After.

Playwright:  Chad Beckim

Company:  Pikes Peak Community College Theatre Department (PPCC)

Venue:  The Theatre on Pecan Street, 1367 Pecan Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Running time:  1 hour, 50 minutes (includes 10 minute intermission).

Date of Performance:  Thursday, November 17, 2016. 

He served seventeen years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Monty has been exonerated by DNA evidence and released back into a world he hardly recognizes.  The transition is not going well.

Chad Beckim’s play After. is both funny and tragic as it follows Monty’s return to freedom.  That freedom is, in many ways, not much better than doing time in the Big House.  Looking for work, he uses the state of New York as his last “employer.”  Looking for a tooth brush in a drug store, he is dazed and confused by the endless choices.  Looking for a relationship with Susie, he ends up beaten and bloodied by her former boyfriend.  And at every turn, Monty is confronted by his accuser, desperately needing him to cure her guilt for sending him to prison.

One might think Monty’s predicament is a dramatic device for some interesting story telling.  It might be, but it also bears a striking resemblance to reality.  Innocent people really are sent to prison, and it happens more often than we realize.  Using DNA evidence, more than 340 people have been exonerated by The Innocence Project since it was founded in 1992.  Twenty of those freed were on death row.

To the extent we might like to think that this is an isolated problem, and that it “couldn’t happen here,” we would be wrong.  It can, and it does.  The impact on the accused is devastating.  The loss of confidence in the justice system is substantial.  And it is beyond disgraceful that an innocent man can be locked up for decades due to what is arguably misconduct by an elected official.

My point is that After. may be fiction but it’s based on the fact that “justice” is a relative term.   Not all who are accused get a fair shake.  Sometimes the reasons are economic, sometimes they’re racial, sometimes, as in Monty's case, they're evidentiary.  In the case of Clarence Moses-EL, the reasons just defy any rational explanation.

Released from this flawed justice system, Monty encounters many predictable challenges in his new freedom.  Beckim’s story telling is enhanced by his familiarity with the challenges facing convicts:

Beckim recalls living with a family in Harlem from 1999 to 2001. They had six children and the first two were products of the prison system.

“So, when you stop to think about it, a third of the kids did time,” he says. “It is scary and remarkable that the things I got away with as a white guy, my black friends didn’t get away with.”

Gabriel Espinoza-Lira plays Monty in this PPCC student production, and he does it with a convincing dose of depression, dejection, and rejection.  His Monty shuffles through his dilemma with a passive acceptance of his sorry state of affairs.  Espinoza-Lira plays Monty as not just an innocent guy who has been done a great injustice.  He adds layers of humility and unexpected cooperation to Monty.  He’s not looking for revenge or redemption.  He just wants to be left alone.

Chap (Anthony Cramer) is definitely one of Monty’s antagonists who refuse to leave him alone.  Chap is a priest who can’t help trying to ease Monty’s suffering and yet he can’t escape making it worse in the process.  Cramer is persistent; he wants Monty to speak to his accuser.  Monty has no intention of doing so.  Cramer injects enough ambiguity into his character to hide his motives.  One is never sure if he’s trying to help Monty or help his alleged victim.

Estephany Sedas plays Liz, Monty’s sister, who takes him in when he’s released from prison.  She’s generous but impatient, needing a quicker adjustment than Monty can make.  Alex Morgan (Eddie) is Susie’s “ex” boyfriend, but he is best described as a goon.  He traps Monty and pounds the daylights out of him for messing with his girlfriend.  Morgan is a convincing heavyweight.  I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley.

The comic relief falls to Hossein Forouzandeh (Warren) and Pam Rodriguez (Susie).  Yes…that’s correct.  There’s comic relief in the midst of the injustice visited upon Monty.  Forouzandeh is the boss/co-worker at the doggy day care where Monty gets his first job.  The dog pee/poop jokes practically write themselves, and Forouzandeh serves them up with a side order of glee.  He’s at his best when he’s at his funniest.  

Rodriguez is the ditzy drug store clerk who helps Monty pick out a tooth brush.  That’s a fairly simple transaction, but Rodriguez turns it into a major sporting event.  For some reason, she needs to tell Monty why she’s glad he doesn’t use Axe deodorant (link may be NSFW):

Like, you’ll see these good looking guys, well groomed, well maintained, together, the kind of guy that you see and secretly think, “He looks like a nice guy to talk to,” only then they walk past you and they smell like they just got stuck in a cologne thunderstorm.

They got stuck in "cologne thunderstorm."  That’s a punch line with a punch.

Not that Rodriguez is just hanging around for the comedy.  She has a bedroom scene with Monty that doesn’t go well.  The tension is palpable.  Rodriguez puts the awkward situation into clear focus.  For Monty, it’s deflating.  Pun intended.

After. has something important to say, and the PPCC production says it well.  Justice is not always delivered in equal quantities to all comers.  

Still, there are some things I might have done differently with After.

1.  Warren and Monty play chess.  That requires a real chessboard and 32 small pieces. Those 32 small pieces are a huge challenge onstage.  It can be like a fire drill:  stop, drop, and roll.  The pieces didn’t stay where they belonged, and it was distracting.  Even offstage, it was very difficult for stage hands to move the board and chess pieces in the dark.  I heard several pieces hit the floor and roll backstage.  It didn’t have to be this way.  

2.  Costumes were not credited in the program.  If the costumes are out of the actor’s own closet, that’s fine.  Here, though, there was a commendable effort to put the actors in appropriate clothing.  Specifically, Warren and Monty had matching doggy day care work shirts.  Susie had a CVS logo on her pharmacy outfit.  Let the audience know who gets the credit.

3.  Set design was not credited in the program.  It was a fairly basic set, but recognizing the work is important.

4.  Perhaps the costume or set design credit was included in the “Special Thanks” category in the program.  One can’t tell what the contributions were for the twenty or so entries in this category.  Sets and costumes are integral parts of the production, and deserve specific credit.

OK…I agree.  These are some minor quibbles.  That’s because After. was well done overall.  Given that it’s a student production, I wouldn’t have been surprised at a few dropped lines, some missed cues, or blocking problems.  Those mistakes were noticeably absent.  That’s a credit to Director Sarah Shaver and the entire cast.  Rehearsal is hard work, but it pays off.

I’ve mentioned some items that were missing from the program, so I’ll also mention something I was very pleased to see included there.  The Cast Bio for Estephany Sedas says this:  “it is in the great interest of the public to bring awareness of this subjects (sic) to the people.”  I agree 100%.  

Theater is entertainment, but it is also a force for change.  A wise theater mom once told me she reminds her son from time to time that “every audience will include someone seeing their first play, and someone seeing their last play.”  Both of those people deserve your very best effort.  

Your performances will make a difference to someone in the audience.  You may never know how or why.  But remember, when the lights go up and the show starts, you are creating an experience for 10, 20, 50, or even 100 people who will never forget what you did on that stage.  The pay may not be great, but changing lives is priceless.

NOTES:

This show closed on November 18, 2016. 

For more information on justice for those wrongly convicted, see here, here, and here.  

For more information on the exoneration of Clarence Moses-El, see here and here. 

For more information on the death penalty and innocence, see here and here.  

This production includes American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation provided by PPCC second year IPP students:

Monty:  Nathan Oden

Liz:  Amanda Foster

Chap:  Lei Lani Barela

Warren:  Desi Petz

Suzie/Eddie:  Cheyenne Waldrop

Photo Credit:  No photos available.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director:  Sarah S. Shaver

Set Designer:  Jeff Jesmer

Fight Choreographer:  Max Ferguson

Lighting/Sound Design:  Tristan M. Hilleary

Tech:  Danielle Sanchez, Carmina Paner, Joey Sanchez, Candy Markum

Props/Running Crew:  Danielle Sanchez

Poster Design/Running Crew:  Val Quarles

Running Crew: Joey Sanchez

Stage Manager:  Amanda Feess-Armstrong

CAST:

Monty:  Gabriel Espinoza-Lira  

Liz:  Estephany Sedas

Chap:  Anthony Cramer

Warren:  Hossein Forouzandeh

Eddie:  Alex Morgan

Susie:  Pam Rodriguez

Stella and Lou

Playwright:  Bruce Graham

Company:  Vintage Theatre

Venue:  Vintage Theatre, 1468 Dayton Street, Aurora, Colorado.

Running time:  85 minutes (no intermission).

Date of Performance:  Friday, November 18, 2016. 

Bruce Graham is an award winning playwright who knows a lot about life, love, loss, and the challenge of our sunset years.  Graham’s The Outgoing Tide is probably one of the best scripts I’ve ever seen on these subjects.  His characters are real people, and his stories explore the most painful problems of our lives.   It's no simple task, but Graham has a gift for capturing the meaning of life in both our most mundane and most profound moments.

Graham’s Stella and Lou is a whip smart script that cleverly combines what would seem to be mutually exclusive themes:  comedy and grief.  It’s simultaneously laugh out loud funny and joyless.  Lou (played by Chris Kendall at his most despondent) is a good guy who cannot handle losing his wife two years ago.  Stella (played by a completely disarming Emma Messenger) is on a mission to push, pull or drag Lou out of the pit of his extended grief.  Donnie (Peter Marullo) is too young to get it.  He’s engaged but not in love.  Donnie doesn’t see that he’s facing the same dilemma as Lou:  when you stop living you start dying.  

The story is at once tender and gut wrenching.  Lou can’t get past his loss.  Stella, a nurse who cared for Lou’s wife, wants to help Lou get out of his funk.  It’s a challenge; Lou rejects all attempts to break out of his grief.  He is determined to mourn his wife indefinitely.

Chris Kendall (Lou).

Director Lorraine Scott’s cast is small but powerful (two members of this cast won "Bill's Best" awards in 2015).  Chris Kendall is both inspired and inspiring, fleshing out the deep despair that has beaten Lou to an emotional pulp.  Kendall doesn’t just speak Graham’s words.  His gait, his facial expressions, his halting delivery, and his gestures all contribute to the black emotional pit that Lou inhabits.   Kendall gives us hints of Lou’s lost humanity, generously donating $1,000 to Donnie as a wedding gift.  Even in his generosity, though, Kendall comes across as a tired old man distributing his earthly possessions before it’s too late.  

Kendall won the Best Actor Award (Drama, Large Companies) in my 2015 "Bill's Best" post for his role in Outside Mullingar.  He's in the running now for the 2016 version as well.

Peter Marullo (Donnie).

Peter Marullo’s role is critical; Donnie is an emotionally immature adult who senses the hazards in life.  He’s engaged, but highly uncertain whether he should be getting married.  Sometimes alcohol helps ease the distress, but it also increases his confusion.  That Lou and Stella give him conflicting advice doesn’t help.  Marullo deftly takes Donnie from angry and confused to an emerging adult in charge of his life decisions.  It’s a transition that seems lost on Lou, who refuses to confront his fears until the very last minute.

Emma Messenger (Stella).

Emma Messenger made me cringe with both empathy and sympathy; her low key pleas to Lou were ignored or rejected outright.  No matter how sincere, how persistent, or emotional her approach, Lou was as impenetrable as the packaging for a new compact disc.  Messenger uses her full arsenal of chicanery to reach Lou, and is crushed when it all seems to fail.  Ms. Messenger has a gift for enchanting and enthralling audiences on every stage she steps onto; the Vintage stage is no exception.  This is a full throttle Emma Messenger performance; she grabs the audience by the lapels and won’t let go until the lights go down.  If you haven’t seen her onstage before, Lou and Stella will make you a fan.  

Ms. Messenger won the Best Actress Award (Drama, Small Companies, tied with Haley Johnson) in my 2015 "Bill's Best" for her role in 'Night Mother, also at the Vintage.  To quote Tina Turner, she’s “simply the best” at what she does.

Lorraine Scott’s direction is sensitive, especially with regard to the male characters.  In the hands of another director, Lou might come off as self centered and lost.  Scott keeps him lovable but trapped in a very dark place.  Her touch with Donnie is also telling.  He won’t take calls from his soon to be wife, and he keeps drinking when he should be thinking.  Still, Scott keeps him likable even when he’s thoroughly misguided.

Door/Window.  Set by Jeff Jesmer.

Set designer Jeff Jesmer has skillfully created a Philadelphia bar, complete with a working beer tap.  Jessmer uses a door/window combination at stage left, and the cast uses it for both interior and exterior locations simultaneously.  It’s a dramatic enhancement; we see Stella primping outside before she enters the bar. 

Graham’s vision of profound grief is both disturbing and yet human.  Grief is universal; we will all experience loss, and we will all walk a mile in Lou’s shoes.  There’s no “Owner’s Manual” to tell us how to handle our own loss.  We muddle through as best we can.  While Lou’s despair is deeper and longer than most, no one can criticize him for it.  Grief sets its own pace.  He needed help; Stella gave it to him.  Graham’s script gave her a valid reason to act, but Stella probably would have helped Lou for no reason at all.  

That is perhaps the message that Graham cares about most.  Don’t be a bystander to suffering.  Reach out.  Take a hand.  Make a difference.  Graham reminds us that failure is likely, but if we can heal even 1% of the suffering around us, we can change a life for the better.  Those are long odds, but the effort is noble and the results can be heroic.

Lou's Bar, complete with working beer tap.  Set by Jeff Jesmer.

NOTES:

This show closes on November 27, 2016.  This show is appropriate for teens and up.

Graham has another thread in Stella and Lou that would merit a stand alone play.  Ask yourself these questions:  

1.  “Who will be there at my funeral?  

2.  "What will they say about me?”  

Very good questions, and ones that I have been mulling over since the curtain call at the Vintage.

FULL DISCLOSURE:  The story of Stella and Lou closely tracks the last five years of my life.  The love, the loss, and the grief are all still fresh for me, as is Stella’s heroic effort at emotional rescue.  For that reason, I suspect Stella and Lou may have had a bigger impact on me than it would have when I was 25.  Or 35  Or 45.  I’m a wiser person now than I was then, and Stella and Lou captures my own emotional evolution.

Photo Credit:  Vintage Theatre

TICKETS HERE:

CREATIVE TEAM:

Executive Director:  Craig A. Bond

Artistic Director:  Bernie Cardell

Production Director:  Lorraine Scott

Board Liason:  Sharon Dwinnell

Production Manager:  Biz Schaugaard

Assistant Director:  Sharon Dwinnell

Set Designer/Master Builder:  Jeff Jesmer

Scenic Painter:  Julie LeMieux

Lighting Design:  Jen Orf

Sound Design:  Rick Reid

Dialect Coach:  Jeff Parker

Props:  Beki Pineda

Costume Design:  Katalena Valdez

Stage Manager:  Andrew KC Nicholas

CAST:

Lou:  Chris Kendall

Stella:  Emma Messenger

Donnie:  Peter Marullo

A Message from Chip and Katie at the Curious Theatre Company.

I got this message from Chip Walton, Producing Artistic Director and Katie Maltais, Director of Patron & Audience Development at the Curious Theatre in Denver.  I think it's well worth sharing.

It's poignant, respectful, and a message I very much needed to hear. 

If your theatre company hasn't thought about messaging your supporters, this might get you thinking about it.  The cast of Hamilton sent a message.  Curious Theatre has sent a message.  It's time we all send a message.

Dear Curious Family,

Many of you are searching. Many of you are uncertain. Many of you are scared. Let us tell you this now, unequivocally – Curious stands with you. We both personally stand with you. While we are both still processing our emotions and fears personally, we do know we are called into action and feel strongly that Curious has a voice in our community and we must use it. 

Our motto is "no guts. no story." Now is the time to live that mandate to its fullest impact. We believe that as artists, if we're not doing something about the problem, right now - well, then we're only another part of the problem. History has taught us that real and meaningful change always comes from the ground up - from the culture of a country, from the power of community, and from the voices of the people. Our power is to tell stories - stories that have the transformative power of change. And now is the time to have the guts to tell those stories in new and courageous ways.

Curious stands for equality. We stand for respect. We always have and we won’t stop now. Our stage, our audience, our offices, and our people are all safe places for diverse backgrounds, ideas, stories, and perspectives to flourish. We believe that by putting diverse storytelling styles on our stage, we encourage empathy for those that are unlike ourselves - something that is desperately needed in the world today. 
  
Now is not the time for violence or aggression, but it is also not the time for despair, blind acceptance, or apology. It is the time for action, advocacy, and strength. We ask you, our family, to join us in supporting all those who feel scared, unsafe, worried, or marginalized. Make yourself a safe space. Demand the best from all those around you.

Individually, we have been asking ourselves: What am I going to do? How can I help others, protect others, advocate for others? How can I struggle fiercely but with honor for my beliefs and my country?

Together, we have found answers in Curious as not just our cultural home, but as our community and as a family that forges together under a common goal of understanding our world and igniting change within it. We have the opportunity to promote inclusion, to advocate for social justice, to encourage empathy, and to exercise our curiosity. In planning for next season - our 20th Anniversary - we've been searching for what it is that we want to say. That crystalized last week. We are leaning in - asking questions and pushing conversations with clarity and courage, to drive social change and reclaim our American ideals. 

Let's shape our world together, not watch as we feel it slipping away.

Chip & Katie

Copyright © 2016 Curious Theatre Company, All rights reserved. 

And Then There Were None

Playwright:  Novel by Agatha Christie, adapted for the stage by Samuel French, Inc.

Company:  First Company

Venue:  First United Methodist Church Theater, 420 N. Nevada Avenue, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Running time:  2 hours, 30 minutes (includes 15 minute intermission).

Date of Performance:  Sunday, October 30, 2016. 

Agatha Christie is the undisputed master of the mystery genre, and perhaps her best novel is And Then There Were None.  First published in the United Kingdom in November, 1939 as (pardon the historically accurate language), Ten Little Niggers.  It became Christie’s best selling work and a global best seller, with sales of more than 100,000,000 books. 

The plot is intriguing; eight people are invited to an island getaway.  Their host, the mysterious Mr. and Mrs. Owens, are oddly not there to greet them.  Instead, the butler and his wife and cook, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers are there to show them to their rooms.  It’s a motley group of strangers who have never met, and are not sure what they have in common that merited the invitation.

And Then There Were None is a murder mystery, so I can’t go into plot details without spoiling the story.  Suffice it to say there is ample mystery and, of course, multiple murders.  This is a very well crafted story that includes some plot twists at the end.  If you haven’t read the book or seen either the 1945 film or the 2015 BBC miniseries, you are unlikely to guess the ending.  

First Company’s current production (through November 6) is an ambitious undertaking, featuring a detailed set and a large cast doing their very best British accents.  Stranded on Soldier Island without a phone or a boat, the characters learn that one of them is methodically murdering the members of the group.  Who?  Why?  How?  The clues are in the nursery rhyme…”Ten little soldier boys went out to dine; One choked his little self and then there were nine.”

Set designer (and director) Martin Fennewald puts the cast in an exquisite set that evokes the proper British seaside resort location.  The details are impressive, from the double doors opening onto the veranda to the ceramic toy soldiers on the mantle.  Fennewald as director uses the entire stage, at times blocking actors downstage in the presence of murder victims upstage.  The British accents work; Fennewald has obviously put a premium on an authentic delivery.  

Daniel Thrasher (Marston).

The large cast is capable and colorful; Daniel Thrasher’s Marston makes a splash early with his brash attitude and reckless driving.  The proper British servants (Freddy McDaniel as Rogers, and Miranda Wright as his wife) are “spot on”.  Landon Phillips is a distinguished if loopy General Mackenzie.  Katie Harmon is intentionally insufferable as the self righteous, "holier than thou" Emily Brent. Michael Greenker is a weasel as William Blore, telling a variety of cover stories that make his demise more welcome than most.  

There are four major characters doing the heavy lifting in And Then There Were None, and each is abundantly capable of that lift.  David G. Olson is the physician for the group, pronouncing the deceased as, well, dead.  He doesn’t drink, except when he does.  He dispenses pharmaceuticals generously, raising some suspicions about his motives.  Olson is completely credible as Dr. Armstrong.  It’s a strong performance that anchors the story.

Bruce Carter has the gravitas to pull off his role as Sir Lawrence Wargrave, a distinguished judge.  Carter’s performance is utterly convincing; he’s the guy that all the others look to for analysis and advice on their predicament.  Carter pulls off a marvelous twist that makes the entire story work.

Quinn Baker (Lombard).

It is, however, left to the charming couple of Philip Lombard (played dashingly by Quinn Baker) and Vera Claythorne (Megan Rieger, more resplendent with each costume change) to resolve the mystery.  There’s an undeniable chemistry between the two.  Baker’s bio says “this role has been a learning and growing process…”  Perhaps.  But now it is Baker who should be giving lessons to his colleagues.  Ms. Rieger’s performance is full throttle; she nearly fell off the couch at one point, and lost a shoe dashing around the stage at another point.  She never skipped a beat, keeping entirely in character even when things went slightly awry.  

Costume designer Katie Harmon has dressed the cast in colorful clothes, both formal and casual.  Other than a loose hem on one of Ms Rieger’s dresses, the costumes were uniformly excellent.  Local tuxedo rental shops must have had a field day outfitting the guys in the cast.  From cumberbunds to white ties and tails, the guys looked like a million bucks.  Once the run is over, the entire male cast could probably find work as formal wear models in commercials.  

Megan Rieger (Vera Claythorne).

Agatha Christie packed her script with detail and nuance, which at times tends to make the story drag some.  At two and a half hours, more action and less talk might have made a better story.  Still, a production must stay faithful to the script, even when that script bogs down.  Fair warning for those (like me) with any level of hearing loss:  the acoustics are marginal in the theater.  Most of the dialog was delivered at a sufficient volume for me to hear near the back of the room, but there are occasional frustrating dips in volume.

First Company’s production is great entertainment for entire family.  It’s a crackerjack script written by the best in the business, produced and performed by a talented cast and crew.    

L-R:  Bruce Carter (Wargrave), Daniel Thrasher (Marston), Quinn Baker (Lombard),
Katie Harmon (Emily Brent) and Megan Rieger (Vera Claythorne).

NOTES:

UPDATE:  I was wrong.  The guys didn't rent tuxes.  The fit and the styles fooled me; I thought they had to be custom fitted from a formal wear shop.  Sorry...the First Company costume shop took care of the formal wear.  And my top hat is off to them for that...

This show closes on November 6, 2016.  This show is appropriate for all ages.

The nursery rhyme that Christie used for And Then There Were None originally referred to black children, and a later version used Indian children.  The current version replaces those terms with “soldiers”:

Ten little soldier boys went out to dine;

One choked his little self and then there were nine.

Nine little soldier boys sat up very late;

One overslept himself and then there were eight.

Eight little soldier boys travelling in Devon;

One said he'd stay there and then there were seven.

Seven little soldier boys chopping up sticks;

One chopped himself in half and then there were six.

Six little soldier boys playing with a hive;

A bumblebee stung one of them and then there were five.

Five little soldier boys going in for law;

One got in Chancery and then there were four.

Four little soldier boys going out to sea;

A red herring swallowed one and then there were three.

Three little soldier boys walking in the zoo;

A big bear hugged one and then there were two.

Two little soldier boys playing in the sun;

One got all frizzled up and then there was one.

One little soldier boy left all alone;

He went out and hanged himself and then there were none.

Photo Credit:  First Company, photographers Helen Bagherian & Beth Harmon

TICKETS HERE:

CREATIVE TEAM:

Director/Scenic Designer:  Martin J. Fennewald

Lighting Design:  Kitty Robbins

Sound Design:  Amber Hansen

Sound Board Operator:  Kari Kiser

Lighting Assistant:  Jestina Axum

Light Board Operator:  Tristan Hilleary

Costume Design:  Katie Harmon

Costume Assistants:  Diane Harper, Rebekah Gibb, & Susan Maltby

Makeup/Hair Design:  Trudy Fennewald

Prop Design:  Grace Rudolph

Specialty Props: Sarah Greenley

Stage Manager:  Suzanne Seyfi

CAST:

Rogers:  Freddy McDaniel

Mrs. Rogers:  Miranda White

Fred Narcott:  Wayne Heilman

Vera Claythorne:  Megan Rieger

Philip Lombard:  Quinn Baker

Anthony Marston:  Dan Thrasher

William Blore:  Michael Greenker

General Mackenzie:  Landon Phillips

Emily Brent:  Katie Harmon

Sir Lawrence Wargrave: Bruce Carter

Dr. Armstrong:  David G. Olson