I’ve seen a lot of productions of Lear over the years; perhaps most memorably the one where Ian McKellan got bare-ass naked during the mad scene. But this is the first one I’d seen directed by Adrian Noble, former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company. He’s directing two of the three offerings at the Old Globe’s 2010 Shakespeare Festival in San Diego.
Like all of Shakespeare’s plays, Lear involves a number of subplots. But the main story is the most poignant. Lear, an aging king, wants to divide up his kingdom among his three daughters. But he asks them to prove which loves him the most. The oldest two, Goneril and Regan, offer pretty and flattering speeches; the youngest, Cordelia, merely says she has no words to describe how much she loves him. Lear flies into a rage and disowns her. Goneril and Regan begin to scheme and plot to undermine what little authority remains to Lear. Without his favorite, Cordelia, and unable to handle the betrayal of his other daughters, Lear goes mad. At the end of the play, when he discovers Cordelia has been hanged, his heart breaks, and he dies in her arms.
Refreshingly, Noble didn’t try to set the play in Nazi Germany, or Stone Age-era Ireland, or France during the Revolution, or Cold War-era Russia, or anywhere else that I’ve seen directors try to place Shakespeare. He let Lear be Lear. Which is entirely appropriate for an outdoor festival; in an outdoor setting, artifice is just that—artifice.
Because of the production’s simplicity, the acting shines. This is an ensemble that’s done its homework (as one would expect under Noble’s tutelage), that understands every word, every nuance of Shakespeare’s elevated language. I especially enjoyed Bruce Turk as an uncharacteristically melancholy Fool; Jay Whittaker and Jonno Roberts as Edgar and Edmund, the feuding half-brothers; and Charles Janasz as Gloucester. They were every bit as riveting as Lear himself (Robert Foxworth). He was very regal, if slightly unconvincing as a madman.
Ralph Funicello’s set is a simple wooden platform, set on a platform deep with fallen leaves. Two wooden staircases stand to either side; two enormous Japanese-style sliding wooden doors in the back. That’s it. And that’s really all you need. Lighting (Alan Burrett) and music (sound design, Christopher R. Walker and original music, Shaun Davey) take care of the rest, differentiating the various locations. Even the famous storm scene is relatively low-tech, mostly fierce storm sounds punctuated with swirling snow. (But the snow is really beautiful.) Deirdre Clancy’s costumes are simple but lush; the three daughters’ dresses in the opening scene are her best.
While most of the country swelters under a heat wave, San Diego’s weather remains constant. Between 65 and 75 degrees, all year round. However, as befits a semi-arid desert climate, the nights get chilly—even in June. At the opening night outdoor performance of Lear, most of the audience was bundled into blankets, braving 59-degree evening temperatures. But no one fidgeted, no one left, even as the blanket supply ran out. Animal sounds from the nearby San Diego Zoo provided an eerie soundtrack of their own. Despite the chill, it was one of the most enjoyable outdoor performances of Shakespeare I’ve seen. Just remember to bring a blanket.
Directed by Adrian Noble
With Robert Foxworth (Lear), Emily Swallow (Goneril), Aubrey Saverino (Regan), Catherine Gowl (Cordelia), Donald Carrier (Albany), Michael Stewart Allen (Cornwall), Ben Diskant (France), Christian Durso (Burgundy), Charles Janasz (Gloucester), Jay Whittaker (Edgar), Jonno Roberts (Edmund), Joseph Marcell (Kent), Bruce Turk (Fool), Andrew Dahl (Oswald), Steven Marzolf (Curan), Adrian Sparks (Old Man), Craig Dudley (Doctor); and Ensemble, Shirine Babb, Andrew Dahl, Grayson DeJesus, Ben Diskant, Craig Dudley, Christian Durso, Kevin Hoffman, Andrew Hutcheson, Steven Marzolf, Jordan McArthur, Brooke Novak, Ryman Sneed, Adrian Sparks and Bree Welch
Set Design: Ralph Funicello
Lighting Design: Alan Burrett
Sound Design: Christopher R. Walker
Costume Design: Deirdre Clancy
Original Music: Shaun Davey
Running Time: Three hours with one fifteen-minute intermission
The Old Globe; 1363 Old Globe Way, San Diego; 619-23-GLOBE
Tickets $29 - $78
Schedule varies
June 12 – September 23, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Theatre review: Surf Report
The stereotype of Southern California is that everyone is blonde, everyone is a professional surfer, everyone smokes pot, and that life is one big ongoing episode of Entourage. In reality, the San Diego-Los Angeles megapolis is far more intellectual than most people realize. It's a scientific and engineering hub; oceanography, biotechnology, computing, with world-renowned research centers. Playwright Annie Weisman grew up in San Diego, and when she moved East, she realized that the image of California in popular culture extended no farther than Malibu Barbie. That realization stuck with her, and became the genesis for her latest play, Surf Report.
In Surf Report, Bruce (played by Gregory Harrison) is a very wealthy venture capitalist specializing in biotechnology. His assistant Judith (Linda Gehringer) is his right hand. She's been working for him for so many years that she knows every detail of his life. She's an excellent manager, but a bit obsessive. She's so fixated on making Bruce's life run smoothly that she's neglected her own family: husband Hal (Matthew Arkin) and adult daughter/aspiring visual artist Bethany (Zoe Chao), who now lives in Brooklyn and hates her mother and her SoCal upbringing with a passion.
Naturally, worlds collide. Hal's failing health forces Judith to re-examine her priorities, while bringing Bethany back home for a few days. Bethany is desperate to return to New York where she's gunning for a prestigious internship with an internationally famous photographer, but finds separating from her roots is harder than she thought. Especially when Jena (Liv Rooth), an old acquaintance from high school, insists on becoming her friend. When Judith comes to Bruce with a proposal, she's shocked to discover that she's somehow crossed a line, and that she isn't indispensable after all.
Interwoven into this is a careful and lovingly textured view of surf culture: the daily surf report, Bruce's obsession with surfing, Bethany's old high school boyfriend who taught her how to read the waves. The play is more character than plot driven, focusing on how the worlds of the various characters overlap and collide, and what happens when they do. A metaphor for the two sides of SoCal—laidback surfer culture vs. the high-stakes business world. It's a dark play, without the rapier satire of Weisman's earlier hit, Be Aggressive. It is, however, quietly beautiful and an excellent snapshot of modern Southern California.
The actors make a fine ensemble. Gregory Harrison stands out as the eerily charismatic Bruce, as does Liv Rooth as Jena who is a breath of fresh air and a charaxcter I wanted to see more of. While meant to be comic relief, Jenna is also Bethany's exact opposite and as such the only person capable of helping her realize that she's not such a misfit after all. Harrison's Bruce and Linda Gehringer's Judith have a great chemistry together. Their story is heartbreaking. Judith wants so much to be a guiding force in Bruce's life and to be as powerful in her own way as he is in his. Becausev Bruce is completely self-absorbed we know from the beginning that he will never see Judith as anything more than an assistant, and it's sad to see Judith struggle to arrive at that same conclusion, realizing that so many years of her life were spent for nothing.
Director Lisa Peterson does a great job of highlighting the play's complicated emotions. But the star of the show, as far as I was concerned, was the production itself. Rachel Hauck's set managed to be both lush and spare at the same time; a large mural of a breaking wave, bisected by a stark modern balcony staircase with an undulating blue-green wave-pattern floor. It could have been the lobby of a high-end condo building, or a plastic surgeon's office, or almost anywhere in Southern California. John Gromada's sound design was similarly expressive and lingering.
Surf Report deals with a number of weighty issues, but Annie Weisman is a fine writer and able to capture the complexities of life in Southern California in a way no one else can. You might need a martini before and after this play, but it's definitely worth it.
Written by Annie Weisman
Directed by Lisa Peterson
With Linda Gehringer (Judith), Gregory Harrison (Bruce), Matthew Arkin (Hal), Liv Rooth (Jena) and Zoe Chao (Bethany)
Set Design: Rachel Hauck
Lighting Design: Ben Stanton
Sound Design: John Gromada
Costume Design: David Zinn
Running Time: Two hours and five minutes with one fifteen-minute intermission
La Jolla Playhouse; 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA; 858-550-1010
Tickets $31-$66
Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 pm; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 7 pm. Matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm
June 15 — July 11, 2010
In Surf Report, Bruce (played by Gregory Harrison) is a very wealthy venture capitalist specializing in biotechnology. His assistant Judith (Linda Gehringer) is his right hand. She's been working for him for so many years that she knows every detail of his life. She's an excellent manager, but a bit obsessive. She's so fixated on making Bruce's life run smoothly that she's neglected her own family: husband Hal (Matthew Arkin) and adult daughter/aspiring visual artist Bethany (Zoe Chao), who now lives in Brooklyn and hates her mother and her SoCal upbringing with a passion.
Naturally, worlds collide. Hal's failing health forces Judith to re-examine her priorities, while bringing Bethany back home for a few days. Bethany is desperate to return to New York where she's gunning for a prestigious internship with an internationally famous photographer, but finds separating from her roots is harder than she thought. Especially when Jena (Liv Rooth), an old acquaintance from high school, insists on becoming her friend. When Judith comes to Bruce with a proposal, she's shocked to discover that she's somehow crossed a line, and that she isn't indispensable after all.
Interwoven into this is a careful and lovingly textured view of surf culture: the daily surf report, Bruce's obsession with surfing, Bethany's old high school boyfriend who taught her how to read the waves. The play is more character than plot driven, focusing on how the worlds of the various characters overlap and collide, and what happens when they do. A metaphor for the two sides of SoCal—laidback surfer culture vs. the high-stakes business world. It's a dark play, without the rapier satire of Weisman's earlier hit, Be Aggressive. It is, however, quietly beautiful and an excellent snapshot of modern Southern California.
The actors make a fine ensemble. Gregory Harrison stands out as the eerily charismatic Bruce, as does Liv Rooth as Jena who is a breath of fresh air and a charaxcter I wanted to see more of. While meant to be comic relief, Jenna is also Bethany's exact opposite and as such the only person capable of helping her realize that she's not such a misfit after all. Harrison's Bruce and Linda Gehringer's Judith have a great chemistry together. Their story is heartbreaking. Judith wants so much to be a guiding force in Bruce's life and to be as powerful in her own way as he is in his. Becausev Bruce is completely self-absorbed we know from the beginning that he will never see Judith as anything more than an assistant, and it's sad to see Judith struggle to arrive at that same conclusion, realizing that so many years of her life were spent for nothing.
Director Lisa Peterson does a great job of highlighting the play's complicated emotions. But the star of the show, as far as I was concerned, was the production itself. Rachel Hauck's set managed to be both lush and spare at the same time; a large mural of a breaking wave, bisected by a stark modern balcony staircase with an undulating blue-green wave-pattern floor. It could have been the lobby of a high-end condo building, or a plastic surgeon's office, or almost anywhere in Southern California. John Gromada's sound design was similarly expressive and lingering.
Surf Report deals with a number of weighty issues, but Annie Weisman is a fine writer and able to capture the complexities of life in Southern California in a way no one else can. You might need a martini before and after this play, but it's definitely worth it.
Written by Annie Weisman
Directed by Lisa Peterson
With Linda Gehringer (Judith), Gregory Harrison (Bruce), Matthew Arkin (Hal), Liv Rooth (Jena) and Zoe Chao (Bethany)
Set Design: Rachel Hauck
Lighting Design: Ben Stanton
Sound Design: John Gromada
Costume Design: David Zinn
Running Time: Two hours and five minutes with one fifteen-minute intermission
La Jolla Playhouse; 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA; 858-550-1010
Tickets $31-$66
Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7:30 pm; Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm; Sundays at 7 pm. Matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm
June 15 — July 11, 2010
Monday, June 28, 2010
We got a new car!
Yes, we are now the proud owners of a metallic forest green 2011 Camry. We weren't really expecting to buy a car this weekend, we were just starting the shopping process, but the dealership was offering 0% financing for 60 months, plus 2 years free maintenance, PLUS $750 below invoice (not below MSRP--below invoice). Then they offered us $800 on the truck trade-in, so we hurried up and bought it before they realized that the truck was actually worth about $1.25. Consequently we weren't able to put as much down as I would have liked, but hey, it's 0% financing.
Now that the wedding and the car are dealt with, we can buckle down and start paying off some stuff. Hooray! Plus now we have a reliable means of transportation, and one that won't consume $120 worth of gas every month. Which means we'll be doing the cross-country cannonball run for Christmas this year again, and for pretty much every year in the foreseeable future. It's still cheaper than flying.
It was actually a pretty busy weekend. I started by hiking Torrey Pines State Park with some church ladies, and I can't imagine why I haven't been there before. It's really beautiful. I also saw two plays; reviews to be posted shortly. I feel all cultured and stuff. Plus car buying, plus farmer's market, plus all the other random weekend stuff. I'm glad there's a three-day weekend coming up. I really need to catch up on my sitting-around time.
Now that the wedding and the car are dealt with, we can buckle down and start paying off some stuff. Hooray! Plus now we have a reliable means of transportation, and one that won't consume $120 worth of gas every month. Which means we'll be doing the cross-country cannonball run for Christmas this year again, and for pretty much every year in the foreseeable future. It's still cheaper than flying.
It was actually a pretty busy weekend. I started by hiking Torrey Pines State Park with some church ladies, and I can't imagine why I haven't been there before. It's really beautiful. I also saw two plays; reviews to be posted shortly. I feel all cultured and stuff. Plus car buying, plus farmer's market, plus all the other random weekend stuff. I'm glad there's a three-day weekend coming up. I really need to catch up on my sitting-around time.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Saturday, June 26, 2010
My brother is pregnant!
Well, ok, HE'S not, his wife is. Still, I'm reproductively behind the curve here.
Funny story: apparently my dad is unable to tell a pregnancy test from a rectal thermometer without his glasses. Why my brother would hand him a rectal thermometer is beyond me. Then again, I question the wisdom of giving my dad something my sister-in-law had peed on in the first place.
Funny story: apparently my dad is unable to tell a pregnancy test from a rectal thermometer without his glasses. Why my brother would hand him a rectal thermometer is beyond me. Then again, I question the wisdom of giving my dad something my sister-in-law had peed on in the first place.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Happy one-month anniversary to me!; and, Church
Look at us, married a whole month. :-) I celebrated this morning by putting the wrong kind of contact solution in my eye and searing off my cornea. Well, not really, but that's what it felt like. It was like putting acid in my eye. See, this is why I'd pretty much given up on wearing contacts. My DH is celebrating by having to work late tonight, so apparently this day is a wash all the way around.
On Sunday, I did something I never thought I'd do. I went to church. Voluntarily. Remember that "Who's Jesus?" conversation I had with my stepson some months ago? Well, if we're not going to be able to raise him ourselves, we're going to have to sneak some parenting in on the every-other-weekend we see him. You know, stuff like how to comb his own hair, how to make his own bed, how to make his own sandwiches, how to interact with other kids his own age. You'd think a ten-year-boy would already have learned that stuff at home, but not this one. So I figured if I got him to church once in a while, I could kill two birds with one stone: basic religious training plus hanging out with other kids his own age. If he made a friend or two here, even better.
There are two churches on the corner near where I live: an Episcopalian one and a non-denominational Christian one. I picked the non-denominational one. It was actually nice. Everyone was super-friendly, there seems to be a bunch of stuff always going on (hikes, dinners, field trips, etc.), and no one made me drink the Kool-Aid. I spoke to the guy in charge of the kids' programs and got a good vibe from him. And the congregation was suitably mixed (not all white people).
I've had a, shall we say, complicated relationship with organized religion. Growing up Baptist left a bad taste in my mouth--so much of what I got in church was exclusionary, misogynist, and needlessly dogmatic. Here are some direct quotes:
"Catholics will go to hell because they're idol worshippers."
"Women can't be preachers or deacons because they're inferior. Plus Jesus only had male disciples."
"Gay people can choose not to be gay if they really want to."
"The Bible says, 'Worship God in everything you do.' That means if you listen to regular rock music and not Christian rock music, you'll burn in hell."
"It doesn't matter that Jesus drank wine, good Baptists don't drink and don't cook with wine. Drinking is a sin."
"Jesus doesn't want women to work. If you want to make Jesus happy, you'll get married and have lots of babies."
And my personal favorite: "We don't have black people in our church because they have their own church. They're happier with their own kind."
There were many, many more reasons why I ran screaming, but I'll save those for another rant.
So far this church seems much more open-minded. Maybe it's a California thing, but I'm sure it also helps that it's non-denominational and not Southern Baptist. The sermon was on that old Baptist chestnut, "Wives, submit to your husbands"; and the pastor took it and gave a rational, contextual, historically accurate sermon on why that was politically revolutionary at the time and a big fat piece of crap now. So, so far, so good.
On Sunday, I did something I never thought I'd do. I went to church. Voluntarily. Remember that "Who's Jesus?" conversation I had with my stepson some months ago? Well, if we're not going to be able to raise him ourselves, we're going to have to sneak some parenting in on the every-other-weekend we see him. You know, stuff like how to comb his own hair, how to make his own bed, how to make his own sandwiches, how to interact with other kids his own age. You'd think a ten-year-boy would already have learned that stuff at home, but not this one. So I figured if I got him to church once in a while, I could kill two birds with one stone: basic religious training plus hanging out with other kids his own age. If he made a friend or two here, even better.
There are two churches on the corner near where I live: an Episcopalian one and a non-denominational Christian one. I picked the non-denominational one. It was actually nice. Everyone was super-friendly, there seems to be a bunch of stuff always going on (hikes, dinners, field trips, etc.), and no one made me drink the Kool-Aid. I spoke to the guy in charge of the kids' programs and got a good vibe from him. And the congregation was suitably mixed (not all white people).
I've had a, shall we say, complicated relationship with organized religion. Growing up Baptist left a bad taste in my mouth--so much of what I got in church was exclusionary, misogynist, and needlessly dogmatic. Here are some direct quotes:
"Catholics will go to hell because they're idol worshippers."
"Women can't be preachers or deacons because they're inferior. Plus Jesus only had male disciples."
"Gay people can choose not to be gay if they really want to."
"The Bible says, 'Worship God in everything you do.' That means if you listen to regular rock music and not Christian rock music, you'll burn in hell."
"It doesn't matter that Jesus drank wine, good Baptists don't drink and don't cook with wine. Drinking is a sin."
"Jesus doesn't want women to work. If you want to make Jesus happy, you'll get married and have lots of babies."
And my personal favorite: "We don't have black people in our church because they have their own church. They're happier with their own kind."
There were many, many more reasons why I ran screaming, but I'll save those for another rant.
So far this church seems much more open-minded. Maybe it's a California thing, but I'm sure it also helps that it's non-denominational and not Southern Baptist. The sermon was on that old Baptist chestnut, "Wives, submit to your husbands"; and the pastor took it and gave a rational, contextual, historically accurate sermon on why that was politically revolutionary at the time and a big fat piece of crap now. So, so far, so good.
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