Bard takes it over the top
by Christopher Key

There were times during the recent production of The Boys from Syracuse, based on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, when I wondered if we weren’t taking it too far over the top. I needn’t have worried. Bard on the Beach’s version of Comedy matched the Bellingham Theatre Guild production pratfall for pratfall, anachronism for anachronism and pop culture reference for pop culture reference. Boldly taking Shakespeare where no one has taken Shakespeare before requires a rather large codpiece and Bard’s got it. Got them. And they’re brass.

Appropriately enough, Bard Artistic Director Christopher Gaze set the tone by appearing in outlandish Elizabethan drag. He had the audience howling and got a round of applause before he ever said a word. For that, he can thank costume designer Mara Gottler who obviously had a field day with this production.

Bard veteran David Mackay directs this romp with tongue firmly planted in cheek and doesn’t miss a chance to exploit Shakespeare’s gift for bawdy humor. He sets the show in Elizabethan London rather than ancient Greece, complete with gap-toothed beggars and rats-on-a-stick. Don’t ask. You won’t believe what can emerge from exaggerated codpieces.

Those pop culture references range from Star Trek to Twilight Zone to The Doors. Kudos to Sound Designer Murray Price whose transformation of “Light My Fire” into a Gregorian chant is masterful. The technical wizardry in this show almost steals the show from the actors. They steal it right back.

The Dromio twins should own this show if cast correctly. Shawn Macdonald and Ryan Beil are up to the job and it doesn’t hurt that they both manage to channel Monty Python icon Eric Idle. Good choice.

Bob Frazer could probably portray Oprah Winfrey and make me believe it. He and Bard newcomer Kevin MacDonald play the Antipholus twins to perfection and provide a convincing argument that superb actors can portray twins even when they don’t look that much alike.

When I reviewed Othello a couple of weeks ago, I spotted Colleen Wheeler in the audience and it was obvious that she has a bun in the oven. She and director Mackay use that circumstance to great effect in her role as Adrianna and, as usual, Wheeler owns the stage. I don’t mind admitting that I think Jennifer Lines is one of Bard’s major assets. She plays Luciana with the sensitivity and verve that I have come to expect from her.

Jennifer Lines and Colleen Wheeler portray Luciana and Adrianna in the Bard on the Beach production of The Comedy of Errors.

The supporting actors are vital to this show and their superb performances are what make Bard on the Beach such a world-class treasure. One of them, Amber Lewis, as the Courtesan, not only gave a riveting performance, but flirted with me on the way up the aisle. Did she know I was a reviewer or does she just have phenomenal instincts? Way to go, Amber. It got you into the review.

The Comedy of Errors plays through September 26 at Bard on the Beach, Vanier Park, Vancouver, BC. Tickets are $18 - $34 and reservations are mandatory. Call 604-739-0559 or Toll Free (North America): 1-877-739-0559. For more information, go to http://www.bardonthebeach.org/.

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Bard’s Othello sizzles
by Christopher Key

Last week’s record setting high temperatures inspired Bard on the Beach Artistic Director Christopher Gaze to remind the audience that they were huddling under blankets and he was wearing long woolies on opening night, 2008. Such is Junuary in Lower Mainland British Columbia. The cast and crew of Othello certainly did nothing to lower the temperature inside the Mainstage tent at Vancouver’s Vanier Park.

It was a stroke of genius to schedule this production after last year’s King Lear since the two tragedies have much in common: dysfunctional families, scheming politicians, lots of sex and violence. What’s not to like? Director Dean Paul Gibson has been with Bard for 18 of its 20 seasons and he knows how to get the most from an extraordinary cast.

Michael Blake makes an impressive Bard debut in the title role with a wrenching portrayal of a good man undone by jealousy. Othello, of course, is a Moor. Shakespeare used this device to score some telling points about racism and Gibson pointedly reminds us that real life is not about black and white, but shades of gray.

Bard veteran Bob Frazer should be charged with grand theatrical larceny in his role as Iago, the scheming ensign who concocts a convoluted plot to take revenge on Othello for passing him over for promotion. Complete with a “high-and-tight” military haircut, Frazer takes such boyish pleasure in his machinations that he almost becomes a sympathetic character. I don’t use the term tour-de-force lightly.

Othello’s paramour Desdemona is far too often portrayed as something of a naïf, caught up in maelstrom beyond her comprehension. I expect better from Bard on the Beach and was not disappointed in the least with Naomi Wright’s interpretation. She gives us a strong and sensual Desdemona that makes her ending that much more tragic.

Jennifer Lines, who was so enchanting in last season’s The Tempest, gives a late-blooming, but volcanic portrayal of Iago’s wife Emelia. Her towering outrage at what her husband has done is absolutely flawless.

As always, the entire cast is bulletproof. However, they were not immune to the hot weather, hotter lights and hottest costumes designed by Mara Gottler. Everyone endured the sauna with admirable aplomb and probably lost a few pounds in the process.

This year’s Mainstage set is elegantly simple and the muted colors fit perfectly with the ominous nature of Othello. It will be interesting to see how that works in this year’s other Mainstage production, The Comedy of Errors. That review will be forthcoming in a couple of weeks.

Othello plays in repertory with Comedy through September 25. Reservations are essential and can be made by calling the box office at (604) 739-0559 or by going to www.bardonthebeach.org. Prices range from $18 - $34 and are as big a theatrical bargain as you will find anywhere on the planet. Remember that you will need a passport or enhanced driver’s license at the border this year.

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Elaborate Enchantment
By Sally Lubetich

The Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth’s production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, directed by David Post is a talent extravaganza!

The eighty-six-member cast of very talented kids gives life to this production, which was first done as a highly successful animated feature. The songs and story will be very familiar to children who have seen the cartoon. But something very special happens when a cartoon comes to life. It has a pulse, it breathes, and it has a momentum that can only be experienced live.

Savanna Balfour is marvelous as Belle. Her talent shines throughout the performance. Brad Anderson is frightfully good as the Beast. His songs are beautifully sung and very moving. Jack Eiford is a riot as Gaston the conceited and nefarious rival for Belle’s affections. Candice Lundy (Mrs. Potts), Zoe Sheubkopf  (Cogsworth), Kaleb VanRijswijck  (Lumier) and Abrah Fridberg (Babette) are terrific as the enchanted and enchanting castle staff.  There are so many noteworthy supporting performances, from Gaston’s minions singing “No one looks like Gaston” to the entire silverware drawer’s rousing number “Be Our Guest”. Even the vaudeville style skits that are done during scene changes keep the audience entertained.

This isn’t just a “princess” story. There is an amazingly choreographed fight scene between The Beast and Gaston that will take your breath away. Certain elements of the play may be frightening to small children. But this production is so beautifully done that the scary moments serve to enliven the story all the more.

With its rich ornate décor, The Mount Baker Theatre is the ideal venue for this production. The elaborate set, designed by Steve Craig, transforms from village, to castle, to deep dark woods with the help of a top-notch stage crew, led by Stage Manager Lacey Oleson.

This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to live theater.

Beauty and the Beast runs for three show only. Friday, June 5, 2009 at 7:30 pm and Saturday June 6, 2009 at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm. Call 360-734-6080 or online at www.mauntbakertheatre.com for tickets.

Triple treat at WCC
by Christopher Key

Whatcom Community College’s Experimental Theatre Project has been combining some rather potent chemicals in the basement laboratory and is unleashing the results on an unsuspecting world this week. The scientific method, when applied to theatre, means that the director is testing hypotheses to see what works and what doesn’t. This can lead to mixed results, but the process is, as Mr. Spock would say, “Fascinating, Captain, but illogical.” Of course, anyone who tries to apply logic to theatre is probably a Vulcan and I think I’ve probably mixed that metaphor enough.

The current offering from the project is a sort of post-modern Chautauqua, with olio acts interspersed among three short plays. As the audience enters, four actors stand in the corners of a square, backed by four musicians. The actors move around and through square and as each moves, a specific instrument plays. The instruments consist of a snare drum, a cymbal, a cowbell and a didgiridoo. Seemingly moving at random, the actors test the abilities of the musicians to play or not depending on which actor is moving. At first, it is confusing until you clue into what is going on and then it becomes hypnotic and quite lovely.

Ubiquitous Nathan Dodge then delivers a raucous monologue that I will not spoil for you because the olio acts may change from night to night. I hope you see and hear Nathan’s

Next comes a piece directed by John Gonzales with the pithy title “Of Spiders and Snakes and Other Pestiferous Personages.” This consists of five actors reciting poetry about our multi-legged friends by Donne, Barton, Blake, Howitt, Whitman, Dickenson and others. Some of the actors in this piece are first-time performers and it showed. Nothing to be ashamed of. That is what the scientific, and theatrical, method is all about.

The second olio bit featured the delightful Alyssa Flaherty as a parochial school teacher trying to explain human reproduction to her class without violating any of her vows. It features a banana and a doughnut and was a very (re)productive experiment.

Sister Alyssa demonstrates the ins and outs of human reproduction to her class of innocents.

For those of us whose memories seem to be deteriorating rapidly, the second play was nothing short of frightening. It’s called “Zero Sum Mind,” written by Stephen Gregg and directed by the mad scientist Joel Simler. It’s an experiment in economics and psychology that will have you wishing you could have taken that last offramp from the information superhighway.

The third olio is set to a tune by Nathan Dodge called “Summer Girl” and features the dancing of a lovely and gifted woman whose name I can’t identify in the program. My apologies to you for succumbing to deadline pressures and not giving you the credit that is due. Mea maxima culpa.

The final experiment demonstrates that the luminous Shu-ling Zhao is as gifted a director as she is an actor. She has taken an August Strindberg piece called “The Stronger” that was written for two actors and expanded it to include five actors in a sort of Greek Chorus interpretation. It is a grand experiment that pays off very well.

Rather than try to sort out the actors and musicians by show, I will just say that they all are worthy of the experiment: Erika Almakaar, Madeline Engar, William Lowry, Lance Rogers, Brandon Stremlar, Trevor Van Houten, Todd Gibbs, Tim Greger, Evan Krause, Alice Despopoulos, Alyssa Flaherty, Todd Gibbs, Joel Simler, Cori Olmstead, and Bree Whinnery.

3 Plays 3 Directors plays June 4 – 6 at Whatcom Community College’s Syre Student Center Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $5 at the door. It’s a grand experiment.

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Don’t miss the Boys
by Sally Lubetich

The Boys from Syracuse is the final production of Bellingham Theatre Guild’s 80th season. It’s the perfect time for a riotous and racy romp in ancient Greece. From the opening number you know you’re in for a swinging musical comedy and what more could you want?

This is Christopher Key’s directing debut at Bellingham Theatre Guild. His joyful enthusiasm for this production is obvious and justified.

The story is (very loosely) based on Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, wherein two sets of twins lost at sea and living separate lives are finally reunited through a series of misadventures. This version, written by George Abbott with music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart, keeps a lively pace with punches, punch lines and pratfalls flying throughout. The music is beautiful and the lyrics are hysterical. You may want to see it twice just to hear what you missed while you were laughing so hard the first time.

The beautiful set, designed by Lacey Oleson and crafted by The Guild’s set building artists, is a clever blend of hard and soft surfaces. With a little stage magic it becomes the 33rd character in this show.

The talented cast is filled with many newcomers to the Guild stage along with a handful of superb veteran actors who keep the comedic confusion rolling. Christopher Ballou is outstanding as Antipholus of Syracuse. His interaction with the citizens of Ephesus is a scream. James Tweedale is highly entertaining as the randy twin Antipholus of Ephesus. Jen McQuaide is fabulous as the much-frustrated Luce. Both Henley Slepyan and Vanessa Mills sing like angels. Shelly Lyon is wonderfully cast as the lead courtesan and major rival for the affections of both Antipholi. There are so many special performances, from the sweetly sung “This Can’t Be Love” to a delightful all-male Rockettes number. But I must admit that those Dromios steal the show. Robin Stift (Dromio of Ephesus) and Kyle Henick (Dromio of Syracuse) are just plain hilarious.

Shelby Ford, Olivia Shrum, Becca Orlowski, Jana Gueck, Henley Slepyan, Vanessa Mills, Jen McQuaide, Robin Stift and Kyle Henick are among the many stars in The Boys from Syracuse.

Musical Director Alan Peet leads the three-piece jazz ensemble. The music is lively and upbeat and the musicians interact with the performance to the delight of the audience.

If you need a good laugh, and who doesn’t these days, escape to ancient Greece with The Boys from Syracuse. But do hurry because this one will sell out soon.

The Boys from Syracuse runs from May 29 - June 14 at the Bellingham Theatre Guild, 1600 H Street. Call the box office at 360-733-1811 for tickets and show information. Adults $12, Students/Seniors 62+ $10, Children $8. There is some material that may not be suitable for young children. It is a sex farce, after all.

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Shawn does Shakespeare
by Christopher Key

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of both Shawn Fuller and the Whatcom Community College theatre program. The sly Ms. Fuller knows how to milk every last drop of humor from any show she directs and her current production of William (Bill to his friends) Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream demonstrates that she is, indeed, a good friend of Bill’s.

Bill’s plays tend to be categorized as either comedies or tragedies, but Midsummer, along with The Tempest deserve a separate category: fantasy. As a fantasist, The Bard has inspired everyone from Tolkein to Lovecraft and who better to steal from than the master thief himself. Midsummer is the lighter of Bill’s fantasies and offers the determined milkmaid some udderly magnificent opportunities for sheer silliness.

Fuller has an instinctive genius for casting the right people in the right roles and this show is no exception. Most of her actors play dual roles in this production, which is an enormous challenge. The actors rise to the occasion, without exception.

Todd Gibbs, who has a gift for understated performances, manages to bring that same subtlety to this generally over-the-top production as Theseus and Oberon. His paramour, in both his incarnations, is played by the delightful Ned Olmstead, who also knows a thing or two about subtlety.

Midsummer features two of Shakespeare’s consummate fools, Bottom and Puck. John Gonzales gives a definitive performance as Bottom and my assessment is based on having seen quite a few actors in this role. Trevor Van Houten brings his superb gifts for physicality and sheer lunacy to the role of Puck. It’s not easy being green.

Trevor Van Houten as Puck and Todd Gibbs as Oberon plot mischief in the Whatcom Community College production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The enchanting Alyssa Flaherty is blessed with extraordinary eyes and uses them to great effect in the roles of Helena and Snug. Riley Penaluna can channel Pythonesque characters better than anyone I know and uses that gift to great effect as Lysander and Flute.

The multi-talented Nathan Dodge not only plays Egeus and Mustardseed to perfection, but also designed the set, the lighting and composed the music. Ash Henning, whom I have not had the privilege of seeing before, gives an amazing performance as Hermia and Quince and displays a gift for vocalization that is dead-on.

As Demetrius and Snout, Mark Haan is the ultimate dweeb/dork/geek and that is no small achievement in a production wherein all the other participants get to overact. Christina Oldaker demonstrates her innate understanding of faerie in her dual roles of Peaseblossom and Philostrate as does Sarah Summit as Cobweb/Starveling.

Costumes and makeup play a vital role in this production and Lacey Oleson, the Energizer Bunny® of local theatre, deserves enormous credit for both. It’s not often that you hear an audience convulsed by laughter throughout a Shakespeare production, but there are no respites in this one. It is wonderfully comic from start to finish and what better way to forget the troublous economic times than an evening at the theatre.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream plays May 21 – 29 at the Whatcom Community College Black Box Theatre. Curtain time is 7:30. Tickets are $10, $5 for those with a student ID.
Would that all our dreams should be so amusing.

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Murder mystery musical magical
by Christopher Key

There seems to be an unending number of variations on this theatrical theme: a group of oddball characters stranded in a spooky old house during a storm and someone is snuffing them one by one. The reason this theme gets repeated is because it offers enormous potential for character exploration. Not to mention the opportunities for astonishingly astute alliteration. Apologies.

Claire vg Thomas Theatre in Lynden is offering one of the more virtuoso variations on this theme with its production of Something’s Afoot, opening this week. The originator of the genre has probably been lost to history, but the iconic Agatha Christie popularized it with her novel And Then There Were None, aka Ten Little Indians. Something’s Afoot was concocted by James McDonald, David Vos, and Robert Gerlach, with additional music by Ed Linderman.

One of the things that theatrical audiences have come to love about these shows is that they almost always feature ingenious sets with various murderous features that help to off the cast. In fact, the set is often the star of the show and this production furthers that tradition. Technical Director Marc Cutler’s ingenious creation may steal the show on occasion, but the cast is strong enough to steal it right back.

Leading the way is the rock-solid veteran Linda Telfer who gives Angela Lansbury a run for her money as the amateur sleuth, Miss Tweed. Larrin Weidenaar delivers another star turn as the veddy British veteran of the Indja campaigns, Col. Gillweather. The butler may not have done it, but Josh Henry seems to have some sort of structural fundament implanted in his spine as Clive.

Erin M. Kays and Cody Caseria are hysterically funny as the upstairs maid and the chauffeur, especially in their salacious song “A Tiny Little Dinghy.” Alan Birdsall, as the scheming nephew, builds on his well-deserved reputation for physical comedy and his singing voice is…ummmm…to die for.

There are, of course, the inevitable young lovers who meet by chance, across a crowded room and all that. They are played to perfection by Karen Pollack and Rossner Gideon. They have, perhaps, the two best singing voices in the show and are given ample opportunity to demonstrate their talent.

In all of these variations on a theme, there is usually a doctor and Dave Duncan fulfills that role with great panache. Speaking of French, Susan Duncan (is there a relationship here?) portrays the formidable Lady Manley-Prowe with eloquent distortions of la langue français.

Director Earl Reid, of Nearly-Stellar fame, has done an admirable job with both the staging and the coaching of accents. This story takes place in Old Blighty and the multitudinous accents of the Auld Sod are notoriously difficult for amateur actors to reproduce. The accents in this show are remarkably consistent and that’s unusual in community theatre.

Yeah, we’ve seen this show before in one incarnation or another. But we’ve enjoyed most of them and that’s the bottom line. Something’s Afoot is great fun.

Something’s Afoot opens April 29 and runs through May 23 at the Claire vg Thomas Theatre, 655 Front Street in Lynden. Tickets are $13 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. Make reservations at (360) 354-4425, Visa and MasterCard accepted. For more information: http://www.clairevgtheatre.org/.

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Perfect show for the times
by Christopher Key

In the theatre, timing is often everything. When director Patrick Dizney proposed The Diviners to the Bellingham Theatre Guild over a year ago, he probably didn’t know that the economy would be echoing the Great Depression by the time the play opened. Timing sometimes relies as much on luck as skill.

Jim Leonard’s script is a worthy companion to Depression-era dramas such as The Rainmaker and The Grapes of Wrath. Dizney and his talented cast and crew make it as contemporary as tomorrow’s headlines.

First of all, this is one of the most visually and aurally stunning productions you will ever see and hear. Set designer MaryAlice Hare has created a work of art that makes you wish she could have signed her name at the bottom. The colors and curves perfectly evoke the rolling farmland of Indiana. Nick McDonald’s lighting effects are devastating and Devan Wardrop-Saxton’s evocative sound design is deceptively simple. She plays the dulcimer in the offstage shadows to great effect.

All this technical wizardry would be distracting if the actors didn’t deliver top-notch performances. They do and the total effect is extraordinary.

Geno Reidinger, III, is nothing short of brilliant in his portrayal of the disturbed young boy whose love/hate relationship with water drives the plot. As the smooth-talking preacher trying to run away from his past, David Tristen Baggenstos delivers a sensitive and moving performance.

David Tristin Baggenstos as CC Showers, Geno Riedinger III as Buddy Layman, Brandice Thompson as Jennie Mae Layman in the Bellingham Theatre Guild production of The Diviners.

Newcomer Jim Agnello claims he knew nothing about acting before this show, which is difficult to believe given his solid performance as the disturbed boy’s father. Ken Gunning, on the other hand, is a gifted veteran who displays his amazing range with a nuanced portrayal of a neighboring farmer.

Brandice Thomas is another newcomer to the BTG stage and is charmingly gawky as the disturbed boy’s sister. Jen Dickenson, who graces nearly every stage Whatcom County has to offer, brings her wonderful physicality to the role of Gunning’s wife.

As a pair of evangelical wannabes, Vicky Moyle and Mary Beth Hawkins bring an authentic religious fervor to their roles. Another talented pair of BTG newcomers, Phillip J. Wheeler and Kristien Ruggiero-Upton play farmhands whose efforts at learning to dance provide a comic highlight.

Western Washington theatre student Leah Harff has been acting since age six and that experience shows in her portrayal of a farm girl who chafes under the social restrictions of the times.

Hard times drive people toward the comforts of religion, then as now. That is a major theme in The Diviners and water serves as the metaphor for God. The water giveth and the water taketh away. It is unfortunate that dramas like The Diviners don’t attract the audiences that comedies and musicals do. This superb production may change a lot of peoples’ attitudes and I can’t urge you strongly enough to make your reservations now. There is some strong language and parents should take that into consideration before bringing children.

The Diviners plays March 20 – April 5 at the Bellingham Theatre Guild Playhouse, 1600 H Street. Evening performances are at 8:00 and Sunday matinees at 2:00. Tickets are $11 for adults, $9 for seniors (over 62) and students, and $7 for children under 12. Reservations (strongly recommended) may be made by calling the BTG box office at (360) 733-1811. Box office hours are Tuesday – Saturday 1:00 – 6:00 p.m. Cash, checks, Visa and Mastercard accepted. www.bellinghamtheatreguild.com.

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BAAY’s Willy Wonka is sweet
by Christopher Key

Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth (BAAY) has only been around for a few years, but it has become a local institution. I know this because I am now seeing the younger siblings of BAAY actors I reviewed several years ago. Their latest confection is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Before the show, director Mattie Wheeler and I were wondering how much different our theatrical lives would have been if we had had something like BAAY around when we were kids. Suffice it to say that the local kids are performing in real shows at an age when Mattie and I were playing trees in Thanksgiving pageants.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory sprang from a 1964 Roald Dahl novel called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Most people know it from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder and Jack Albertson. The score, by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, received an Oscar and songs like “The Candy Man Can” and “Pure Imagination” will be familiar to everyone.

BAAY gives it new life with a cast of eight- to ten-year-olds who come across like champs. As usual, space limitations prevent me from mentioning every cast member and I apologize to them and their parents because some are going to hate me for not getting their names in the review. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it.

Cristina Perona performs the title role in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, March 12 - 15 at the Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth.

Elsie Dank is enchanting as Charlie Bucket, the poor kid who wins a golden ticket to tour the Chocolate Factory and becomes Willy Wonka’s successor. Elizabeth Pine steals the show as Mrs. Gloop, with a German accent than most adult actors couldn’t begin to approach.

Anthony Bowmer is dead-on as Mike TV, the kid hooked on modern technology. As the TV interviewer, Sydney Balfour shows the same attitude and stage presence as her older sister Savanna did in Peter Pan. Madicyn McCallum is perfectly snotty as the princess who believes she is entitled to everything.

The Purdie family has more talent than is really fair to the rest of us and young sister Marina portrays Grandpa Joe with a zest that does her older sisters proud. Those sisters, Brianna and Michelle, are always worth watching even when they are schlepping the set pieces about backstage. And that brings up the subject of the stage crew. They are extraordinary, manipulating the pieces of the set with dispatch, never taking away from the show as a whole.

There are some adults, in addition to director Mattie Wheeler, who have done some things worthy of a mention. Nathan Dodge designed the ingenious set and continues to amaze with how he can make magic out of nothing. Stage Manager and Costume Designer Lacey Oleson is so gifted that no words I can come up with can possibly do her justice.

The same goes for Musical Director Steve Barnes. There is nothing I can say that captures the way he drives the kids to perform way beyond their capabilities. Choreographer Mary Evans has worked her usual magic, especially in the scenes with the Oompa Loompas.

If you love chocolate, and who doesn’t, don’t miss this BAAY show.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory performs March 12-15 at the BAAY performance space, 1059 North State Street. Thursday, Friday and Saturday performances at 7:00 p.m.; matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 at the door or may be purchased in advance from www.brownpapertickets.com.

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WCC sells Strindberg
by Christopher Key

August Strindberg doesn’t sell a lot of seats at the local community theatres. All the more reason to be grateful that Whatcom Community College has a drama department unafraid to tackle the playwrights who can make audiences squirm and laugh at the same time.

Swedish-born Strindberg was one of the leading proponents of naturalism in the theatre, a radical concept in the late 19th century. It may have shocked audiences used to Victorian melodrama, but it has served to make his works relevant into the 21st century. Creditors is just as fresh and pertinent today as it was in 1888. I doubt Strindberg would bat an eye at the pre-nuptial agreements that are so intrinsic to our post-modern marital arrangements. Indeed, given his somewhat cynical view of romance, he might have embraced them and possibly have saved himself a lot of trouble. Look up his bio.

The WCC production of Creditors takes place in one of my favorite venues, the Black Box Theatre at the Syre Student Center. Its intimate dimensions are perfect for this in-your-face examination of how people confuse relationships with financial transactions. It’s all about who gives and who takes, who wins and who loses, who charges too much interest and who doesn’t charge enough.

The characters risk too much in an overextended market and don’t risk enough on conservative investments. Sound familiar? They suddenly find themselves in an emotional recession and are desperately seeking someone to blame it on when they should be looking in a mirror. And there are no bailouts coming from the government.

Director Gerry Large deserves enormous credit for guiding his young actors through this emotional bull market and the resulting downturn. It is very tempting for inexperienced actors to pull out all the stops too soon and have nowhere left to go when it’s time for the coda. Large conducts them like an orchestral maestro and makes sure they don’t peak too soon.

Trevor Van Houten has an unusual gift for physicality and uses it to maximum effect in his portrayal of Adolph, whose bodily handicaps effectively reflect his emotional ones. Shu-ling Zhao has demonstrated her enormous range in many productions and expands on that as Adolph’s manipulative wife.

I have reviewed both these actors before and am therefore unsurprised, but delighted, at their continued development. Jared Greene, however, was an unknown quantity for me. I wondered if he had the chops to play on the same field as these two proven actors. He does, in spades. Not only does he hold his own against these superb actors, he carves out his own niche as a player to be reckoned with. I was particularly impressed with his emotional control when it was needed and his lack of control when that was called for. Greene is yet another example of the amazing talent that makes the WCC drama program so impressive.

Shu-ling Zhao and Jared Greene negotiate an emotional transaction in the Whatcom Community College production of August Strindberg's Creditors.

Strindberg’s play is totally dependent on words, with very little physical activity. This is a particularly difficult challenge for actors because they have to sell every word. They do and I bought every one.

Creditors plays March 4 – 7, 7:30 p.m., at Whatcom Community College’s Syre Student Center Black Box Theatre. Tickets are $5 at the door.

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