Steamships and railroads ushered in an era of mad adventuring in the 19th century, so it’s no surprise that Phileas Fogg, a gentleman of means, decides to circumnavigate the globe. The difference is that Fogg, a member of London’s progressive Reform Club, has been challenged by the club’s president to complete his journey in no […]
Front Row
Posted inArts + Scene
Word Play
As a young boy, I lost a classwide spelling bee on the word “broccoli.” My teacher said I spelled it with two ‘l’s (I didn’t, and I will die on that hill if I must). So when Chip Tolentino (Evan Needham) was eliminated on “tittup” in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, I empathized. […]
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Epic Battles
Ripcord David Lindsay-Abaire’s Ripcord, the current production at Redwood Curtain, reunites three local favorites, director Cassandra Hesseltine and lead players Peggy Metzger and Susan Abbey, who teamed up for Lindsay-Abaire’s excellent Good People at Redwood Curtain earlier this year. It’s a dream team that’s clearly at home with the touching and humorous perspective on life […]
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Herr Monster
There’s a monster in the Cream City, und as long as ze young Frankenshtein walks the earth, ve vill never be safe! That’s right Dear Reader, Mel Brooks’ musical Young Frankenstein is come to the Ferndale Repertory Theater. I have been a Mel Brooks fan since I was a tyke and stayed up later than […]
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Murder Mystery with an English Twist
There’s nothing quite like a good murder mystery (especially a British one — I admit I may be biased on this point). That’s just what’s on offer with the latest production of Frederick Knott’s Dial ‘M’ for Murder at the North Coast Repertory Theatre. If you’re not familiar with the story from the Hitchcock movie, […]
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In the Prime of (Artificial) Life
Anyone who’s spent any time online in the last few years has undoubtedly encountered a chatbot — that helpful cyber-entity that’s always ready to (try to) answer your questions. Now imagine that chatbot — and its self-limiting conversational skills — has left cyberspace and moved in with you, taking on the holographic form of a […]
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Not in Kansas
Director Victor Fleming’s 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, when one thinks about it, may be the most famous ever made. Its characters, lyrics and even throwaway lines have endured as iconic for eight decades, entered the global lexicon and, in some cases, even become rather tired clichés. It’s possible modern audiences don’t […]
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Portrait of the Wizard as a Young Man
Myths and legends can hold more truth than any history book, according to Geoffrey of Monmouth, the 12th century monk who first wrote down the story of young Merlin, the boy who became his own legend and mentor to the great King Arthur Pendragon. The latest retelling of this many-layered story, The Legend of Young […]
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Wilde’s Ernest Wit
Oscar Wilde was a world-class wit, back when such a term seemed more relevant, and he lived just 46 years until his early death in 1900. A poet and playwright, he’s someone whose canon of published and staged works doesn’t live on and endure so much as, well, the things he said and wrote in […]
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Hedda Gabler Breaks the Sisyphean Loop
The lights of the Redwood Curtain Theater go down and a woman’s voice comes out of nowhere, “I hear what you are saying, Tesman. But how am I to get through the evenings out here?” No, you aren’t two hours late for Hedda Gabler, you’re just in time for Jeff Whitty’s The Further Adventures of […]
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Behind the Mask of the Universal Soldier
The connection between the title of this year’s Mad River Festival summer show Ruzzante Comes Home from the War and Dell’Arte International may seem a bit of a stretch, but digging under the surface uncovers a timeless tribute to theatre of place. The original version of this play was written in the Commedia dell’Arte style […]
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Thesis Festival Time
May is always an exciting month at Dell’Arte. It’s when the multinational class of graduating students stages its final ensemble creations — the culmination of the school’s three-year MFA program. Each of this year’s thesis pieces has been written, performed and directed by the students and brings together Dell’Arte’s signature theater of place with their […]