Andrew White - Page 10

The framing device for 'Not by Bread Alone' is the baking of bread, an activity that is labor-intensive at first but which also allows plenty of time for family and friends to hang out and swap stories while the dough rises, with more tales to tell when it goes in to bake. The bulk of 'Not by Bread Alone' consists of the performers introducing themselves, talking about their lives and dreams, and acting out a few of their dream-scenarios along the way.

As a part of this month's international theater festival at the Kennedy Center, audiences have had a rare opportunity to meet directors of some of the world's most innovative companies -and a personal highlight for me was having the chance to meet Adina Tal, founder of the Nalaga'at Theater Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble and director of the production Not By Bread Alone that will be appearing here for two nights.

Written in the late 1950's in a fine post-graduate frenzy, Kopit's play was inspired as much by the European avant-garde as by the angst of the Eisenhower years. Director Tyler Herman has done a great job in his first production, creating the anarchic, bizarre feel that Kopit's play requires, with Katie Wertz's surreal set and Jacy Barber's biologically-correct costumes (for the fish and plant life) creating just the right off-kilter atmosphere.

The Kennedy Center's international theater festival got off to a truly moving start, thanks to a three-evening visit from Peter Brook's company, Theatre des Bouffes du Nord and their touring production of Can Themba's short story, "The Suit." Set in South Africa, in the suburban village of Sophiatown, "The Suit" is a cautionary tale of infidelity, jealousy, and the heavy toll that vengeance can take. It was a rare opportunity for Washington audiences to experience one of the world's master artists at work-an artist whose 60+ year career has spanned any number of innovations, but whose style has remained deceptively simple.

The pleasures of WSC Avant-Bard's production are many, beginning with Sara Barker's brilliant embodiment of Virginia Woolf's hero/heroine. One of English literature's most enduring labors of love, the stage version of 'Orlando' also gives us a glimpse of Sarah Ruhl early in her career, adapting Woolf's classic novel at a time when she was too young to be intimidated by an iconic feminist work. Director Amber Jackson has assembled a truly talented ensemble who give audiences a no-holds-barred performance not to be missed.

Given its long history of producing the plays of George Bernard Shaw, it was inevitable that the Washington Stage Guild would someday attempt to mount Shaw's monumental, impossible play cycle, Back to Methuselah. Methuselah tilts at the usual ideological windmills, with a fanciful dash of futurism thrown in for good measure. Perhaps because of its reach, the script shows occasional signs of strain; but the Stage Guild does an admirable job bringing our dear Irish curmudgeon's epic to life.

Cultural DC's production of Samuel Beckett's Happy Days offers audiences a fresh look at a play that has become a legend in theatre circles, not least because of its unprecedented demands on the actress who has to perform the lead role. How refreshing it is, then, to see Karen Lange's resilience in the role; she understands that Winnie's quest for survival is what gets her up every morning like clockwork, and drives her with only an occasional glimmer in her eyes of the panic that most of us would feel.

With the brilliant work of Constellation Theatre, Bill Irwin's irreverent spirit is alive and well in their current production of 'Scapin,' adapted from Moliere's Les Fourberies de Scapin ('Scapin's Tricks'). It's not one of those moldy old comedies where you try to laugh like your distinguished ancestors might have laughed back in the day-It works because the production rocks, but also because the original author Moliere stole some of the best material from his stage-mates in the Italian Commedia dell' Arte, who were standup before there was standup, and whose sight gags and stock characters laid the foundation for every sitcom you love today.

Just when you were about to pack it in because of the miserable weather Synetic Theater has come up with a joyous, raucous celebration of love-and jazz-in its latest Shakespeare adaptation. Twelfth Night, perhaps the Bard's most beloved comedy, is realized here as a manic and slapstick-ridden romp through the Roaring Twenties. Featuring classic tunes from the early jazz era, director Paata Tsikurishvili has set the action in a silent-era Hollywood sound stage. His wife, Irina, heads a stellar cast that channels the best of 1920's screen comedians, to brilliant effect.

Have you seen enough of Scrooge, His Imperial Crankiness? Are you ready for another take on the old tale? Herndon, Virginia's Next Stop Theatre has just the thing: a production of 'Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol' a one-man marvel performed. As performed by the lithe and wily Ray Ficca, Marley takes us through the trials and tribulations of being not just Scrooge's long-suffering partner, but also his eternally-suffering guardian angel.

The folks at Theater J have done us a huge favor by bringing back David Lutken and his band, so that we can have another visit with the great American songwriter and activist Woody Guthrie. Staged as an evening of down-home music, complete with opportunities for audience participation and sing-alongs, we can sit in on Woody Sez: The Life & Music of Woody Guthrie and see America through the eyes of one of its most accomplished artists.

We are now well into the second wave of Vaclav Havel productions, where his work is being re-examined from a variety of perspectives-experiments which, in and of themselves, are a testament to his staying power. Ambassador Theater's current production of 'Protest' at the Mead Theater Lab marks the culmination of a year-long celebration here in Washington, D.C. of the playwright-President's legacy. Under the direction of Gail Humphries-Mardirosian audiences can now witness a fascinating re-interpretation of what is perhaps Havel's deepest, most confessional work on life under an oppressive regime.

If your appetite for Shakespeare's history plays was whetted by PBS's recent series "The Hollow Crown," be of good cheer; King John is now receiving a solid production by the WSC Avant Bard. A rare gem, King John is a must for Shakespeare enthusiasts, not least because the play's complex plot renders it extremely difficult to stage. You will have the rare treat of seeing this unjustly neglected piece in fine form.

With 'Unplugged,' the youthful Flying V company helps us to commune with our long-lost idols, and offers us an often-amusing and touching version of their possible afterlives. Jason Schlafstein has assembled yet another multi-talented talented cast, who provide us with the music as well as the dramatic action. Consisting of two one-acts, 'All Apologies' by Hunter Styles, and 'Me and the Devil Blues' by Seamus Sullivan, the production will be a treat for anyone who loves the music-with the bonus that we get to hear selections from some of Rock's most memorable songs. In one amusing case, we get to hear a dead star cook up another tune or two.

What do you get when you mix an iconic book and film series featuring a magical boy-hero with two shamelessly goofy stand-up comedians, a well-heeled crowd and a host of antsy kids? You get roughly an hour and a half of mayhem featuring silly string, super-soakers, beach balls and cheap stuffed animals (some with removable heads-ouch). What on earth this has to do with J. K. Rowling's famous franchise is anyone's guess, but it's as good an excuse as any to get silly.

Director Stephen Nachamie has taken great care to give Olney audiences as authentic an experience of the original show as possible and packed the cast with genuine Broadway gypsies. The results are joyful, invigorating and touching, right down to the mis-steps and mistakes (carefully choreographed, mind you) that add the all-important element of spontaneity, the illusion that you're watching a crew of dancers desperate for work, willing to do anything to land the gig.

Given the high stakes involved in discussing transgender issues Forum theatre could have staged a traditional play. The passivity of the experience, however, would have given audiences an out-we could have walked away discussing "those people" and "their problems," shrugged them off and gone back to our lives. But writer and director Natsu Onoda Power has chosen instead to implicate all of us, and by involving us in the action she has made "The T Party" all the more challenging and invigorating.

Flying V Theatre, which we last saw with their loose and loopy 'Pirate Laureate of Port Town,' has created an unforgettable evening of theatre that touches you in more ways than you imagined possible. The standing ovation I witnessed last weekend was well deserved, and I hope is just one of many for the run of this show.

Under the taut and subtle direction of Shirley Serotsky and graced with a tremendously talented class, Theater J's The Hampton Years is nothing short of a triumph. Local playwright Jacqueline E. Lawton has given us a vital part of our history back-the humble but compelling beginnings of two towering figures in African-American art, John Biggers and Samella Lewis, who studied under Austrian refugee Viktor Lowenfeld at Virginia's Hampton Institute.

Audiences, prepare to be enthralled; Constellation Theatre's poetic staging of the ancient Sumerian epic “Gilgamesh” is an absolute delight for the eyes and ears. With its original poetic dialogue, its brilliant costuming and choreography, not to mention an original world-music score performed live, you have a truly fascinating evening in store for you.