Getting Out

Playwright:  Marsha Norman

Company:  The Edge Theatre Company

Venue:  The Edge Theater, 1560 Teller Street, Lakewood CO.

Running Time:  2 hours 10 minutes (includes 10 minute intermission) 

Date of Performance:  Saturday, March 19, 2016. 

Marsha Norman is getting a bounce on the front range; her 1983 ’Night Mother has had two successful revivals here recently. (Reviewed here and here.)  Both recent productions were powerful displays of Norman’s gift for portraying real people in desperate situations.

Getting Out, now playing through April 3 at The Edge Theatre in Lakewood, is one of Norman’s earliest plays, opening in October, 1978.  Arlene (Missy Moore) has just been “rehabilitated” and released from prison.  Like most released convicts, she goes home to an environment that is as unchanged and toxic as it was when she left it after her conviction for murder.  

The script is gritty; Arlene’s good intentions to turn her life around are thwarted at every turn by the sketchy characters and her advanced state of destitution.  At some level, we all realize that Arlene’s dilemma is real, but Norman’s script has an “in your face” intensity that turns the theoretical dilemma into a bleak reality.

In other words, Getting Out is similar to ‘Night Mother in at least one important aspect:  it is painfully difficult to watch.  One cannot idly sit by and witness the soul crushing reality of Arlene’s life without cringing.

L-R:  Kent Randell (Carl), Missy Moore (Arlene),
Robert Michael Sanders (Bennie).

Missy Moore is perhaps the perfect actress to play Arlene; she has the emotional strength and the physical stamina to draw us into Arlene’s world.  Moore has an arresting “deer in the headlights” expression, simultaneously stunned and motionless.  She endures two physical assaults in every performance, conveying both her fear and her pain in convincing detail.  Arlene is a complex and tortured character, and Moore turns in a brutally truthful, transcendent performance.

Moore’s alter ego, Arlie Girl (Xandra Prestia-Turner), is her younger, criminal wild child self.  It’s difficult to imagine a wilder child than Prestia-Turner; her guards are flummoxed by her temper tantrums and volatility.  (With the exception of Bennie, played by Robert Michael Sanders, but more on him below.)  Early in the first act, she demonstrates what a bag of frogs sounds like.  You’ve been warned.  Prestia-Turner is locked in, giving us a scary if accurate picture of who the young Arlene really was.

As for Mr. Sanders, his Bennie is truly a paradox.  While he appears to be the only person Arlene can trust, he has a very dark side.  His dual personality turns on Arlene in the worst possible way.  Sanders delivers his schizophrenic character beautifully, going from the nicest guy on stage to the nastiest in the blink of an eye.  It’s an abrupt transition, made credible by Sander’s physical and emotional presence.

Xandra Prestia-Turner (Arlie Girl).

Kent Randell (Carl) tries to lure Arlene back into his hooker harem with promises of easy money and only four customers a day.  Randell is a stereotypical pimp, dressed in a suitably outrageous pimp get up (hat tip to Nicole Harrison’s costumes).  He plays both pimp roles; he’s smoothly persuasive until he needs brute force to make his point.  Randell is evil all dressed up for a night on the town, and Arlene senses that he’s also a one way ticket back to the slammer. 

Ruby (Kelly Uhlenhopp) is Arlene’s only hope, but it’s a slim one at that.  Uhlenhopp treats Arlene like a human being.  That matters.  Arlene has a criminal record, no apparent life skills, and lacks the funds to buy her groceries.  That Ruby would give her the time of day is significant; that she extends a helping hand is crucial.  Uhlenhopp is the only source of hope for Arlene, and indeed, for the audience.  When Ms Uhlenhopp smiles and speaks, it’s with a sincerity and honesty that brightens Arlene’s bleak existence.

Director Rick Yaconis delivers a well oiled performance here, with a talented cast and a passion for the script.  At times, that passion plays out as violence and at times as screaming and screeching.  Both are necessary if painful elements of Getting Out.  Justin Lane’s scenic design is both realistic and symbolic.  Both the first level kitchen and the second level prison are first rate realistic renditions.  Symbolically, both are extensions of the other.  The line between inside the prison and outside the prison disappear; in reality, both are prisons.  Fight Choreographer Seth Maisel has two duties:  1) to put on realistic conflicts, and 2) to never put the actors in harm’s way.  He does both exceedingly well.  It was all I could do to resist intervening in the conflicts playing out a few feet from my seat.

Kelly Uhlenhopp (Ruby) & Missy Moore (Arlene).

Getting Out is a brutal indictment of the victimization of inmates and parolees.  It’s very difficult to watch, and even harder to forget.  Arlene has been successfully rehabilitated, which entitles her to make a choice between crushing poverty or selling herself daily to the highest bidder.  That's an absurd choice; she did her time and paid in full for her crime.

That said, I found the script extremely harsh with the male characters.  There's not a decent one in the entire cast.  Whether pimps, guards, or rapists, the Getting Out guys are a sorry lot.  That may be an accurate portrayal of males in Marsha Norman's experience, but it is quite at odds with my own experience.  A token decent guy would add a bit of reality to the Getting Out experience.

Economic inequality is not just a campaign issue (although it certainly is that).  It’s an economic reality.  I suspect each and every one of us can easily name some hard working friends or relatives who can barely make ends meet.  The notion that hard work results in upward mobility is more myth than fact; nearly all those who move up work hard, but only a small fraction of the hard working move up.   Arlene’s situation is not unique, but you don’t have to be an ex con to join the working poor.  If you have a limited education and/or limited job skills, your upward mobility opportunities are extremely rare.  You may work hard for a lifetime without rising out of poverty.

We used to be the “land of opportunity.”  Recent research shows that upward mobility in the U.S. is not nearly as good as in other developed countries.  Getting Out is not proof of the problem, but a graphic demonstration of the barriers.   One need look no further than the talented and hard working members of the Colorado theater community for that proof.  Given the economic realities, Arlene is not the only one for whom Getting Out of poverty is nearly impossible. 

NOTES:

This show is suitable for adults and older teens. There is strong language and some intense situations.

There is ample parking at The Edge Theatre.  Do not be concerned about police vehicles that may be parked in the same area.  

This show closes on April 3, 2016.

PRE/POST SHOW RESTAURANT SUGGESTION:

We left Colorado Springs early for the 8:00 PM curtain at The Edge.  It’s March Madness, and Roxie is a BIG KU (Kansas University) fan.  They had a 6:00 PM game she wanted to see, so we headed for Old Chicago at 145 Union in Lakewood before the show.

Dinner was Irish Nachos (corned beef on kettle chips with queso) and Double Deckeroni pizza…a decidedly rational order given that Old Chicago is a sports bar.  Our server, Tawny, was extremely vigilant, making sure we had everything we needed without being intrusive.  The food was fine, and the Jayhawks won the game.  Needless to say, we’d do it all again…

Photo Credit:  The EdgeTheatre & RDG Photography.

TICKETS HERE:

CREATIVE TEAM:

Producer: Patty Yaconis

Director:  Rick Yaconis

Assistant Director:  Ryan Goold

Scenic Design: Justin Lane

Master Carpenter Emeritus:  Rich Munoz

Sound Design:  Madison Kuebler

Lighting Design:  Sean Mallary

Fight Choreographer:  Seth Maisel

Costume Design:  Nicole Harrison

Dialect Coach:  Mark Collins

Production Manager/Props:  Lara Maerz

Stage Manager:  Katie Espinoza

CAST:

Arlene:  Missy Moore

Arlie Girl:  Xandra Prestia-Turner

Bennie:  Robert Michael Sanders

Evans:  Jonathan Brown

Caldwell:  Anthony Ryan

Doctor:  Peter Marullo

Mother:  Erica Sarzin-Borillo

Principal:  OD Duhu

Ronnie:  Erik Thurston

Carl:  Kent Randell

Warden:  Max Cabot

Ruby:  Kelly Uhlenhopp

Jailbird/ASM:  Kristin Honiotes

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot

In The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Springs Ensemble Theatre puts the infamous disciple on trial for betraying Jesus, arguably the most evil act of all time. This contemporary drama arrives while Christians celebrate the Easter season, and the show couldn't be more timely.

Read the rest of this review at the Colorado Springs Independent website...

Sherlock Holmes: Assassins at Sea

Playwright:  C.P. Stancich

Company:  Theatre Company of Lafayette

Venue:  Mary Miller Theater, 300 E. Simpson Street, Lafayette CO.

Running Time:  1 hour 35 minutes (includes 15 minute intermission) 

Date of Performance:  Saturday, March 5, 2016. 

Sherlock Holmes:  Assassins at Sea (hereafter Assassins) is the fifth Theatre Company of Lafayette (TCL) production of playwright C.P. Stancich’s works in the style of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s originals.  Doyle’s enduring crime stories are legendary, and Stancich revives Doyle’s classic characters in his own plays.  Thanks to Stancich, detective extraordinaire Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson have come back to life on the TCL stage for Assassins.

Stancich’s series now has six plays, and TCL has produced five of them.  Like a pub with a house band, TCL has lovingly adopted the British sleuth and his devoted American audience.  Opening night was a sell out crowd, as was the performance we saw the next evening.  There’s no shortage of Sherlock Holmes fans in Lafayette, and the Stancich/TCL team knows how to give those fans what they like.

Assassins is another Holmes hit for TCL and Stancich.  The script has plenty of disguises, twists, and turns to keep the audience guessing.  Given that the story is in the mystery genre, I can’t go into plot details without spoiling the story.  Suffice it to say that fans of Doyle’s original works won’t be disappointed, and fans of Stancich will be pleased to see his sense of humor permeating the plot.

The TCL production starts with a striking set.  Chris Pash and Sarah Spencer have designed a gorgeous setting that works remarkably well for all three locations (Baker Street, an alley, and aboard the ship Elyssia).  Sitting in our seats before the show began gave us an opportunity to enjoy the meticulous fit and finish of Pash and Spencer’s design.

Costume Designer Kim deJager’s work was also splendid; she not only had to fit the cast with appropriate turn of the 19th century outfits, but also with intricate disguises.  The costumes have the same attention to detail as the set.  

Director Fred Finke has put together a talented cast.  He makes full use of his beautiful set, blocking 7-8 actors at a time on the stage.  He has insisted that the cast keep the British accents as authentic as possible while never missing a beat or a mark.  The entire performance seems carefully and professionally orchestrated.

Don Thumim (Sherlock Holmes).  

Actor Don Thumim is Holmes, and he’s the right guy for the role.  Thumim is a veteran of the TCL stage, having last appeared there as a hunk.  His Holmes is considerably more respectable, as he should be.  Thumim’s range clearly includes both hunk and hero, and perhaps he will eventually get a role that requires both qualities.

Greg Christopher plays Watson, and he’s a gem.  Christopher is locked in on Watson, and he’s got a fine British accent.  Joe Illingworth (as Oscar Dove) blends his gestures and facial expressions into his performance, delivering some of the best moments in the show.  Spencer Womack plays Busby and carries the role with graceful dignity and a wink.

Greg Christopher (Watson).

The Assassins ladies are equally as capable.  Danice Crawford plays Olga Belasov in a white wig and with a wicked smile.  Not only that, but don’t mess with her. She’s packing.  Yes.  She has a gun in her purse.  (Crawford pulls double duty, also appearing as Sigrid Simm).  Sierra Burgoyne (May), Kristin VanEtten (Lady Constance) and Roz Bard (Mrs. Hudson/Trudy) add punch and humor to the proceedings

L-R  Hanna Richards (Claudia), Spencer Womack (Busby),
and Sierra Burgoyne (May).

I do have a quibble with Assassins.  It’s a mystery, and clues needed to solve the mystery are sprinkled throughout the script.  The audience needs to pay careful attention to the details.  Unfortunately, some lines are difficult to discern, sometimes due to the British accents and at other times due to the ambient noise of the Elyssia engines.  Perhaps the sound mix could be tweaked to reduce the interference.  As for the accents, one of the actors gets it completely right.  Joe Illingworth’s lines are as clear as a bell.  His delivery style is one that could be a model for the other actors.

As is typical of TCL productions, Assassins is a polished production with very good acting and direction.  The Lafayette community is lucky to have such a dedicated and accomplished theater company performing in a historic local landmark.  Whether you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan or not, Assassins is a great night out at the Mary Miller theater.

Spencer Womack (Busby).

NOTES:

This show is suitable for (and recommended for) all ages.  Even if there’s no food truck, the Odd 13 Brewing Company is a fine place to stop before or after the show.

This show closes on March 26, 2016.

PRE/POST SHOW RESTAURANT SUGGESTION:

We went to dinner with friends before the show at the Boulder Cork, 3295 30th Street, Boulder.  It’s one of the more mature steak houses in the area, operating at the same location for over 45 years.  Known for the Prime Rib, the Cork is a great place for a special occasion.  Which it was:  Denver Restaurant Week.  For $60/couple, you can get an app, an entree (don’t miss the Prime Rib), and a dessert.  

The service and the food were exemplary.  If you’ve never been to the Cork, or if it has been a while since your last visit, you might want to make a reservation.  I’m sure it will be on the Denver Restaurant Week list in 2017, so put a reminder in your smart phone.  Do the Cork with a discount during restaurant week. 

For a really special time, go with some friends.  We did…and it was delightful.

See the full menu here.  Happy Hour menu is here.

Photo Credit:  Theatre Company of Lafayette; Brian Miller, photographer.

TICKETS HERE:

CREATIVE TEAM:

Producer/Production Manager: Madge Montgomery

Director:  Fred Finke

Assistant Director:  Marsha Morton

Scenic Design:  Chris Pash/Sarah Spencer

Sound Design/Sound Board Operator:  Tom Priestly 

Lighting Design:  Brian Miller

Costume Design/Properties:  Kim deJager

Stage Manager:  Marsha Morton 

Rehearsal Assistant:  Pat Smith

CAST:

Sherlock Holmes:  Don Thumim

John Watson:  Greg Christopher

Oscar Dove:  Joe Illingworth

Lady Constance:  Kristin VanEtten

May:  Sierra Burgoyne

Claudia:  Hannah Richards

Olga Belaslova/Sigrid Simm:  Danice Crawford

Barlow/Purser/Thug:  Roger Bolan

Busby:  Spencer Womack

Steward/Thug:  Stefanie Oke

[spectrum] lgbt new play festival

Playwrights:  David Matthew Barnes ( Last Dance), John Minigan (A Monogamy of Swans), K.O. Johnson (A Place to Hide), Madolyn Whitmer (The Haunting of Camp Rod and Staff), Seth Freeman (The Authoress), Joe Gulla (Gayfever), Erik Champney (The Screens), and Tim Brennan (Contrition).

Company:  Funky Little Theater Company

Venue:  Funky Little Theater, 2109 Templeton Gap, Colorado Springs CO.

Running Time:  2 hours and 5 minutes (includes 15 minute intermission) 

Date of Performance:  Friday, March 4, 2016.  (Opening Night.  All 8 plays are World Premieres.)

This is only Funky Little Theater’s second season, but somehow the small company has emerged out of a struggling Templeton Gap strip mall as a creative force that cannot be ignored.  [Spectrum] LGBT New Play Festival (hereafter Spectrum), proves that, politics aside, the size of a theater company does NOT matter.  

Funky’s Artistic Director, Chris Medina, had set his sights realistically low for Spectrum, hoping for as many as 30 submissions of short (10 minute) original scripts on an LGBT theme.  

Imagine Medina’s surprise.  

The scripts came pouring in…from Colorado, Minnesota, Texas, Illinois, New York, California, as well as Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.  By the deadline, 269 original scripts landed at Funky for Spectrum.

The end result is eight original, creative and engaging stories bursting off the Funky stage.  They run the gamut from silly to historical and to the truly tragic.  Funky’s Spectrum is a theatrical buffet served in scrumptious 10 minute bites.

A Monogamy of Swans, a drama by John Minigan, is set in Boston.  Actors Haley Hunsaker and Kristen Gutzeit have suitable “Bahston” accents to transport us to the Boston Public Garden where the question is whether to feed the swans or kill them.  Broken hearts, broken dreams and betrayal dominate this tense yet tender tale.

On the sillier side, Seth Freeman’s The Authoress is a gender bender.  If a new play competition is for “women and those identifying as a woman,” men enter at their own risk.  Dylan McClintock plays the straight guy with a competitive compulsion to obliterate gender lines.  McClintock walks the line between a confident but daring heterosexual and a closeted but flamboyant transvestite.  It’s fair to say tht McClintock is very funny in both of his wardrobes.

Comedies aside, however, Spectrum peaks with three 10 minute dramas that have the potential to develop into full length plays.  The first of these, and perhaps the most striking, is A Place to Hide by K.O. Johnson.  Based on a true story and set in a 1950s small Texas town, Johnson has combined the contemporary issues of race, sex, and police misbehavior into a breakout script.  Melvin Greer, Danielle Trina, and Benji  & Chris Dezaval act out Johnson’s script with honesty, fear, and compelling emotion.

Erik Champney’s The Screens is a tragic love story told in exquisite detail.  Bryan Dufaud and Benji Dezaval are the tragic lovers.  Dufaud is particularly striking; he’s institutionalized with dementia.  Dezaval is his heartbroken lover and caregiver who has all but lost his partner.

Tim Brennan’s Contrition is the last of the eight scripts to play out on the Funky stage, and it is arguably the best.  It’s a love triangle, with Christ Medina and Michelle Pantle competing for their common lover/husband/partner. Contrition is an emotional mashup, combining, love, hate and loss in what seemed like the quickest and most emotional 10 minutes for Spectrum.  

Funky had an embarrassment of riches land on them for Spectrum.  They made hard choices, leaving 261 scripts behind.  The eight Spectrum scripts they selected are winners for both Funky and for their audiences.  It was hard work, but the reading/rating crew did an outstanding job of picking extraordinary scripts.  

Make no mistake about it.  This Funky Fest Focuses on ALL our Families (the reference to a local "family" group is intentional), and celebrates them.  This is a breakout production for the Funky folks.

NOTES:

There is some adult language and some adult content in Spectrum.  Use discretion for preteens.

This show closes on March 19, 2016.

Photo Credit:  Funky Little Theater Comany.

TICKETS HERE:

CREATIVE TEAM:

Directors:  Delaney Hallauer (Last Dance), Luke Schoenemann (A Monogamy of Swans), Chris Medina (A Place to Hide and The Authoress), Dylan McClintock (The Haunting of Camp Rod and Staff and Contrition), Tracy Hunziker (Gayfever), Michelle Pantle (The Screens).

Scenic Design: Chris Medina

Sound Design:  Chad Orr 

Costume Design:  Delaney Hallauer

Stage Managers:  Emma Colligan & Chelsie Rigor

CAST:

Kim Bennett (Contrition)

Josh Boehnke (Last Dance and Contrition)

Emma Colligan (The Haunting at Camp Rod and Staff)

Benji Dezaval (The Screens and A Place to Hide)

Bryan Dufaud (Last Dance and The Screens)

Nicole Goeke (The Authoress)

Eric Goering (The Haunting at Camp Rod and Staff)

Melvin Grier (A Place to Hide)

Kristin Gutzeit (A Monogamy of Swans)

Delaney Hallauer (Last Dance)

Haley Hunsaker (A Monogamy of Swans)

Dylan McClintock (The Authoress)

Teri McClintock (The Authoress and Contrition)

Chris Medina  (Contrition and The Haunting at Camp Rod and Staff)

Michelle Pantle (Contrition)

Jessica Parnello (The Authoress)

Chelsie Rigor (The Haunting at Camp Rod and Staff)

Steve Sladoritz (Gayfever)

Will Sobilik (The Haunting at Camp Rod and Staff)

Danielle Thurman Trina (A Place to Hide)

[spectrum] reading and selection committee:

Michelle Pantle

Dylan McClintock

Chris Medina

Luke Schoenemann

Delaney Hallauer

Emma Colligan

Dan Kifer

Ellen Regina

Krista Rayne Reckner

Jeremiah Miller