Archive for the ‘theater’ Category

At last, it is sunny and warm here on the Cape, but the real signs of spring are the reopening of the local clam shacks, up and down the Cape. We were in Dennis recently to learn about the Cape Playhouse summer schedule and to visit the Cape Cod Museum of Art. There were only a few people enjoying the art treasures at the museum, but it was opening day at Captain Frosty’s, and the line stretched out the door. We didn’t have much time, so opted to leave without ordering anything. As we were going, another customer in the line called out to us to stay, that we’d be missing all the fun if we left.

Fried seafood is not, of course, all the fun to be had on the Cape. Other amusements and signs of spring include an increase in art exhibits, fairs, music festivals, concerts, theater productions, and other entertaining events.

Which brings me back to the Cape Playhouse. The summer season begins in June, with “Marc Salem’s Mind Games,” from June 23 to July 5.

Marc Salem was on hand at the Playhouse to preview some of his incredible mind games: guessing the exact amount of someone’s pocket change, figuring out the first word on a random page in a book, predicting audience answers to questions, and mentally changing the time on someone’s watch. He was very, very good, completely mystifying, and funny too. He said that it wasn’t magic, just a heightened sense of reading people’s body language. He has been hired by police departments to train their personnel to tell when people are lying. His time-changing talents are hard to explain though. You can see some of his mental feats on his 60 Minutes appearance with Mike Wallace, which can be viewed on his website, marcsalem.com.

Other Cape Playhouse shows include:

July 7 to 19, “A Day in Hollywood/ A Night in the Ukraine” (musical)

July 21 to August 2, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (musical)

August 4 to August 16, “Leader of the Pack” (musical)

August 18 to 30, “Born Yesterday”

September 1 to 13, The Devil’s Music: The Life and Blues of Bessie Smith (musical)

For more information on Cape Playhouse events, see the Cape Cod Center for the Arts.

Following is my review of “The Oldest Profession,” a dinner theater presentation of the Woods Hole Theater Company. The play will be presented this weekend, April 24-27 at the Nimrod Restaurant in Falmouth.

I welcome your thoughts about the play play or my review. Post your comments in the Comments section at the end of this review. Thanks!

‘The Oldest Profession’ Offers Laughs, Insight, Social Commentary

Posted in: Entertainment
By MARILYN J. ROWLAND
Apr 18, 2008 – 2:54:59 PM

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The cast of the Woods Hole Theater Company’s dinner theater production of “The Oldest Profession” (from left): Cathy Smith of Falmouth, Louise Patrick of Waquoit, Geralyn Peterkin of East Falmouth, Lori Spurling of East Falmouth, and Gail Almeida of Sandwich. The play will be performed next weekend, April 24 to 27, at the Nimrod Restaurant in Falmouth.

“The Oldest Profession,” a play about the joys and sorrows and life experiences of five aging prostitutes by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paula Vogel, is the latest dinner theater offering from the Woods Hole Theater Company. Directed by Don Dutton, it was performed last weekend at the Nimrod Restaurant, 100 Dillingham Avenue, Falmouth, accompanied by a meal including Caesar salad, Parmesan d’aubergine (eggplant), with coffee and a cake/sherbet dessert served at intermission. The food was good, and people seemed to enjoy the social setting.

Paula Vogel is known for mixing humor with controversial topics such as AIDS, homosexuality, pornography, domestic abuse, gender roles, and child sexual abuse and incest, which are the topics of “How I Learned to Drive,” the play that won her the Pulitzer in 1998. (For those who may be interested in comparing plays by Ms. Vogel, Bridgewater State College Theatre Arts Department will be presenting “How I Learned to Drive” on April 25 and 26, and on May 1, 2, 3 at 8 PM, with a 2 PM matinee performance on April 27.)

The Oldest Profession,” which was written in 1981, combines comedy with political and social commentary. It has been said that Ms. Vogel intended her play as a criticism of the Reagan Administration’s economic policies. In 2008, this is not readily apparent, though the economic issues may feel familiar. There are humorous references to Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan, labor and management, and risky investments, as the women grapple with the physical and financial problems of growing older.

The women have been together for 50 years; one was recruited upon graduation from eighth grade. They worked together in Storyville, the red light district of New Orleans, and moved to New York City when Storyville was no longer profitable. When the play opens, a week before the 1980 election of Mr. Reagan, they are clustered around a park bench, sharing stories about the meager profits of the day.

The set is minimal, which is to be expected, given limited space in the restaurant, but I would have liked just a little more, perhaps even a painted backdrop, especially having seen the wonderful set for the Woods Hole Theater Company’s recent production of “Same Time, Next Year,” also directed by Don Dutton, when an entire summer cottage was brought to life in the same space.

All five actresses perform their roles well. Geralyn Peterkin plays Mae, the caring and responsible madam; Cathy Smith plays Vera, the sweet one, who comforts Mae in her time of need, enjoys cuddling, and almost gets married; Gail Almeida very effectively plays Ursula, the bossy, tough and businesslike one, whose plans for financial gain don’t quite work out; Louise Patrick does a great job as the flashy and adventurous Edna, who gets fired from her job at McDonald’s for being too seductive; and Lori Spurling convincingly plays Lillian, the pretty one, the one who enjoys going to the theater, and who wanted to be an actress herself, but “Lillian was no fool; she knew there was no money in the theater.”

Discussing their meager finances, Lillian jokes that “we should be eligible for Social Security because of all our years of social service.” Many of their clientele now live at the Home for the Aged, and payment is not what it used to be. “You’ll get better tips,” says another woman, “if you avoid discussing the election, gas prices, and the economy.”

Ursula is after the others to become more businesslike in their dealings, insisting that the women work harder and more efficiently. Lillian, whose last client paid her with a pair of silk stockings, not money, brightly replies, “I can’t just hop into bed and hop out again.” She pauses, joking, “It’s the arthritis!”

“We need to get our hands on the AARP mailing list,” says Ursula.

The rapid-fire dialogue does keep the audience laughing, but it works against a perception of the women as elderly. They talk about aging; they have arthritis, their digestive systems don’t work as well as they used to, but, on the whole, the ladies seem only middle-aged, not ancient, not just in looks, but in the dynamic way they talk and move about the stage.

I did find one scene about aging particularly touching and well acted: Geralyn Peterkin as Mae begins to lose her memory. Her fears for herself and her efforts to keep the problem a secret from Ursula, who, she fears, will “pack me on the next ice floe heading south,” are moving and make one care about the plight of these women.

The arthritis and indigestion are played more for laughs, not a bad choice in a play of this nature, but it holds us at arm’s length from considering the reality of the issues.

Without giving away too much of the plot, all the women get a chance to do a little burlesque dancing. None of the women were expert dancers, but their lack of expertise was endearing and appropriate. The play ends with all the women on the stage in a fairly uncoordinated, but amusing dance routine. I think that the awkwardness was intentional; the audience enjoyed their efforts.

The play will be performed again on April 24 to 27, with dinner on Thursday through Saturday starting at 7 PM, and the play beginning at 8 PM. On Sunday, the play is performed as a matinee, with dinner at 4 and the performance at 5 PM. Tickets are $40, and reservations may be made by calling 508-540-6525.

I had tickets to see “Little Women, The Musical” at the Harwich Junior Theater the weekend it was to open, on March 29. There were actually four events I wanted to attend that night, including the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra with cellist Rhonda Rider, baritone John Murelle singing songs of the Gershwin brothers, and a jazz guitar concert at Johnson String Instrument.

I chose “Little Women” because I thought the play review would be of most interest to readers of the Enterprise. We found another reviewer for John Murelle’s performance: Zachary Rothstein-Dowden, a high school senior, cellist and vocalist, who did an outstanding job on the review. I knew I would hear John sing the next day at a reception by the Mastersingers by the Sea. He would be singing the main role in their performance of Haydn’s “The Creation” the following week, accompanied by members of the New Bedford Symphony Orchestra. It’s all interconnected. David MacKenzie conducts both groups.

So, I decided to go see “Little Women.” Then Dr. MacKenzie called to offer me tickets to the New Bedford Symphony performance. His first instrument was the cello, and he knows I play the cello too, and, of course, the soloist that night was a cellist. I waivered, thinking, that if I went to the Symphony, I could also squeeze in the Johnson String performance, which was at 5:30 PM, and then head out to New Bedford. Johnson String, in Falmouth, is managed by a cellist.

No one I knew was free to attend “Little Women” with me, so I finally set out alone, on that stormy night, just me and my GPS system. I know how to get to the Harwich Junior Theater, but it is comforting to have the little machine telling me my estimated time of arrival, saying, in effect, “calm down, you’ll get there in plenty of time.”

And I did. The only problem was that the show was canceled due to the illness of the star player. There I was in Harwich, at 7:30, 60 miles from New Bedford, where the symphony would start at 8. I thought about stopping at the Barnstable High School Performing Arts Center in Hyannis on my way home, where “The Wizard of Oz” was playing, thinking I could see at least part of that incredible production, but, in the end, I just drove home.

So, last night, I finally, and somewhat reluctantly, found time to go out to Harwich to see “Little Women.” It was absolutely wonderful, from beginning to end, well sung, well written, and well directed and produced. Caitlin Mills, as Jo, is outstanding, especially as an actress, but also as a singer. Her performance was well-worth waiting for. But this is a production is which all the actors are wonderful, and even the minor characters have brilliant moments. The set was beautiful, the costumes were lovely.

There was also a talented quartet of musicians–flute, violin, cello, and piano–behind the scenes, accompanying both spoken words and singing. And the cello had some nice solos. My only complaint is that the quartet was behind the scenes, and their sound was distorted a bit in the amplification. I know there is limited space in the small HJT theater, but it would have been nice to see the musicians (they did not even come out for a curtain call), and to hear their music a little more clearly.

I will write a more complete review for the Enterprise soon, but, in the meantime, go see the play. You can’t help but enjoy it.