MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL…
The walls are tumbling down (at least that’s the way this guy sees it). One of the joys of writing for this blog is the opportunity to visit theatres throughout Southern California while experiencing LIVE theatre at its finest. Some of these theatres boast the cream of the crop Equity actors on their roster, some advertise their professional credentials with glowing excerpts of reviews and some offer sincere testimonials from the experts. Then there are the community theatres that labor day in and day out at the altar of Thespis, hoping to do justice to the best of dramatic literature often on a shoestring budget, yet with creative minds ablaze and talented actors ever at the ready. If the theatregoer only checks in with The Old Globe or the Pasadena Playhouse, he likely will miss a heckuva lot of passionate theatre featuring occasionally dazzling talent trodding the boards at these local venues. Case in point: CORONADO PLAYHOUSE.
Today’s theatre on the menu is A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE playing for a few more weeks in the friendly confines of CORONADO PLAYHOUSE. It may be across the bay, but if the Arts enthusiast is missing the offerings of this place or the always stimulating work from the LAMB’S PLAYERS THEATRE (currently featuring ONCE) down the street, perhaps a reordering of priorities may be in order.
Now to the play at hand, a flawed musical with some glorious music and lyrics with an Irish tinge by the team of Stephen Flaherty/Lynn Ahrens and a book based on the movie of the same title crafted by Terrence McNally. This reviewer remembers when it bowed initially at the MITZI NEWHOUSE THEATRE at Lincoln Center in New York City (NYC). At that time It received uneven, yet respectful reviews highlighting the production’s many joys and bemoaning its deficiencies. Art can be moving without being perfect and that is my experience at today’s matinee performance.
LIVE THEATRE it is. My review filters the playgoing adventure by way of a lifetime of unique happenings in my own life. Another person sitting in that audience today undoubtedly will respond using her own guideposts and touchstones. That is as it should be.
The themes of this play are universal ones: friendship, respect, self-doubt, narrow-mindedness, community, etc. Ostensibly, the plot centers on a group of friends who gather together occasionally in the local church to earn their amateur acting stripes (and enjoy camaraderie) using the words of Oscar Wilde, one of Ireland’s famous playwrights. This year the director “Alfie Byrne” (Barron Henzel), who has built an enduring friendship with all of his actors via his job as ticket taker on the local commuter bus, chooses the scandalous play in the Oscar Wilde repertoire. Not the mainstays AN IDEAL HUSBAND, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN or A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE…no, it’s SALOME (with John the Baptist’s head on a platter and the tantalizing “Dance of the Seven Veils” ready for the attention of these aspiring players.
If ever there were an ensemble piece, THE MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE is that play. The heart of this musical comedy-drama, though, takes three central characters among this ensemble and mirrors their interactions using the historical guide of Oscar Wilde himself, his lover Lord Alfred Douglas,“Bosie”, (Vander Turner) and the Marquis of Queensberry, Bosie’s father, (Ralph Johnson). Enough said about the particulars. It is better that the reader engage in his own “particular” adventures.
Director Manny Bejarano oversees the entire production and deserves our gratitude. Kirk Valles provides musical guidance to the actors and conducts the jaunty sounds of the 6-pc orchestra with flair. Patrick Mayuyu designs some rather distinctive choreography. Dialect coaching is in the hands of the amazing Vanessa Dinning. Likewise, a very capable Marcene Drysdale is responsible for the 60’s Dublin costumes.
As is the case with many plays, the show lives and dies with the work of the ensemble. Ladies and gentlemen, I hoist a Guinness to your success!
pc: Ken Jacques
Theatre Curtain Calling…Reviewing the Situation
