"Measure for Measure" Raises Thorny Questions at ISU

For every ten “Macbeths” and “Midsummer Night’s Dreams” in the world, you might find one “Measure for Measure.” Originally called a comedy, this story about corruption, sin and hypocrisy is now usually lumped with Shakespeare’s “problem plays,” the ones that lie in a thorny area between comedy and tragedy, not sitting well in either place. There may be social issues or problems to resolve, but in my mind, the “problem” in a problem play is usually how tough it is to pull off.

And yet… And yet there’s an awful lot of good stuff in “Measure for Measure.” The role of Angelo is right there at the top of the list.

Angelo is the one at the center of the plot, the moralistic official who sentences a young man named Claudio to death for premarital sex. And then, when Claudio’s sister Isabella, on the brink of becoming a nun, comes to Angelo to plead for the life of her brother, our man Angelo says, okay, he’ll save him, but only if the fair Isabella will sleep with him.

A politician trying to trade influence for sex in the most corrupt, duplicitous way possible? That’s somebody we can all recognize. It’s also the kind of juicy, conflicted role actors like to sink their teeth into.

Isabella is another one. She’s strong in her need to stay pure, with no shilly-shallying whatsoever. Sorry, bro. There’s no way Isabella will save you if it means putting her own chastity (and her immortal soul, to her way of thinking) on the line. But what could be self-righteous or sanctimonious has to come off sympathetic and right to make Isabella work.

And then there’s the Duke. He’s the one who left Angelo in charge, although we’re never sure why. He says he’s leaving Vienna for a break (Poland is where he pretends he’s off to) but really hangs around to watch what happens, hiding out in a friar’s habit. When he finds out what Angelo is up to with regard to Isabella, he can’t help but jump in and try to maneuver things to make it all turn out all right.

So who is this duke on the downlow? Why does he go for tricks and disguises when he could just fix things immediately if he would pop back up as himself? I don’t know. Duke Vincentio is a weird one, that’s for sure.

But after seeing ISU’s “Measure for Measure,” directed by Brandon Ray and with Jake Olbert as the Duke, I have a theory. Ray’s spartan production has lots of shades of gray, from the squares on the floor (courtesy of Emily Wilken’s scenic design) to all the stern business suits (a central part of Judith Rivera Ramirez’s costume design).

Olbert’s Duke spends his time undercover in a black-and-white habit, with no gray areas, yet he is the most shadowy character of all. In Olbert’s performance, the Duke seems removed from the power he wields, unsure, almost reluctant at the onset. He seems to be taking a breather to get back his moral conviction, but then he finds it’s even more difficult than he thought to draw bright lines around law and morality. What’s more important, preserving life or punishing sin? What does it take to be a good ruler?

And what does he do now that he, too, is attracted to the pure and luminous Isabella? Is he any better than that sleazeball Angelo if he comes on to the girl?

That very question is why “Measure for Measure” is so fascinating and so aggravating all at the same time. Ray’s cast – especially Brian Garvens as Angelo, Molly Rose Lewis as Isabella and Olbert as Duke Vincentio – do excellent work with their characters, gaining steam as the play progresses, nicely defining all those moral lines and questions.

Cady Leinicke is also a bright note when she enters the action as Mariana, the woman scorned by Angelo who may just be the answer to Isabella’s dilemma. Leinicke brings into sharp relief one of the problems modern audiences have with this plot – why would we wish the likes of Angelo on this lovely woman? – with her vibrant performance.

On the comic side, Matthew Bausone makes a wily, glib Lucio, the would-be hipster with a major inability to read the room; Jason Raymer brings good energy to Elbow, a dim constable whose wife may be a hooker; and Owais Ahmed seems to enjoy being Pompey the procurer for his time on stage.

All in all, this “Measure for Measure” is a good effort with solid production values and performances. It raises all the right questions, and that’s all you can ask of this “problem play.”

Measure for Measure
by William Shakespeare

ISU Westhoff Theatre

Director: Brandon Ray
Scenic Designer: Emily Wilken
Costume Designer: Judith Rivera Ramirez
Lighting Designer: Marty Wooster
Sound Designer/Composer: Joe Payne
Dramaturg: Melissa Scott

Cast: Jake Olbert, Danny Rice, Katie Schutzkus, Brian Garvens, Matthew Bausone, Luke Simone, Mike Graf, Terri Whisenhunt, Owais Ahmed, Patrick Gerard Cooper, Paula Nowak, Raquel Rangel, Ware Carlton Ford, Molly Rose Lewis, Jason Raymer, Amanda Rogowski, Anthony Ballweg, Akeila LeClaire, Cady Leinicke.

Running time: 2:35, including one 15-minute intermission

Remaining performances: October 29 and 30 at 7:30 pm; October 30 and 31 at 2 pm

Ticket information

Young at Heartland Live and in Person 10-29

Young at Heartland, Heartland Theatre Company's acting workshop for seniors 55 and over, will offer a free performance, open to the public, at the Normal Public Library, 206 West College Avenue, on Friday, October 29th. The performance will take place in the library's Community Room from 2 to 3 pm, with senior actors taking on selections from famous plays like A. R. Gurney's "The Dining Room" as well as scenes written just for them by local authors and actors.



Young at Heartland is an extremely popular creative outlet for senior actors, with fall and spring classes and performances every year. This year, Young at Heartland founder and program director Ann White reports that class enrollment was completely full with 30 students and she had to turn other applicants away.

For more information about Young at Heartland, visit the Heartland Theatre Company website or read a recent Pantagraph article about the troupe.

Young at Heartland
Normal Public Library Community Room
Friday, October 29th
2 to 3pm

"Three for the Show" Ready to Go at Heartland

Local audiences are familiar with Jared Brown, Illinois Wesleyan University Emeritus Professor of Theatre Arts, as an author, director and actor. In THREE FOR THE SHOW, Brown takes on the role of playwright with three short, provocative plays, coming very soon to Heartland Theatre Company in Bloomington-Normal.

There’s offbeat romantic comedy in MÉNAGE À TROIS, a dip into suspense with RAGE, and a fizzy, funny farce, complete with musical numbers in GEORGE AND IRENE. Brown’s three plays couldn’t be more different, but each features three characters, and those characters will be played by the same three actors (Megan Brown, Gregory Hicks and Rhys Lovell). All’s fair in love and war in Brown’s irreverent look at relationships times three!

THREE FOR THE SHOW opens November 4th with an open dress rehearsal on Pay What You Can Night, with regular performances November 5-7, 11-14 and 18-21. Curtain is at 7:30 pm Thursday through Saturday and 2 pm on Sundays.

There will be a special post-show discussion with playwright Jared Brown after the Sunday matinee on November 7th. Estimated time for the discussion to begin is 3:45 pm if you've already seen the show or plan to see it later but would like to join the discussion.

You may call 309-452-8709 for reservations, or visit the Heartland Theatre Company website for more information.

"Fiddler" Plays Like a Virtuoso

I have been taking some time off, letting my brain (or possibly my spirit) rest a bit, but I intended to review and/or write about the touring company of "Fiddler on the Roof" that played in Peoria last week, as well as some other things ("Mad Men" season finale! New "Sherlock Holmes" on PBS! Outrageous happenings on "Project Runway," a show I both love and hate and sometimes in between!) well before now. So, yes, I'm behind.

But let's begin with "Fiddler," shall we?

I have a soft spot for "Fiddler on the Roof," since my Aunt Mary says that my grandmother (her mother), the diminutive and yet feisty Nettie Cohen Caplan, always claimed that "Fiddler on the Roof" was exactly like she remembered her early life in the Old Country. That isn't really a good thing, I suppose, what with the marauding Cossacks and Jewish people getting forcibly removed from their homes and the general upheaval of a most unhappy kind that keeps punctuating the plot of this musical. But there's also humor there. And faith. I hope my Grandma Nettie remembered and recognized that, too, and that the character of Tevye, the milkman who would like a better life for his family, the one who gives "Fiddler" so much of its warmth and joy, reminded her of her father a little.

As it happens, the touring company that came through the Peoria Civic Center was quite wonderful, with plenty of that warmth and joy from the top of the company (John Preece, who makes a terrific Tevye) down to its smallest member (adorable Melanie Siegel, who plays both Tevye’s daughter Bielke as well as nightmare figure Grandma Tzeitel).

Preece leads the cast with a sure persona and a fabulous voice, channeling Topol’s sparkling presence with just a dash of Zero Mostel. The most familiar tunes – “Sunrise, Sunset” and “If I Were a Rich Man” – seem robust and fresh, which is even more amazing when you consider that Preece has played Tevye some 1500 times in his career. Yet here he is, still giving Tevye all the oomph and energy of a new performance.

I also enjoyed Tevye’s three eldest daughters, each of whom rebels in her own way, as portrayed by Lauren Nedelman, Julianne Katz and Chelsey LeBel, as well as their three suitors, each sympathetic in his own way, played by Andrew Boza, Kevin Stangler and Ben Michael. If I were one of the girls of Anatevka, I’d have a hard time choosing between sweet Motel the tailor (Boza) and idealistic student Perchik (Stangler) myself.

For the touring production, director Sammy Dallas Bayes has reproduced the original Jerome Robbins choreography, and it looks very good on stage, with the familiar bottle dance at the wedding and the fantasy sequence with ten-foot-tall Fruma Sarah both coming off well. Steve Gilliam’s scenic design and Tony Ray Hicks’ costumes are also warm and appealing, creating the right look without wasting a lot of time on scene or costume changes.

This “Fiddler,” produced by Matchmaker Touring LLC, will continue to hopscotch the country till next spring, with dates in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana coming up next, and a return to the Midwest when it hits Cedar Rapids on December 1st.

Fiddler on the Roof
Book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick

Original Broadway production directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins.
Produced on the New York stage by Harold Prince.

Nicholas Howey for Matchmaker Touring LLC

Director: Sammy Dallas Bayes
Musical Director: David Andrew Rogers
Scenic Designer: Steve Gilliam
Costume Designer: Tony Ray Hicks
Lighting Designer: Ken Billington and Jason Kantrowitz
Sound Designer: Duncan Robert Edwards
Jerome Robbins’ original choreography reproduced by Sammy Dallas Bayes

Cast includes: John Preece, Nancy Evans, Lauren Nedelman, Julianne Katz, Chelsey LeBel, Kimberly Hirst, Melanie Siegel, Birdie Newman Katz, Andrew Boza, Kevin Stangler, Frank Calamaro, Megan Mekjian, Ben Michael and Liam Quealy.

http://www.fiddlerontour.com/

Thanks to "eldemila" for catching my error on the identification of Tevye's daughters!

Stunning Backstage "Macbeth" Impresses at U of I

By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes…

Wickedness doesn’t have to be complicated or given to excess, demonstrated quite clearly by the stripped-down, inside-out “Macbeth” on stage at Krannert Center’s Colwell Playhouse. And when I say “on stage,” I mean exactly that. Not only is the murderous action of “Macbeth” on stage – so is the audience.

Director Robert G. Anderson, a fine Shakespearian actor himself, has chosen to place the audience on risers at the very back of the stage, with all the backstage ropes and pulleys visible. Most of the first act plays on the stage directly in front of the audience, behind the proscenium curtain, with that curtain opening up and action moving into the wide vista of the Colwell Playhouse auditorium after intermission.

Anderson goes for spare, stark stage pictures, with limited props and scenery. Lighting Designer Devi Carroll uses hand-held work lights and bare, blazing spotlights to throw deep shadows, while Sound Designer Theresa Huber adds strange, strident sounds, with light and sound both contributing to the harsh, ominous mood of the play. Grant Bowen’s scenery is equally utilitarian and bold, with almost everything given a raw rehearsal look. Among the pieces that work the best are a red velvet throne suspended in air to symbolize the prize everybody wants, a dining table that splits apart at just the right moment, slamming trap doors, and a plain white bathtub that becomes a cauldron, a percussion instrument and a hiding place for a child as the evening progresses.

Annaliese Weber’s costumes continue the stripped-down motif, putting the men in generic military jackets worn with jeans and boots and the women in layers of Victorian underwear. There’s a lot of white, cream and gray on display here, with only the red throne and Duncan’s regal yellow cape breaking out.

It’s all quite dramatic and theatrical, underlining and ratcheting up the tension of the plot, as Mr. and Mrs. Macbeth up the ante of their ambition and its attendant madness.

Christopher Sheard and Bri Sudia are fierce and compelling as Macbeth and his lady, going right for the passion and the crazy and never letting up. Lisa Gaye Dixon’s gender-bent Duncan is also noteworthy, as is Ethan Gardner’s stalwart Macduff.

Anderson gives us a different take on the three witches, going for a trio of freaky street kids who waft in and out of scenes like dark spirits planting seeds of discord. Witch #1 (Katie Bellantone) is a sideways-skewed woman who appears to be having sextuplets (sort of if Smike from “Nicholas Nickleby” had a huge hysterical pregnancy), Witch #2 (Luke Grimes) is a mincing evil queen, and Witch #3 (Michelle Grube) is a dainty, demented child in petticoats. They’re all plenty frightening and weird, and Bellantone gets major kudos for twisting herself into a knot like that and committing to the posture.

What really works for this “Macbeth” is how consistent the vision is and how well the pieces fit together. It lays bare the machinations of theater and yet uses those tricks to make the play even more theatrical. That’s no mean feat. And this is no mean “Macbeth.”

Macbeth
by William Shakespeare.

Colwell Playhouse, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

Director: Robert G. Anderson
Scenic Designer: Grant Bowen
Costume Designer: Annaliese Weber
Lighting Designer: Devin Carroll
Sound Designer: Theresa Huber

Cast: Aurora Adachi-Winter, Katie Bellantone, Joe Boersma, Ron Bowden Jr, Richard Calk, Lucy Chmielewski, Mike DiGirolamo, Lisa Gaye Dixon, Ethan Gardner, Luke Grimes, Michelle Grube, David Kaplinsky, Deandria Janice Kelley, Charlie Lubeck, Kelson Michael McAuliffe, Robert Montgomery, Julian Parker, Tyrone Phillips, Jess Prichard, Kayln N. C. Rivers, Christopher Sheard, Bri Sudia, Tyler Voss, Coy Wentworth, Mark West, Mercedes White.

Remaining Performances: 7:30 p.m. October 15-16 and 20-23; 3 p.m. October 24

Running Time: 2:25, including one 20-minute intermission

Box office: 333-6280, www.KrannertCenter.com

This review originally appeared in the Champaign News-Gazette.

Actors Prepare: "Circle Mirror Transformation" at the Station

Annie Baker's "Circle Mirror Transformation" took New York by storm last year, with a Playwrights Horizon production that won the Obie for best new play, best director and best ensemble. After New York, "Circle Mirror Transformation" has been everywhere in one short year, from the Guthrie in Minneapolis to South Coast Rep in California to a current production in New Jersey starring Sandy Duncan. Yes, that Sandy Duncan. The play is also slated for inclusion in the Best Plays Theater Yearbook.

What's so special about "Circle Mirror Transformation"? And what the heck does that title mean?

The play is popular, for one reason, because it seems fairly easy on its face to produce. Small cast (five), easy set (a plain room with an exercise ball and a hula hoop and maybe a few chairs), and a central theme that strikes an immediate chord (how we connect to each other). It doesn't hurt that it's about a theater class, filled with five regular old people, and people who work on theater are likely to find the class and the goofy exercises its members take on (the reason for the title) very familiar.

What is really special about the play, though, is how Annie Baker uses those exercises and seemingly small, unimportant interactions among these drama students to flesh out her characters and their lives, to make us care about Schultz, recently divorced and very much alone; Lauren, a teenager with some problems at home who wants to be an actress or maybe a veterinarian; and Marty, a sort of earth mother in yoga wear who runs the class. I have to admit, I care less about the two other, flashier members of the class. There's James, married to Marty, someone who went to law school but decided the legal world was too traditional and compromised for him, and beautiful Theresa, who was an actress in New York for awhile but now finds herself in Vermont with the rest of these folks. She's coming off a bad relationship and maybe looking for a new one. Or maybe not. Or maybe she wants to be a massage therapist. Or maybe she doesn't.

"Circle Mirror Transformation" is the perfect kind of show for Urbana's small Station Theatre, given its set and cast requirements, and director Mikel Matthews creates the right mood, with an emphasis on character and the psychology of the piece. This is a delicate play, dependent upon moments of recognition and bittersweet comedy to get the point and the characters across, and that works well for the most part, especially when David Barkley is on stage. His portrait of Schultz is deep enough and sweet enough to pull the audience along.

The only downside is that Baker's script includes a lot of pauses, especially when the characters are supposed to lie in a circle and do a group count to ten (yes, this exercise is as odd as it sounds). Those pauses, as well as frequent blackouts for everybody to change clothes, slow down the pace a bit too much.

Still, this is a clever, poignant show, well worth the two hours you'll spend with it. Due to scheduling issues, I didn't get to "Circle Mirror Transformation" until the last night of its run, which means you will no longer be able to catch the Station production. Given how many productions it's already had and how many more are scheduled at various theaters (including Victory Gardens in Chicago next February), I doubt it will be hard to find a production of “Circle Mirror Transformation" if you really want one. And anyone who's ever had a theater class is going to want one.

Circle Mirror Transformation
by Annie Baker

The Station Theatre

Director: Mikel L. Matthews Jr.
Scenic Designer: Wes Huff
Costumer: Malia Andrus
Lighting Designer: Jesse Folks

Cast: Debbie Richardson, Lincoln Machula, David Barkley, Katie Baldwin, Liesel Booth.

Spelling E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-C-E at ISU

There's a character named Olive in "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," the fizzy and fun musical with book by Rachel Sheinkin and music and lyrics by William Finn. Olive is a fan of the dictionary, and she notes that her own name is an anagram for "I love." Well, Ms. Sheinkin and Mr. Finn, I definitely, positively love "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

I think I've seen it three times now, although it might be four, and each one has been a little different, with a different character affecting me the most. But every production has been bright, charming, funny, sweet and a little sad, as we see six children (played by adults) angst over the nature of achievement, of being loved whether you win or not, and how hard it is to live up to expectations. And they do this while spelling impossible words and singing and dancing. And managing the four audience volunteer spellers who get dropped into the mix.

There are adult characters, and they're important, too, with a former spelling bee champ who has returned to run this one, a vice principal with anger management issues, and a tough guy parolee who acts as "comfort counselor," handing out hugs and juice boxes to departing spellers.

In the Illinois State University production, winningly directed by Cyndee Brown at the Center for the Performing Arts, everybody gets his moment to shine. The staging is mostly the same as the other productions I've seen, with a desk for the adults and simple bleachers for the kids that roll around when needed, but it still looks fresh and new with Adam Spencer's nifty high school gym set, with banners hanging from the rafters and doors that open onto a hallway of lockers.

What's most impressive is the voices in this cast. They're all terrific. I especially enjoyed the warmth and color in Cristen Susong's singing. She plays Rona Perretti, the former champ who still remembers her spelling triumph so long ago, and gives Ms. Perretti an irresistible sparkle. It's no wonder schlumpy Vice Principal Panch has a crush on her.

I was also taken with Abby Vombrack's bouncy take on Logainne Schwartzandgrubenniere, the socially conscious girl with two gay dads and a whole lot of pressure to win. Logainne has been more buttoned-down in previous productions, and I appreciated Vombrack's fresh spin.

Among the kids, Justin Treizenberg does very well with loopy Leaf Coneybear (my favorite character, I must admit), a sweet boy who sort of fell into the bee even if he isn't very smart; Latrecia Moffett is polished and serene as perfect Marcy Park; Danny Brooks is as annoying as he needs to be as William Barfée (pronounced Bar-FAY, as he tells us constantly), the boy whose magic foot powers him through the competition; and Andy Hudson has a lot of boy scout bravado as Chip Tolentino, last year's champ who has to cope with puberty this year. Clayton Joyner is really lovely and sings beautifully as Olive Ostrovsky, the neglected girl whose mother is off at an ashram in India; she gets a lot of emotional stuff to do and she carries it off quite well. Joyner doesn't make Olive as shy or self-conscious as usual, but she makes up for it with that big voice. The fact that she's beautiful doesn't hurt, either.

"The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" is a favorite with smaller theater companies as well as schools because of the fairly small cast and easy staging, so if you miss one of the few performances left at ISU, don't despair. Another "Bee" will come along before you know it. But in the meantime, if you can get a ticket to this one, I would suggest you spell T-I-C-K-E-T-S and get yourself to the CPA.

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
with music and lyrics by William Finn and book by Rachel Sheinkin

ISU Center for the Performing Arts

Director: Cyndee Brown
Musical Director: Dennis Gotkowski
Scenic Designer: Adam Spencer
Costume Designer: Lauren Roark
Lighting Designer: Adam Spencer
Sound Designer: Sarah Putts
Choreographer: Becky Murphy

Cast: Cristen Susong, Andy Hudson, Abby Vombrack, Justin Treizenberg, Danny Brooks, Latrecia Moffett, Clayton Joyner, Jared Mason, LaRoyce Hawkins.

Remaining performances: October 15-16 at 7:30 pm