by Rachel York and the odd assortment of friends and eccentric relatives. It’s the classic tale of a love-hate relationship between a celebrity mother and her daughter who happen to be very prominent people in New York society. It is also an inverse study of the ‘rags to riches’ story so popular in American culture. The Beales of tony East Hampton, Long Island, lived in a 28-room mansion and led a life of luxury, until the Wall Street crash of 1929 reduced the family to a lifestyle bordering on poverty and squalor behind their mansion walls.

Bryan Batt and Rachel York in
"Grey Gardens" Photo by Craig Schwartz

The production boasts a supporting cast of solid performers led by Bryan Batt as George Gould Strong, Edith’s staunch, supportive and effete piano-playing companion and friend, along with a wonderful Sarah Hunt as ‘little Edie’ in Act I. Josh Young portrays Joseph P. Kennedy (JFK’s older brother) in in this show who is about to become engaged to ‘little Edie (a creation of playwright Doug Wright that never took place in real life).

Davon Williams, Peyton Ella, Katie Silverman
Simon Jones and Sarah Hunt in "Grey Gardens"
Photo by Craig Schwartz

In Act II, Young plays Jerry, a neighbor who helps around the crumbling house. Simon Jones plays JV ‘Major’ Bouvier, the curmudgeonly father of Edith who arrives to deliver some of the funnier lines like, “marriage is for the tax codes and Mormons.” Davon Williams plays the redoubtable butler Brooks Sr. and Brooks Jr. while Katie Silverman as the young Jacqueline Bouvier and her little sister Lee played by Peyton Ella, round out the cast.

Rachel York in "Grey Gardens"
 Photo by Craig Schwartz

Betty Buckley in "Grey Gardens"
Photo by Craig Schwartz

Speaking earlier about love-hate relationships, I harbor some misgivings about the production as to its overall impression.

Yes, it’s a ten Tony nomination production, and yes, audiences lap it up. However, if I had to sum up this musical show it would sound something like this: It’s a show that definitely has a Broadway successful look and feel to it. But it is way over produced; the producers didn’t leave out one single cliché. Despite the music and lyrics which are necessary for a musical, the production is too long.Two hours and forty-five minutes including one intermission with 24 musical numbers tests the audience’s staying power.

Betty Buckley and Rachel York in the decaying
mansion "Grey Gardens" Photo by Craig Schwartz

Director Wilson leads a creative team that includes Scenic Designer Jeff Cowie, who delivers a stunning visual stage space for the actors. In Act II the aging of the once luxurious mansion is almost worth the price of admission itself. The costumes by Ilona Somogyi are pitch-perfect for two time periods that span 32 years; the lighting design by Howell Binkley (he designed the lights for “Hamilton”) and the sound design by Jon Weston are first rate. The production design is by Jason H. Thompson, with choreography by Hope Clarke. The music direction is under the baton of Kevin Stites.

“Grey Gardens” performs at the Ahmanson Theatre through August 14, 2016.

OLD GLOBE DEBUTS ‘MACBETH’ FOR 2016 SUMMER SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL

Marsha Stephanie Blake as Lady Macbeth and Jonathan
Cake as Macbeth in the Old Globe production of
Macbeth - All photos by Jim Cox

It’s been said that there are only 36 plot lines for even the most brilliant and inspired playwrights to render. The progenitor and genius for English speakers in this regard is Shakespeare. The master of plot, the conductor and orchestrator of emotions, the person most responsible for inspiring playwrights over the last 400 years.

There are four great tragedies from the pen of Shakespeare that are considered the bedrock of English literature: ‘Hamlet’, ‘King Lear’, “Othello’ and ‘Macbeth’. All deal with flawed individuals who fall victim to their own ambitions and search for power in all its forms.

Jonathan Cake, Marsha Stephanie Blake

San Diego’s venerable Old Globe theatre complex (three venues), launched the 2016 Summer Shakespeare Season in the Lowell Davies Outdoor Festival Theatre with a stunning and powerful portrayal of ‘Macbeth’ by acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) actor Jonathan Cake in the title role. The production also stars Marsha Stephanie Blake as Lady Macbeth. Despite her petite stature, this Lady Macbeth is a formidable schemer and partner in crime with her husband as both are driven by the intoxicating and lethal cocktail of ambition and power during the age of the Divine Right of Kings.

Hollywood over the years has glamorized the Middle Age period in history, taking a lot of dramatic license in the process. In reality, life was a harsh existence with a life expectancy of between thirty and fifty years of age. The driven and ambitious had to make their marks early to succeed. Remember, Alexander the Great was just twenty-one when he sat down and wept because there were no more countries to conquer.

Jonathan Cake

‘Macbeth’, in short, is a story of ambition on steroids, by a man who believes through prophecy that he is destined to become the King of Scotland. To ensure that the prophecy becomes a reality Macbeth, together with his wife, hatches a plan that includes deceit, betrayal, and murder as a way of obtaining the ultimate adrenaline rush and power trip – becoming the King and Queen of Scotland.

Under the deft direction of Shakespeare scholar Brian Kulick, this ‘Macbeth’ production has been updated to a visual setting more or less around the time of World War I. However, the language, spirit, and murderous intrigues that Shakespeare loved so dearly are still present. It’s a clever way to update the core story that is familiar to all without sacrificing any dramatic elements or story points as conceived by the Bard.

Kulick also spices up his vision of ‘Macbeth’ with an outstanding and diverse company of players. The company boasts twenty-one actors. Standouts include: Timothy D. Stickney as a strong Banquo, Clifton Duncan as a grieving Macduff, Daniel Petzold as Malcolm, Jerome Preston Bates as Duncan, King of Scotland, Brian Keane as Ross, James Joseph O’Neil as Lennox, Ally Carey as Lady Macduff, Talley Beth Gale as Gentlewoman, and those three troublesome Nurse/Witches; Makha Mthembu, Amy Blackman, and Suzelle Palacios who deal in prophecy, mystery, and paranoia.

The cast of "Macbeth" at the Old Globe

It’s a splendid ensemble cast that generates enough energy and on-stage chemistry to light half of San Diego. The potent performance of Ms. Blake and the towering performance of Mr. Cake is just the icing on this blood-soaked Scottish pastry that makes this dark and villainous tale so compelling. And just as in Emile Zola’s ‘Therese Raquin’, the lovers are haunted by visions of their dead victims that prevent them from enjoying the fruits of their crimes.

Jonathan Cake, Clifton Duncan

The creative team for ‘Macbeth’ led by director Kulick has Scenic Designer Arnulfo Maldonaldo create a large space stage that encompasses a hospital setting, a large dinner party area and strategic spaces for other scenes that move the story along. The Lighting Designer Jason Lyons (no relation) nicely paints Maldonaldo’s set in nuanced, mood-inducing lights, and Sound Designers Sten Severson and David Thomas supply the appropriate sound effects.

Costume Designer Oana Botze creates beautiful costumes for Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff, and the other women; however I was struck by the blandness of the male military costumes created by a lot of designers of late. They all appear to resemble the dark gray look of WW II German soldiers, and I’m perplexed as to why the style appears to be the standard for new designers. All, that is, except for that magnificent Field Marshall coat draping the shoulders of Jerome Preston Bates as King Duncan. That costume had better be under lock and key every night. It’s a beauty.

‘Macbeth’ is one of Shakespeare’s masterpiece plays that is not mounted very often. It would a pity to miss it. This splendid production is performing in the Lowell Davies Outdoor Festival Theatre and runs through July 24, 2016.