BurleyQ

"It's Cheap But It Always Works"

By Bob Morrison

A work of monumental insight, exploring visceral themes through archetypical paradigms. If this is what you're into, you're going to be disappointed in BurleyQ. But if you're expectations are more modest, and you want intellect-free entertainment and some chuckles from a puppet show with a touch of the naughty, you'll find BurleyQ as satisfying as a Ritz topped with Cheese Whiz and a spit cup of box wine.


The story line is as sketchy as a G-String, involving the meeting of Buttons Stafford playing Buttons Stafford and Professor Ripley cleverly disguised as himself. The professor plays a lively piano that complements Stafford's whiskey something-or-other voice. Together they put a series of puppets through their paces.






The (not very) high point is a rendition of a classic strip by a puppet who ought to be ashamed of herself--but cheerfully isn't.


The show culminates with a fireworks display. So manage your expectations, down a tumbler of free wine, and be assured you won't leave this show wondering, "What did they meant by THAT."

For more BurleyQ photos, visit my Bonnie Briar Productions web site.

Cheers,
Bob

One in Two

"We Earned the Right to Choose
But Not the Right to Grieve"

By Bob Morrison

Approximately one in two women in the United States has an abortion by the time they reach age 50, says playwright Dr. Lynette Long. "One in Two," a work by turns harrowing, stressful, and intense--and always insightful--explores the effects of abortion on three fictional contemporary women. That it does so without espousing either point of view in the abortion debate would alone make this play a remarkable work.


"One in Two" is not a work in progress. Its pacing, its characterization and its direction by Brooke Brod are the hallmarks of a polished work. Much of the credit for this must also go to the three gifted actors: Sheila Hennessey as Linda, a thoughtful, determined suburban mom;


Kim Jackson as Charlotte, an achieving Catholic teen;


and Audra Alise Polk as Janelle, a 14-year-old ghetto child with dreams.


We hear the circumstances of pregnancy and why the decision to abort was made. Altogether disparate in their backgrounds and sexual histories, that decision and their simultaneous arrival at an abortion clinic link their lives.


We watch as these actors portray other characters in the life stories of each. We follow their grieving and guilt. We experience with them the restorative powers of time and sympathy. And as "One in Two" ends, we walk away with an understanding of this issue unikely to be gained in any other way.


The production values in this run are effective in their simplicity. Lighting designer Andrew Cissna, sound designer Bryce Page and stage manager Amanda Clayton have made memorable contributions to a work that will undoubtedly take a strong position in the American one-act genre.

For more photos of "One in Two," you're welcome to visit my Bonnie Briar Productions web site.

Cheers,
Bob

Revisiting Aristophanes

"Lysistration" at the Warehouse Main Stage

by Paul Gillis


"Lysistration", by Deborah Randall and Allan Scott, is obviously inspired by Aristophanes' Lysistrata, whose name meant "Dissolves armies". But Lysistrata's modern counterparts in this musical play have more on their minds than just stopping a war. They mean to do nothing less than end all the cruelty, oppression and evil that men are doing in the world.


A secret sisterhood gathers for this purpose, and plans are made to use a diabolical device against their enemies, which one of the women discovered while working at NIH.




But much goes wrong with their plans, and mayhem ensues. But eventually, after several lively musical numbers, reconciliation of some sort is reached, and peace between the sexes may possibly reign.


This production of the Venus Theatre definitely made for a memorable evening. Deborah Randall, who wrote the script, even works herself into the play as an observer, or perhaps a dreamer who imagines the whole story--and has a cathartic scene at the end, in the company of her characters.


For more photos of this production, see my web gallery at

http://paulgillis.phanfare.com/album/338390/487613#imageID=22275771

Just Try to Breathe

NUVOE presents "Breathe"

by Paul Gillis

Nu Visions of Excellence Theatre Co. is presenting Javon Johnson's play "Breathe" in the Melton Rehearsal Hall at Wooly Mammoth. The space is not too small, but it feels positively claustrophobic watching this story of two boys jailed for murder, the events in their lives leading up to this, and its awful effect on their families.


One family is black, and one is white. The boys commit their crimes in very different circumstances, but the playwrite seems to be exploring the similarities in the forces that led to the two tragedies--and of course many others in our violent world.



There will be one more performance of "Breathe", on Sunday afternoon.

More pictures can be seen at:
http://paulgillis.phanfare.com/album/338390/490907#imageID=22435315

New Dance from the Indian Tradition

"Classical & Contemporary" by Tehreema Mitha Dance Co.

by Paul Gillis


Tehreema Mitha has been dancing her whole life. Growing up in Pakistan, she was trained in the classical Bharatanatyam style of dance. As an adult, she took up choreography, and felt a need to develop the dance in modern directions, building on the classical traditions. She eventually came to the U.S., apparently feeling that her experiments were too restricted by the cultural climate of her home.


Her Fringe program on the wooly Mammoth main stage, "Classical & Contemporary", showcases dances in traditional style, very contemporary dance, and works that are a blend of the old & new.


One thing all these dances had was a strong narrative element, but in the classical dances it was more stylized, and less obvious to an observer (like me) unschooled in the traditions. The contemporary pieces had a very clear theatrical dynamic. After seeing this program, I came away thinking that American choreographers could learn a lot from the Indian traditions.


To see more photos of these dances, go to

http://paulgillis.phanfare.com/album/338390/490155#imageID=22398909

A White House Tale

A Comedy Improv From the Lincoln Bedroom

By Bob Morrison

Conceived and directed by Frank Mancino with malice aforethought, "A White House Tale" updates the Dickens classic Christmas story. The President (Kim Curtis), who is also son of a President, is visited at his cot in the Lincoln Bedroom by former occupants of the mansion.


Among them are FDR


Winston Churchill,


Eleanor Roosevelt,


and Helen Thomas.


There's a hilarious bit on how she can be a ghost when she hasn't died yet. After all, it is improv.

When Dubya runs out of vacuous cliches, he reaches for quotes furnished by members of the audience. So pull out that Bush Quote of the Day calendar. If you're going to enjoy this show, you probably have one.

For more photos from "A White House Tale," head on over to my Bonnie Briar Productions web site. You'll be welcome there, podner.

Cheers.
Bob

Madness, Menopause and More

A Woman's Journey

Fanning the Flames, Getting Pressed, Condi and More

By Bob Morrison

"Madness, Menopause and More," says the program notes, "was created from Debra Mims' personal experiences with life." Well, yes. But she has successfully universalized those experiences into vignettes of comic truth that all women (and most men) can appreciate and enjoy. It's at the Goethe Institute Mainstage at 812 7th Street N.W. with performances at 7 Saturday and 2:30 Sunday.


Her vivid red outfit matches the flamboyance of her personality as Mims launches into her recital of the mature woman's experience. She fires off one-liners about hot flashes early on, and milks mammograms for comedy (Call them Manograms--"that press MUST have been invented by a MAN.")


From memorable encounters with a hot comb to musings on Condi and blondes, Mims delivers.




If you're a short, white racist and sexist male boss you might pause before reserving your ticket. Otherwise, enjoy the show. For more photos from "Madness, Menopause and More," visit my Bonnie Briar Productions web site.

Cheers.
Bob

Going My Way?

"My Way Little Girl" in the Warehouse Alley

by Paul Gillis


Last night I caught the second Fringe performance of "My Way Little Girl" in the alley next to the Warehouse Arts Center. (The first was on the Kennedy Center Millenium Stage.) This was definitely one of the most remarkable, out-of-the-mainstream programs I have seen at the Fringe this year.



Called an "installation piece", it begins with a tableau vivant of provocatively dressed women lounging on hay bales around a sleeping male figure, and banjo music. (The musical accompaniment by Dan Mazer is quite effective; there are no spoken words.) A stern woman teacher gives a mysterious lesson to a girl; then the man dons a doctor's garb and all hell breaks loose.





The piece was created by Andrew Zox, and seems to have been dredged up from a deep level of dreams. But to my mind, it dealt with very real cultural issues--specifically, the control and oppression of women, and the domination of the medical establishment over the process of childbirth.

The alley setting is very effective. The thought of it playing at the Ken Cen is particularly amazing--but I heard there was a very good Q & A session there after the performance. This is definitely a show to see if you are seeking the real Fringe element. More photos are posted in my web gallery:
http://paulgillis.phanfare.com/album/338390/490153#imageID=22398850

Death Before Dying

Modern and Sufi Dance, and Cross Fertilization

By Bob Morrison

Everything I know about sufi dance could fit on the period at the end of this sentence. Nonetheless, my ignorance did not prevent me from throughly enjoying Death Before Dying, a fusion of this exotic dance vocabulary with the more familiar one of the Western World's modern dance.


Conceived, produced and directed by the single-named Arpita, the show also benefits from live sufi and rock music by the band Moksha. At first I found it interesting to hear how the music changed when the dancers from Arpita's Eastern dancers and choreographer Jane Franklin's Western dancers traded places on stage.


Then I began to hear the eastern instruments adding their alternate scales and tunings to the rock numbers, and the electric guitars joining the accompaniment to songs sung in a language I couldn't understand.


The dancers, likewise, began adding gestures and poses from their opposite counterparts.




The program notes delineate a story line of love and violence. I never was able to follow it. When I mentioned this to Arpita the following day, she replied, "Well, it's pretty abstract." So I felt a little better. Maybe I'm not hopelessly provincial after all.

What I was able to do was thoroughly enjoy the beautiful form and motion of the dancing of two cultures, and the subtle changes taking place with cross-fertilization between them.


More images from "Death and Dying" are available for your viewing pleasure at my Bonnie Briar Productions web site. Please visit.

Cheers,
Bob

Love & War: With the Bard's Broads & Dames

Dark-Light Duels of Movement and Language

By Bob Morrison

Shakespeare, I believe, is tampered with at almost certain peril. Yet once in a while everything works and we remark fresh insights into his classics. "Love & War: With the Bard's Broads & Dames" is a happy example of the latter, playing in Touchstone Gallery on the second floor of 406 7th Street.

"War/Piece," the first of two parts, presents views on war by a variety of Sheakespeare heroines, from Hecate and the three witches to Katherina in "The Taming of the Shrew." Principal Hilary Kacser, who also serves as producer, portrays these ladies with stirring word and deft dance, echoed and complimented by the ensemble of Jordan Boughrum, Jennifer Crooks (also the director) and Liesyl Franz.







Part number two, "The Juliet Project," explores a single heroine in the guise of letters left a the Tomb of Juliet in Verona, Italy. Drawing on the Shakespeare piece, as well as responses to these letters by Club di Giulietta, Boughrum, Crooks and Franz are joined by Jason McIntosh and Mike Wong.






There will be two more performances of Love & War at Touchstone, Friday the 27th at 7 p.m. and Saturday the 28th at 9 p.m.

For photos of a dress rehearsal, see my July 18 blog. For more photographs of the performance, please visit my Bonnie Briar Productions web site.

Cheers.
Bob