Washington Improv Theater’s political offering, POTUS Among Us is a non-partisan evening of silliness. POTUS Among Us progresses through a ‘primary’ of five candidates, which the audience then narrows down to two. The rest of the story is the election season — including staff meetings, stump speeches, vice-presidential candidates, and debates — up to the point in which the audience elects the new leader of the US of A.

While the basic premise is structured and led by two ‘media’ representatives, much of the content (for example, the candidates’ campaign platforms and slogans) is generated in response to slips of paper pulled from a basket. (In the particular performance I attended, this just happened to lead the evening down an avenue of ‘poop’ jokes.)

The ensemble of improvisers is supportive of one other. When they sense a scene is not working or needs to move on, they are quick to help. Each member of the ensemble brings a different sense of humor, which made for constant and interesting changes as the show progressed. It also helped to have a very receptive audience that understood that not every line can be a zinger in an improvised show. Going in with this understanding is best.

Set, lighting, and costumes were minimal, but definitely appropriate to keep the focus on the improv. Lighting and sound cues followed the impulses of the performers and kept up fairly well. The costumes were made from clothing likely owned by the performers, but this worked well, as many of the candidates were not ‘lifer’ politicians, but more average Americans — for example, the owner of a B&B.

Poking fun at the political status quo is particularly needed in a city that is fundamentally run on the pomp and circumstance of the federal government. POTUS Among Us successfully mocks the circus-like antics of politicians during election season — and also the media and corporate schemes behind them. Depressing as the reality is, WIT made it possible to laugh at the absurdity of it all. It gives the citizens of the nation’s capital (and surrounding areas) a chance to see it all brought down a few notches.

While each successive experience of POTUS Among Us will be different from mine, I am confident in saying that anyone tired of the DC political climate or weary from presidential race coverage will enjoy a short time in which they, the people, get to much more directly influence the outcome — through laughter.

About POTUS Among Us

Every four years America makes a new king. Or queen. The person who embodies all our crazy hopes and dreams of who we are and how the world should be. The process by which we do it is absurd. The impact the process has on the people inside it is bizarre. The cult of personality involved is outlandish. It’s all just too fascinating not to explore.

So welcome to POTUS Among Us, WIT’s once-every-4-years indulgence. Tonight we’ll be playing with the process of the election without the bitter aftertaste of partisan politics. Together we’ll explore the spectacular promise of democracy in combination with the political and media structures we live with today. Because with POTUS Among Us, we’ll give you the democracy you deserve!

Performers

• Michael Bird
• Jon Chesebro
• Archie Cubarrubia
• Maggie Dempsey
• Jules Duffy
• Justus Hammond
• Abbey Kos
• Karen Lange
• Jamie Lantinen
• Dan Miller
• Aaron Mosby
• Elizabeth O’Neill
• Caroline Pettit
• Laura Spadanuta
• Kate Symes
• Michelle Swaney
• Stewart Walsh
• Josh Waytz
• Katie Walls

Artistic Team

• Director: Mark Chalfant
• Lighting Designer: Jonathan Zucker
• Sound Designer: Christopher Blaine
• Graphic Artist: Kate Ahern Loveric

Disclaimer: Washington Improv Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

American Century Theatre’s presentation of Christopher Durang’s Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You is a blackly satirical examination of Catholic dogma and its effects. The play is a crash-course in Catholicism: Sister Mary Ignatius is literally instructing us on the ins and outs. Sister Mary comes from a difficult period in Catholic history, as she grew up before Vatican II, yet is now grappling with its aftershocks. Four students show up to confront their former schoolteacher about the lasting damage her lessons have had on them under the guise of performing a Christmas pageant.

Sister Mary Ignatius, played by Cam Magee, is a hard woman. She never breaks from her air of oppressive pleasantness, even when discussing a largely unpleasant upbringing. From her description, it is assumed that she (and some of her siblings) took refuge in the cloth. She is assisted in her doctrinal lecture by Thomas (the adorable and darkly obedient Colin Trinity), a current student of hers. Sister Mary’s former students come to visit her. All have been emotionally scarred from the guilt of sin due to their years in Catholic school under the sister’s tutelage. On the whole, the ensemble is solid, though all carry a feeling of being “in” on the jokes, which I found somewhat took away from the impact of great punch lines.

Director Joe Banno’s clever staging seats many audience members in the “classroom,” while the remainder of the crowd flanks the classroom floor on risers. The “stage” is the front of the classroom. There are glimpses here of Banno’s documentary-style take, but much of it is overpowered by the pervasive element of anti-Catholicism. While it is certainly the point of Durang’s satire to poke fun at the inconsistencies or hypocrisies within the church, this take on Mary Ignatius seems to begin at the understanding that the audience is already, obviously, “against” the Catholic Church.

The set (Steven Royal) is very impressive. When I first walked into the theatre, I was taken aback; I really thought I had walked into a classroom. The desks were authentic: Standard Public School Issue. At the front of the “classroom” is a long blackboard flanked by two full bookcases. Cheryl Patton Wu’s costumes are fun and functional, save for a minor wimple mishap at the performance I attended. The lighting (Trena Weiss-Null and Nathan Wunderlich) is ultra-practical, down to the glaring fluorescent fixtures that appear to have been swiped from some institution or other.

American Century Theater’s Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You is an awkwardly funny hour of theatre. Durang’s satirical bite combines with an outstanding scenic design and staging, which makes for an interesting experience. It is probably not intended for the faint-of-heart Catholic, but many a recovering Catholic may enjoy wholeheartedly.

Director’s Note

Having been a (frequently reluctant) product of Roman Catholic education, from first grade through college, I had my share of “Sister Marys” along the way. The worst was Sister Mary Laurentia, who terrorized us first-graders with threats of putting us through the “grinding machine” (actually the school’s boiler room) if we misbehaved and who punished students caught talking in class by Scotch-taping their mouths shut and sitting them in front of the classroom like so many pint-sized Hannibal Lecters. To me, Durang’s play feels more like a documentary expose than a satire. (Honestly, it’s like some kid wore a wire during one of those classes I endured, and this play was the transcript.) But, of course, it’s also savagely funn — Durang’s ear for the sort of sociopathic, hypocritically “Catholic” screed coming out of nuns like Sister Mary is uncannily on-the-money and comes across as absurd as something Ionesco might have concocted.

Photo Gallery

Cam Magee as Sister Mary Ignatius, Colin Trinity as Thomas	Cam Magee as Sister Mary Ignatius
Tiffany Garfinkle as Diane; Grant Cloyd as Gary	Grant Cloyd as Gary
Anne Nottage as Philomena, Cam Magee as Sister Mary Ignatius	Arturo Tolentino as Aloysius
Cam Magee as Sister Mary Ignatius, Arturo Tolentino as Aloysius

Photos by Johannes Markus

Cast

• Sister Mary Ignatius: Cam Magee
• Thomas: Colin Trinity
• Gary Sullavan: D. Grant Cloyd
• Diane Symonds: Tiffany Garfinkle
• Philomena Rostovich: Anne Nottage
• Aloysius Bussicio: Arturo Tolentino

Artistic Team

• Director: Joe Banno
• Stage Manager: Baron Pugh
• Scenic Design: Steven Royal
• Master Carpenter: Arthur Brill
• Lighting Design: Trina Weiss-Null and Nathan Wunderlich
• Sound Design: Ed Moser
• Costume Design: Cheryl Patton-Wu
• Properties Design: Kevin Laughon
• Fight Coach: Casey Kaleba
• Wardrobe Mistress: Pamela Osborne
• Publicist: Emily Morrison
• Production Photography: Johannes Markus
• Program Design and Cover Art: Michael Sherman
• House Manager: Joli Provost

Disclaimer: American Century Theater provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

WSC Avant Bard’s production of Sam Shepard’s The Tooth of Crime is a fun trip, albeit one that I am not quite sure I completely understood. Shepard’s jive is a futuristic turf war of gun-slinging rock stars in fast cars. In this mash-up of a dystopia, the top dog, Hoss, feels threatened as a new guy, Crow, begins to infringe. Hoss consults a star-gazer and a DJ about his future as head honcho in Act One. Act Two is all about the “sing off” showdown between Hoss and Crow.

The ensemble is strong. Each member of the cast does a fine job of articulating meaning in Shepard’s tricky text. While I was often unsure of the literal meaning of the playwright’s words, I was never unsure of the character’s intent. Their efforts are to be commended in dealing with this kooky script. Special recognition ought to go to Graham Pilato, who, for a large portion of the play, takes on the task of playing a decapitated backup dancer, his head held on with a scarf. This was, in a word, hilarious–so much so that it did border on distracting, but I didn’t mind.

Kathleen Akerley’s direction was straightforward in terms of concept. In a play this complex, a straightforward approach feels necessary. The runway-style staging was a nice addition, and it is apparent that a great deal of time was spent with the language of the play. The ideas come through very strongly, and there are a few great surprise moments in there as well. There is an air of detachment between audience and actors that I am not sure was intentional, but for me, it worked.

Set Designer Jessica Moretti creates a bang-up landscape. The show is semi-in-the-round; audience flanks both long sides of a central platform with spaces on each short end. The simplicity of the bare platform (with a cool surprise I’ll remain mum on) combines well with beat-up road signs and a guitar-inspired throne on either side. Lynly A. Saunders’ costumes are well-balanced between cowboy and rock’n’roller, tinged with a futuristic sensibility. Crow’s flamboyantly “pop” costume serves as a nice contrast to the rest of the old-schoolers, who tend more toward a rock/punk/western feel. The music and sound design are well-executed. The rock music has the simultaneous feeling of a honky-tonk and a poetry jam. The lighting design (Jason Aufdem-Brinke) transitions cleanly. Often, I didn’t even notice a scene change. This was the design’s primary strength.

This production of The Tooth of Crime reminded me of watching Troilus and Cressida half-translated into Spanish: I get the overall concepts, the gist of the plot, and the character’s intentions, but I do not catch every single line. I enjoyed allowing WSC’s production wash over me in order to organically absorb it. It is an experiential piece, with fun music and necessary flash.

Director’s Note

There’s so much I’d like to tell you. I’d like to tell you about how Sam Shepard generated two versions of this play ten years apart—versions so radically different that characters are renamed and have entirely new motivations–and to ruminate on what was gained and lost in the re-write. Or about the dramaturgical hoops we jumped through for the first three weeks: my cast will groan and roll their eyes if I talk about the back story and world we had to create to make consistent sense of every one of Shepard’s lines and dramatic inventions, inasmuch as this involved a laborious description of how my index finger represented Music, my middle finger represented Driving (no coincidence that!), my third finger represented Air Waves (the Four Keepers and haunted by bloodthirsty Kelpies–none of which we ever get to meet), as well as a model of temporal anomalies that would be the envy of any Star Trek: TNG writer (the action of the play is in 1977, except in the cities where it’s the later 1980s, while the cars race along desolate roads in 2012–and one of the characters has been alive since 1850).

Whether you would ever be able to tell in watching this show that we decided the inciting action of Shepard’s world was the 1969 release of Neil Young’s “Cowgirl in the Sand” is really gravy–anyone who produces this play has a lot to solve, thanks to Shepard’s fantastic juxtaposition of Mad Max/Western/Rock Opera imagination and merciful paucity of exposition, and thus has to let go of the need to underline all their solutions. Here’s the one that’s most important to me:

Neil Young would never win American Idol. “Cowgirl in the Sand” would get no radio play today. The option exists with The Tooth of Crime to lean on the themes of natural and cyclical order, to highlight how one showman becomes obsolete and another takes his place, even to say that the waning artist brings on his own demise by having trucked in the first place in style and trends: live by the music video, die by the music video. But for me the play is about how artistry and soul have been replaced by showmanship and appearance–not just some tired plaint that “they don’t write songs like they used to” but more importantly that the value we placed on ragged voice telling a necessary musical truth has been lost in favor of which “singer” makes the most marketable product. As we watch Hoss and Crow battle one another, it seems to me worth asking which of them would still choose to sing–would need to sing, would exist in singing–were he alone on his porch meditating on the wide wasteland.

–Kathleen Akerley, Director

Photo Gallery

John Tweel	John Tweel
Tom Carman (Foreground)	Tom Carman
William Hayes, Tom Carman	Tom Carman, William Hayes, Cyle Durkee
John Tweel, Tom Carman	John Tweel

Photos by C. Stanley Photography

Cast

• Crow: Tom Carman
• Jakob the Jeweler, Keyboard: Mickey Daniel DaGuiso
• Ruido Ran: Cyle Durkee
• Doc, Drums: Vince Eisenson
• Chaser, Guitar: William Hayes
• Becky, Vocals: Jennifer J. Hopkins
• Referee: Sam McMenamin
• Meera: Graham Pilato
• Hoss, Lead Vocals: John Tweel

Artistic Team

• Director: Kathleen Akerley
• Assistant Director: Sarah Barker
• Scenic Designer: Jessica Moretti
• Lighting Designer: Jason Aufdem-Brinke
• Costumer Designer: Lynly A. Saunders
• Sound Designer/Musical Director: Neil McFadden
• Assistant Musical Director: Tom Carman
• Incidental Music Composition: Tom Carman, Neil McFadden, William Hayes
• Choreographer: Melissa-Leigh Bustamante
• Props Designer: Kristen Pilgrim
• Stage Manager: Jay Chiang
• Assistant Stage Manager: Rachel Holland

Disclaimer: WSC Avant Bard provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

SBR: Why did you want to do this show?

Rob: I wanted to do this show for a long time, ever since I first read it–probably about 10 or 15 years ago. Mainly, it’s because it is an incredible story. Theatre tells a story. That’s the whole point of it. But the way that John Guare does Six Degrees of Separation, the way he tells the story is very appealing. We fast forward; we go to the past. So the story-telling element of this show is fantastic, to me. Also, it’s based on a true story, so that’s interesting, and it’s somewhat edgy, which I like.

SBR: How do you think this show might resonate with your audience?

Rob: I’m hopeful that the audience will enjoy the story as much as I do, and they’ll be captivated by what’s going on with Paul and Flan and Ouisa, and the people around them.

SBR: You’re staging this production in-the-round. Talk about some of the challenges with that.

Rob: When you’re in-the-round, there’s audience on all four sides, so at every moment of the play, someone’s back is to someone–an actor’s back is to an audience member. So, that can be a little challenging for the audience, because they obviously want to see what’s going on, but the benefit of it is that audience members will get to see things from a different perspective. Everyone will see a slightly different show based on what they’re able to see. The challenge for us was to make sure that every person gets a valid show. You can’t favor one side. During the rehearsal process, my comment was, “Every person who sits somewhere in the theater paid the same price.” The show that we give to the west side has to be the same as the show we give to the north side. So, there were definitely challenges with blocking and making sure that the show was fair to the audience. I think this type of show lends itself very well to theatre-in-the-round. It’s about telling a story. The actors do talk directly to the audience, so putting it in-the-round and putting the audience so close to the actors actually works very well for this production.

SBR: Why do you think Six Degrees of Separation is an “instant classic” in VpStart’s season?

Rob: VpStart Crow focuses on classic theatre. We do a Shakespeare show each year, things like that. Last year, we implemented something called an “instant classic,” which was a show that, fifty years from now, theatres that do classic theatre would be doing shows like this. Last year we did a Neil Simon play; next year we’re doing Doubt; this year we chose Six Degrees. Why do I think it’s an instant classic? Because I think it’s just a really damn good show, and I think fifty years from now companies that look back and do “classic” theatre–theatre that is good and stands the test of time–I believe this show is one of them.

SBR: There is partial nudity in this show. Do you think it may offend some?

Rob: I think you always run the risk that any theatre will offend anyone. The original Broadway production of this show had full nudity in it. We sort of scaled back. We do have some nudity; it’s partial. I’m hoping that it doesn’t offend people. I think the person who would come see this show would hopefully not be the type of person that would be offended by that. I believe we’ve done it tastefully. It’s not excessive; it’s not overtly sexual; it’s not superfluous. It’s not like we just decided to throw some naked people on the stage just to do it. I have seen shows where that happens. I think it’s appropriate. It’s not long in the scene. It doesn’t go on for a long period of time. But it is important to the plot, and it was in the script, and we decided to go forward with that.

SBR: Some people may be skittish when they see it has partial nudity and adult language. Should they have a little faith and see it anyway?

Rob: It’s not a David Mamet play: The F word isn’t every other word of the show. There is some adult language in it. At the heart of the matter, it is a production telling a story about human connection, and the way the characters go through and experience these connections and tell this story–that’s what it’s about. It’s not a salacious sex show with foul language throughout it. It is an adult show. It does have some adult themes, and it does have a little nudity and some language. But that’s not the crux of the show.

Vpstart Crow’s Six Degrees of Separation opens this weekend. The show runs May 11-13 and May 18-20. Show times are 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2pm on Sundays. For more information, visit www.vpstartcrow.com.

Catholic University Drama’s production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a visually intriguing show that highlights one of the seminal plays of this American playwright. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in response to McCarthyism, which he viewed as a modern-era witch hunt. Miller uses the historical background of the Salem witch trials to explore how accusations begin to fly once the rumors of witchcraft start.

The large cast generally works well together. With such a large cast, it is difficult to have everyone at the same pace, but this more or less happens in this production. The standouts are Reverend Hale, played by Phil Dickerson, and Mary Warren, played by Samantha Smedley. Though both play supporting characters, Dickerson and Smedley have clear trajectories and emotional journeys for their characters.

Bill Largess directs a production with a tall conceptual order. It is aesthetically stunning. Largess utilizes the technical elements well to highlight the action, though certain scenes felt flat, and even anticlimactic. In particular, the jail cell scene between John and Elizabeth Proctor was calculated with restraint and felt too pause-heavy. What did work in Largess’s production is his clever highlighting of a secondary theme in Miller’s play: The role of women in a Puritan society. Largess’s question (and perhaps, affirmative answer) might be to ask if this role of the feminine is still present in today’s patriarchy.

The set (designed by Tony Cisek) is, in a word, impressive. An ever-rotating collection of beams hovers over a roughly hewn floor of wooden boards. As the scenes change, the ladder-shaped “roof” that is suspended overhead moves silently to a new position. Furniture is simple, and it is used to reconfigure the space into a bedroom, a main room, a court room, and a jail. The roof served as a sort of giant gobo and posed a particular challenge to lighting designer Thomas Donahue, who found the solution in using the striped shadows cast as a deliberate addition within the scenes. This worked to his advantage in creating another layer within this world. The last image of the show silhouettes the bodies of those accused and hung in Salem in a strikingly somber final blow. The sound design (Gregg Martin) was well-crafted, though some more tender moments were highlighted in a way that felt overly sentimental, at times. Sally Montgomery’s costume design features muted tones of primary colors for the ensemble. Montgomery does a fine job of differentiating class, though some of the hat choices I found to be a little distracting.

Catholic University Drama’s production of The Crucible is a solid collegiate production that is definitely worth seeing. The Crucible is, in and of itself, a compelling play, and Catholic’s production provides ample support from the technical elements in particular. The story in this production proves that it is definitely one that still needs telling.

Photo Gallery

Photos by Bill Largess

Cast

• Ann Putnam: Rachel Burkhardt
• Thomas Putnam: Paul Carrazzone
• Elizabeth Proctor: Mary Elise Cecere
• Hopkins: Christopher Daileader
• Abigail: Lauren Davis
• Reverend Hale: Phil Dickerson
• Judge Danforth: Christopher Dwyer
• Giles Corey: Dan Essig
• John Proctor: Patrick Flannery
• Tituba: Malika Horton
• Judge Hathorne: Chris Hudson
• Rebecca Nurse: Mimsi Janis
• Mercy Lewis: Anna Lathrop
• Betty Parris: Stephanie McGill
• Willard: Brandon McMahon
• Cheever: Andrew Majors
• Susanna Wallcott: Nina Marti
• Francis Nurse: Anthony Papastrat
• Martha Corey: Olivia Pavlick
• Sarah Good: Lauren Schene
• Reverend Parris: Robert Schumacher
• Mary Warren: Samantha Smedley
• Ensemble: Chris Somes
• Ensemble: Joe Weber

Creative Team

• Director: Bill Largess
• Set Design: Tony Cisek
• Lighting Design: Thomas Donahue
• Sound Design: Gregg Martin
• Costume Design: Sally Montgomery
• Assistant Director: Julia O’Connor
• Dramaturg: Heather-Liz Copps
• Executive Producer: Gail S. Beach
• Producer: Thomas Donahue
• Stage Manager: Michele Vicino
• Assistant Stage Manager: Ciaran Farley
• Light Board Operator: Claire Dunlay
• Sound Board Operator: Caleb Caudill
• Costumes/Deck: Rachel Barclay, Kat White, Kim Giroux
• Costumes: Dan Essig
• Deck: Theo Dewez, Joe Weber
• Props/Deck: Chris Daileader

Disclaimer: Catholic University Drama provided two complimentary media tickets to ShowBizRadio for this review.

City of Fairfax Theatre Company Youth Ensemble will be performing Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr. for the public at Lake Braddock Secondary School’s rehearsal hall on Friday and Saturday evenings. The story is familiar to all who have seen the Disney film, with some minor changes to make it suitable–and more accessible–for a junior stage production. The inquisitive Alice falls asleep in the park, and through a dream is taken on a wild ride through the illogical and the absurd in Wonderland. Along the way, she encounters the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter and company, Tweedles Dee and Dum, and the Queen of Hearts. She falls down the rabbit hole, grows and shrinks a number of times, attends an un-birthday tea party, and narrowly escapes losing her head!

It is an ambitious production to take on, particularly with a large, younger cast. Additionally, this production features several upbeat musical numbers. I was able to attend a portion of the dress rehearsal. The rehearsal I attended was a lot of fun. I watched the first run of the evening in which the company was in the process of adding in technical elements. While the light board operator in the booth was ironing things out, the acting ensemble carried on very well despite the light cue programming. It was apparent that the youth ensemble was very dedicated and had put in a lot of hard work. All of the young people–aged 8 to 13–were enjoying themselves, and it was enjoyable for me to see them transition from “rehearsal mode” to “performance mode.” I was told that the main goal of the City of Fairfax Theatre Company Youth Ensemble was to give these young people a chance to participate in the realization of a full production from beginning to end. The ensemble participated in theatre classes in the fall, and has met and rehearsed Disney’s Alice in Wonderland Jr . once a week since January. The show runs for two performances this weekend.

Disclaimer: City of Fairfax Theatre Company allowed ShowBizRadio to attend their final dress rehearsal for this article.