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Year of theater had mostly good, some bad
(by Herb Hammer - January 07, 2009)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
Year of theater had mostly good, some bad
Many years ago, I sat in the audience of a horrible play at the Cleveland Play House. Next to me sat Bill Doll, the theater critic at the time for the Cleveland daily newspaper.
The play was so terrible (I don't remember the title), I didn't quite know what to write, at least how to explain my actual feelings.
The next day, I read Mr. Doll's review just to see if he had the same take on the production I had. One of his remarks, one I'll never forget, was simply, "I wanted to stand up and scream, 'Why are you doing this to me?'"
I felt that same way a few times since, but just a few. That was until this past October, when I attended something called "International House of Hamburgers" at the Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company in downtown Cleveland. Playwright Cliff Hershman's play gave me that Bill Doll feeling, "Why are you doing this to me?" That very bad play was just one of the many theater experiences I had during the 2008 theater season. I'll give you a rundown.
This past November, the Cleveland Play House performed a revival of Lorraine Hansberry's classic "A Raisin in the Sun." The drama takes place in a rundown south-side tenement and tells the story of the Younger family as they fight for survival in mid-1950s Chicago. The Lou Bellamy-directed play had that look and feel and excellent timing.
In October, the west-side Tremont theater with the unfortunate name Convergence-Continuum took on Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Buried Child." Director Clyde Simon, staying true to Mr. Shepard's startling play, brought out the mesmerizing power of this gripping drama.
The Chagrin Valley Little Theatre staged a revival of the 1939 movie version of the "Wizard of Oz." Another November treat, the Greta Rothman-directed musical was close to the movie version. A glitch here and there didn't hinder the show from being the sentimental favorite of the year.
When "Hail Hurricane Gordo" turned up the lights at the Cleveland Play House last April, you might have thought you were in a remake of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." But that wasn't it at all. Surely, playwright Carley Mensch's characters are a little crazy in one way or another. But when she pulls them all together, the 24-year-old Miss Mensch develops a comic romp with a teary finish. I loved it.
The Bang and the Clatter Theatre Company on Euclid Avenue at Second Street did have one success in 2008. "The Lieutenant of Inshmore," the bloody take on Irish Republican Army rejects, had that grizzly comic satirical touch that makes you want to watch through your fingers while your hand covers your face. Martin McDonagh's violent comedy, directed by the talented Sean McConaha, might have turned your stomach just a bit.
In September, Play House Director Michael Bloom directed Tennessee Williams' "Glass Menagerie." The touching 1930s drama continued to live a beautiful life in the hands of the stellar cast and Mr. Bloom's flawless work.
Ernest Thompson's "On Golden Pond" has not lost its pure sentimentality, yet the style in which Aurora Community Theater staged the play nearly a year ago outgrew the limp sadness of the Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn movie. Marsha Mandel and Frank Mularo lifted the play above the movie version and made it a satisfying evening of theater.
Hershey Felder brought his one-man show "Gershwin Alone" to the Cleveland Play House last January. Mr. Felder has been touring for nearly a decade portraying George Gershwin. With merely a grand piano and his exceptional musical talent, he brought down the house. We Gershwin lovers were swept away by the remarkable singing and playing and brief history of George Gershwin's life.
In Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's annex, aptly named the River Street Playhouse, Steven Hoffman directed a hilarious little play entitled "Polish Joke." The July production, written by David Ives, is certainly worth doing again. I can imagine a Polish audience laughing hysterically. There is some depth to go along with the humor, and there is a point to all this, but the laughs ruled.
Last February, the Jewish Community Center staged "Brooklyn Boy" at the Cuyahoga Community College Eastern Campus. The play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Donald Margulies was a surprise hit of the year. On Ben Needam's exceptional revolving set, six scenes are played out examining the successful unhappy life of Eric Weiss. Director Brian Zoldessy does amazing work, while Charles Kartali gave the performance of the year as Eric. "Brooklyn Boy" was the year's best.
The Cleveland Play House presented "Doubt," John Patrick's popular drama at the Drury Theatre. The new movie version is getting a lot of attention. This 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning play is well timed. A priest is accused of molesting a child, and on we go. Good acting and writing saved this cliche-riddled script.
Other plays worth remembering are: "Pride and Prejudice" at the Play House; "The Breakup Notebook" at Beck Center; "Orange Flower" at Bang and Clatter; and "Harold and Maude" at Cain Park's Alma Theatre.
Under the 2008 banner, "Why are you doing this to me?" were the awful "Girls Night" at the Cleveland Play House; "Is There Life After High School?" at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre; and "Swing Time" at Actor's Summit in Hudson.
And that was 2008, an exceptional year for the most part and certainly good enough to keep us coming back for more this year.
See you on the aisle.
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