2005 Pacific Playwrights Fesival at South Coast Repertory - RECAP

Posted: 5/11/05 at 12:09pm

This was the 8th annual festival, and it just keeps getting stronger every year. They achieved a wonderful balance between established and up-and-coming writers, and the work was overall very strong. A quick synopsis of what was offered:

BOSSA NOVA (Kirsten Greenidge) – Kristen is a relatively new voice, and a very welcome one as a young Black woman (one of two in this festival, joining Lynn Nottage from last year.) Unfortunately, this first piece of the weekend got everything off to a fairly rocky start. While the subject matter at hand is very important – race relations – and the particular perspective one of great value, she chose to employ a theatrical device that kept the audience at quite a distance (even driving many of them out of the theatre before the first act was completed. She chose to use a narrator (somewhat in the style of the Stage Manager in OUR TOWN) that she simply plopped sitting center stage to tell us the story. This person never moved, and never interacted with the other players – and was responsible for over 50% of the spoken word. As if this wasn’t distancing enough (akin to watching someone read a book to you) it turned out by the end of the piece that there was absolutely no connection between this person and the story she was telling. Ultimately, while some of the situations described, and certainly the topics covered, were of value, as a theatrical piece it has nowhere to go.

THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF HEDDA GABLER (Jeff Whitty) – Jeff is the author of the book for AVENUE Q, and this new piece showcases every bit of the wit you would expect from him. It’s a high concept piece built around fictional characters who cannot find resolution in their existence because they are static creations with-out power of choice. Highly energized and chock-full of rollicking humor, it also does a fair job of investigating how the possibility of making choices affects our lives. A very bold decision is to include the character of Jesus Christ (in multiple incarnations) in a piece comprised solely of fictional characters. Not a seamless work yet, but definitely one with great possibilities – and the audience loved it.

RABBIT HOLE (David Lindsay-Abaire) – This new work by the author of KIMBERLY AKIMBO was notable for the extreme realism of its situation and characters, which was just lightly surprising coming from David. Well-balanced, emotionally satisfying and completely honest to its inhabitants, this piece was probably the strongest of the weekend’s offerings. The script as it stands could be well-produced right now. A beautifully realized investigation of how people deal with extreme loss (accidental) in their lives.

RIDICULOUS FRAUD (Beth Henley) – a new work from the author of CRIMES OF THE HEART, this continues Ms. Henley’s remarkable talent for bringing to life the eccentricities and humanness of our neighbors from the southern US. She’s able to let us see the sometimes bizarre mannerisms and attitudes of this sub-culture without ever belittling them. Some structural difficulties that will be easily addressed, but overall an extremely entertaining (and sometimes poignant) look at the ‘familial ties that bind’.

There was also a staged workshop production of TOUGH TITTY by One Faida Lampley (the other young Black woman) which we did not get to see. The program note says: “A courageous young wife and mother struggles to survive breast cancer while holding down a job, taking care of the kids, cajoling her husband and conversing with God.”

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 5/11/05 at 6:22pm

Thanks so much for the recap, DGrant

Posted: 5/11/05 at 10:34pm

Sure, Margo

One thing I forgot - The BOSSA NOVA reading starred Dawn-Lyen Gardner (who is also in the world premiere production of A NAKED GIRL ON THE APPIAN WAY, by Richard Greenberg) - and she's a friend of a regular BWW poster - "Popular". She did very well, as she does in the main-stage production - so congrats to her!