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July 21, 2005
Cat
got your tongue?
by ELLIN BELTZ
EVER FELT COMPLETELY ill at
ease in a social situation and wished you could avoid it at any
cost? Then you'll have compassion for Charlie, a pathologically
shy man who accompanies his outgoing buddy from England to a
fishing lodge in backwoods Georgia. The two decide to pretend
that Charlie is from an exotic country and can't speak English.
The locals believe the deception and speak freely around their
unusual foreign guest. Unfortunately for them, Charlie learns
far too much about the townspeople's lives -- good, bad and ugly.
The idea behind this sidesplitting comedy occurred
to the playwright while visiting Japan. The late Larry Shue noticed
his hosts were quick to overlook his social mistakes because
he didn't speak their language or really understand their culture.
Returning to the U.S., he saw the same processes at work here
and adeptly skewered them in this tale of politeness misplaced
and morality triumphant.
The Foreigner plays Thursdays through Sundays beginning Thursday,
July 28, at the North Coast Repertory Theatre, concluding the
run August 20, with all shows at 8 p.m. aside from one 2 p.m.
matinee on Sunday, August 14. The recently spruced up North Coast
Rep is surrounded by abundant street parking at 300 Fifth Street
in Eureka. Call 442-NCRT or visit www.ncrt.net for tickets and
more information.
[Illustration of
Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat]
A giant Cat in a tall, red-and-white
striped Hat leads the last show in the Ferndale Rep's 33rd season.
Seussical (the musical) adapts Dr. Seuss' topsy-turvy
world to the theater with dance, music and song. See the latest
incarnation of this family show at the Ferndale Repertory Theatre,
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Thursday, August
4, through Saturday, September 3. Check www.ferndale-rep.org
or call 786-5483 for more information.
Star Trek fans will want to call the Rep right now to book
seats for a reprise of the ever-popular Love Letters
by A.R. Gurney, performed by Rene Auberjonois and Marilyn McCormick,
September 17 and 18. Auberjonois, known to legions of Trekkies
as Odo, the shape-shifting alien aboard Deep Space 9,
has also appeared on Boston Legal and other television
programs and in several movies.
As the 33rd concludes, the Ferndale
Rep announces its 34th season lineup. From My Way,
a musical tribute to Ol' Blue Eyes, to a much anticipated return
of their holiday mega-hit, Best Christmas Pageant Ever,
the schedule promises one delight after another. If you've ever
thought of holding season tickets to Humboldt County's oldest
community theater, now is the time to get the best bang for your
buck. Call 786-5483 and ask Norma how to get great tickets for
the best price by investing in a season ticket now.
A fabulously sunny and warm
Annie and Marie Day marked the beginning of the Humboldt Folklife
Festival portion of Dell'Arte's Mad River Festival Sunday; the
same day a cabaret capped the 2005 Edgefest. The Folklife fest
continues this weekend including a very theatrical Northern
California Native Showcase on Thursday, July 21 at the Carlo
Theatre, with host Julian Lang bringing together traditional
and contemporary song, dance and spoken word from the Yurok,
Karuk and Wiyot traditions.
At Dell'Arte no grass grows
except in the Rooney Amphitheater and the company is already
preparing for its next show and a new crop of students due in
the fall. Always known for cutting-edge work, the latest offering
from Dell'Arte is no exception. Flock explores
the relationship of a woman and a bird as they leap together
into the unknown through physical theater, dance, visual humor
and poetry and puppetry. The wordless piece was written for a
company of ten by Dell'Arte's Founding Artistic Director Joan
Schirle, G.W Mercier and composer Gina Leishman. Flock
is a work-in-progress -- don't miss the birth of yet another
fascinating and innovative offering in Blue Lake, coming August
5 and 6, to the Carlo Theatre. Visit www.dellarte.com or call
the box office at 668-5663 for tickets and further information.
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