Roy Berko - Page 40

FREUD'S LAST SESSION is must-see, fascinating theatre for anyone who is interested in a philosophical, thought laced drama, with laughter and fine acting.

IDentity THEFT, SEVEN LIVES FILTERED THROUGH THE IDEAS OF AUGUST STRINDBERG, is fascinating theatre and gave additional proof of the quality of the CWRU/CPH MFA Acting Programs' class of 2014.

There have been lots of plays, movies and musicals about nuns. Nuns, who are traditionally known as those fearsome enforcers of strict rules, wielding punishing rulers, and giving lesser human beings the evil eye. The purveyors of such wisdom as 'don't wear patent leather shoes because they reflect up,' 'don't go on a date to a restaurant with white tablecloths because it will remind the boy of bed sheets,' 'red clothing incites passion,' and 'don't wear makeup as it entices the devil.'

Mark Morris Dance Group's first Cleveland appearance in five years was a mixed bag. After pleasing the audience with a delightful first act, the tone switched drastically in the second half, which though well presented, was tedious.

There is a recent trend for Cleveland area professional theatres to couple with local university drama programs. Cleveland Play House has married itself to both Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve's MFA programs. Cleveland Public Theatre and Oberlin College have such an agreement. The connection between Beck Center and Baldwin Wallace's nationally ranked musical theatre program, has resulted in not only allowing BW students to appear on a professional stage, and the expansion of the acting pool for Beck, but the production several top notch shows.

EXPLORE DISCOVER, Verb Ballet's Winter, 2013 series, was highlighted by the exciting works of Chung-Fu Chang and Richard Dickinson. It was a wonderful illumination of western and eastern modern and balletic dance.

Cleveland Public Theatre is noted for championing works by local artists. The theatre's newest offering, EARTH PLAYS (Part Two of the Elements Cycle) invited directors, performers and writers to focus on the themes of the earth and sustainability, using the technique of devised theater.

Noel Coward is noted as being one of the most creative dramatists, writers, composers, lyricist, painters and wit of the Western World. In fact, through his creations he is noted for virtually inventing the concept of 'Englishness.' It has been noted that, 'he was defined by his Englishness as much as he defined it.'

Who wrote THEODORA, SHE BITCH OF BYZANTIUM, TIMES SQUARE ANGEL, or VAMPIRE LESBIANS OF SODOM? Don't know? You are not alone. These, and more escapist romps with similar bizarre names, are the products of Charles Louis Busch, an American actor, playwright and female impersonator. Many of his works, including PSYCHO BEACH PARTY, which is now in production at Blank Canvas Theatre, were written specifically as vehicles for Busch and his camp style of acting.

THE DEVIL'S MUSIC is a very entertaining evening of theatre, highlighted by the performance of Miche Braden, but is somewhat burdened by the format of the script.

Ian, my thirteen year old grandson, who I often bring along to judge whether theatre productions are both appropriate and will be enjoyable for kids, just kept repeating, 'That was fun,' as we returned to our car for the trip home.

Sean Derry, the artistic director of none too fragile theater, is known for his love of off-the-wall scripts and characters. He fears no plots, language or the macabre. In Martin McDonagh, the author of none too fragile's latest brain teaser, A BEHANDING IN SPOKANE, he has met his mate.

What do courtship, sex, money, lack of sex, romance, birth, wanting more sex, parenting, children, squabbling, still wanting more sex, and anniversaries all have in common? Marriage, of course

If you were an investor in Broadway shows and someone came to you proposing a rock musical about a mother with worsening bipolar disorder, that was going to be performed as an operetta (all singing, few spoken sentences), with no show stoppers, no dancing, no chorus numbers, few laughs, and an unnerving ending, written by an author who has never had a big hit, would you invest? Well, a group did, and the result was NEXT TO NORMAL which won three 2009 Tony Awards and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and had a smash 733 performance-run on Broadway, and is now touring to sold out audiences.

Charles Smith, author of THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JAMES, which is now getting its Ohio Premiere at Ensemble Theatre, is an award-winning writer, and playwright-in-residence for the Indiana Repertory Theatre. He is also head of the Professional playwriting program at Ohio University.

Yes, it's snowing outside, but soon Spring and Summer will be upon us. That means The Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Canada, will beckon. The Shaw is one of the two major Canadian theatre festivals, the other being The Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario. Both are high quality venues.

Cleveland Public Theatre is sometimes referred to as an off-Playhousequare theatre for its continued probing of non-traditional script choices and presentation styles. It's the place that did an age-blind version of OUR TOWN, a play which paralleled southern slavery with the Holocaust and added a gay twist, presented a one-man diatribe about the Cleveland Browns, and was recognized by the Cleveland Critics Circle in its 2012 awards for 'Outstanding Commitment to Multi-dimensional Theater Production and Education.'

Tennessee Williams, Edward Albee, William Inge, Arthur Miller, Stephen Dietz. What do these playwrights have in common? They are on the list of the top ten American writers who have the most produced plays. Never heard of Dietz? You are not alone. He is a regional playwright who makes a living as a college professor and writing scripts that are done in mid-America.

There are some weird and off-beat goings-on in downtown Cleveland's PlayhouseSquare. At the State, cross-dressers and a transvestite are feverishly dancing and preening in PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, THE MUSICAL. At the Hanna, witches and warlocks are cavorting in BELL, BOOK AND CANDLE. On stage at the Hanna, in SPANK! THE FIFTY SHADES PARODY, whips, chains, handcuffs and undulating abs have the mostly 20-something female crowd screaming for more. Yes, female crowd...the farer sex outnumbered the males by at least 100 to 1.