Arena Stage: We Are Gathered

 Written by the acclaimed playwright, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Oscar winner for the film "Moonlight," and a world premiere timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of DC Pride, as well as, the International Pride Celebrations here in DC.  The gig for the play with a commitment from the author was set over a year ago, before it was written or even had a name.  It leads me to wonder at what cost does an award winning author keep to his promise?

The play was a tour de force exploration of the wounded psyche of the main protagonist.  It was also a bit of a cluster fuck.  Like a quilt full of beloved ideas that's stitching was coming apart at seams all over the place.  The design lacks cohesion so that even the parts that are trying to stay together don't make sense.  Any give patch has the possibility of being clear, and then the next one is tenuously attached if at all.

Simply put, it came across very much like an early draft.  There are too many ideas without a viable through line.   By the time we bit intermission, intermission was 15 minutes late!  In other words, there was at least 15 minutes worth a dialogue that easily could have been removed--it was tedious.  The only clear idea was that the lead character of Wallace Tre was really fucked up and hellbent on fucking up the best part of his life, but why?  Halfway through the second half, I thought, "OH...it's just a play about gay men cruising in the park at night."  But that was just of the many possibilities.

The set was simple and elegant.  The cast compliment of 6 with 4 members playing multiple characters.  The lighting design was basic, the costume design clean to compelling.  I loved the choices made for the Character, Free.

The Actors were all seasoned and handled the dialogue with a professional competency, with moments of delight and flare.  The delight was delivered by non-binary actor, Jade Jones as Nana Jae, Free's foul-mouthed free-spirited grandmother.  The flare belonged single-handedly in the work of Nic Ashe as the younger boyfriend of the lead protagonist.  First off, the role is the most solidly written and only unfrays during the latter moments of the second act.  He was the embodiment of playful sexy and wise beyond his years.  Hands down my favorite actor in the ensemble.

Over dinner I mused about how I would love to see him take on either Romeo or Hamlet in a Shakespeare production--I have no doubt that he would be up to the task.

Another notable aspect of the play was its disregard for the expectations of the 4th wall.  That imaginary barrier between the audience and the performers.  Audience members were invited to participate en mass as well as, in ad hoc moments as individuals.  And finally, at the very end, as the two main characters are wed, a couple from the audience steps up and is married or renews their vows.  During this performance a lovely couple with over 60 years together renewed their vows.

Wallace Tre (Kyle Beltran) and Free (Nic Ashe)

Chauncey (Kevin Mambo) a friend of Wallace.

Celebrating the nuptuals!

L-R: Nikkole Slater, Jade Jones, Kyle Beltran, Nic Ashe, Kevin Mambo and Craig Wallace

Breakky: "More-Veggie-Than-Egg" Fritata and Red Berries (Strawberries & Cherries) with Hazelnut flavored Coffee

 

Geranium

"That small motion, the white and red color, a strange fire because it meant a different thing to him.  It was not burning, it was warming. ... He hadn't known fire could look this way.  He had never thought in his life that it could give as well as take."
~ Ray Bradbury, 1920 - 2012

from Fahrenheit 451

Dinner: Handmade Wild Mushroom Ravioli in a roasted Red Pepper sauce with Parmesano, and a Warm Bread Salad with Baby Arugula, Red Onion, Homemade Croutons, Capers and Jarlsberg Cheese

 

Lily

"... more like inflamed flesh than the lucid reds of ordinary sunsets ... the glow is intense; that is what strikes everyone; it has prolonged the daylight, and optically changed the season; it bathes the whole sky, it is mistaken for the reflection of a great fire."

~ Gerard Manley Hopkins, 1884 - 1889

From writing based on the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa in August of 1883.

Dinner: Pan Fried Atlantic Cod, Crinkle Fries, Sauteed Spinach and Mushrooms with Ketchup

 

My Little Garden Zoo 2025: North America

 Every year for the past 11, I have collected and created my own little zoo of animal figurines in planters all across my deck.  At its apex there were over 120 species displayed, which is both ridiculous and amazing.  I have pulled from quantity in the hopes of a greater focus on quality.  I have used this distraction to learn about my planters (a mixture of annual and natural flora) and the species of animals that I have collected.

NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA (selected)

PRONGHORN ANTELOPE

Antilocapra americana

AMERICAN BISON

Bison bison

GRAY WOLF

Canis lupus lupus

NORTH AMERICAN RIVER OTTER

Lontra canadensis

GRIZZLY BEAR

Ursus arctos horribilis

COLLARED PECCARY

Pecari tajacu

Asparagus Torte

 The thing about Puff Pastry; you get two sheets.  So you better have a plan B for the second one.  

Today it was an Asparagus Torte, drizzled with Balsamic Glaze in the end before serving.  

Puff Pastry Breakfast!

Panera is being downgraded in preparation to be sold off for scrap metal by a hedge fund.  Always enjoyed their Breakfast pastries.  Now they use cheaper industrial grade artificial eggs like McDonald's and Burger King...  So, now I make my own!

Constellation Theatre: Head Over Heels

Today was a bitter sweet Theatre Adventure.  As I'm sure everyone here must know by now, Back in 2016, when I began my theatre-phile lifestyle in earnest, the first production I saw on the introductory year of 52 performances was the Constellation Theatre Company where I saw a delightful production of "Urinetown".  When I read in the program that one of the sustaining supporters was Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I was sold.  Between the amazing what and the impressive who lays a theatre that loves to do plays that are interesting, and sometimes unusual, and musicals that fill it's relative small space with such joy and talent.  

Over the years I have contributed to their cause, and since the pandemic, my name sits among many others where RBG's used to reside.  After 18 seasons, the company was thrown a curve ball when the building that houses their enterprise went on the market.  They were given first dibs and managed to raise a respectable down payment in the 7-figures range, but they did not win the day.  I cannot believe that this will be their final production as a company, but I do know beyond any doubt that it is their last production here at The Source on 14th Avenue, NW.   I just read an article about the demise of three theatre companies in California for the lack of patronage.  I know this is not anything isolated to the west coast; however, here in the DMV, I know of three companies that are homeless because of the price of real estate.  The very neighborhoods that they were pivotal in revitalizing have turned their backs on them for the almighty dollar.

But back to today's adventure.  This is the second time I've seen "Head Over Heels" by Jeff Whitty and James Magruder with music by the Go-Go's.  The first time was at Iron Crow Theatre (an LGBTQIA+ theatre collective up in Baltimore).  Iron Crow's venue doesn't have the best acoustics and for some reason that I fail to fathom, their productions always feel a little unnecessarily chaotic.  So I came thinking I knew what to expect--well, fuck that!  This was like a completely different production.  Read a group of high school kids without a director versus an honesty to Atoms & Void troupe of THESPIANS!  Toss in the lighting, sound, set, props, choreography...Bravissimo!  From the first exuberantly choreographed number to the last, the audience was enthralled to the magic.  

Stage right

Center Stage

Stage Left

The scenic design by Samuel Klaas with such amazing lighting design by E-hui was as enchanting as the story about to unfold before me.   The cast had 8 ways to enter and exit the space, which plays into the slapstick fun of all the convoluted and entwined connections between the characters.  The thing you have to say about "Head Over Heels" is that it is first and foremost a dynamic story, that just happens to be elevated by the glorious music of the Go Go's.  

For those unfamiliar with the plot, it is based on The Arcadia by Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1587)  There is a king with two daughters.  The younger is in love with a poor sheep herder (unacceptable), the elder is vain and refuses to marry any suitor which the king finds quite distressing.  There is word of a new oracle in Delphi and a magical serpent arrives in the kingdom with an invitation to visit them.  Accompanied by his trusted Regent, the Oracle prophecies 4 events that will lead to the downfall of his kingdom.  In order to avoid his fate, the king cooks up tale and leads his family on a pilgrimage to Bohemia.  The oracle appears to the Shepherd and convinces him to don the disguise of an Amazon warrior whom the oracle provides an opportunity to save the royal family from a lion.  The shepherd in disguise is invited to join the pilgrimage and all hell ensues!  Long story short, the tale ends with a celebration of Heterosexual fidelity, Lesbian love, family reunification, Transgender love, Transvestite affirmation and well--everyone is happy is ways that they never ever imagined.  What more could you ask for?

To speak of the cast is first and foremost to say--not a weak link in the chain!  The tapestry created by their interwoven and complimentary talents was tight, beautiful, without even a pinhole.  So as I praise some, let their notoriety act as a spotlight on all, and now, let me pick 5.    1) Julie Link as the elder Daughter, and budding Lesbian Princess, Pamela--shear perfection!  She nailed every possible line with perfect timing and just the right amount of irony.  She set the standard for the laugh-o-meter, and her voice?  OMG--what a power house singer who also understood the power in using her voice in subtle ways, too.  So impressed.  2) Fran Tapia as Queen Gynecia brought a lusty gravitas to the roll that was matched by her vocal clarity.  In the end, when her character takes over the castle, you have no doubt that she is up to the task and able to create the benevolent paradise foretold by the oracle.  3) Stephen Russell Murray as the King's regent, Dametas, held in a delightful balance the nerve-wracking responsibly for avoiding the fulfillment of the prophecies with such an endearing presence.  Tremendous positive energy and commitment felt contagious at times with other cast members in the same scenes.  4) The power of the oracle is their ability to be "other," and the choice of Nico Ochoa was absolutely perfect.  They are a natural when it comes to performing the diva, and without the specific affectations of drag, it's an enchanting presentation.  Now, I'm not going to lie, they are sexy.  My seat on the middle aisle in the second row stage right seemed to capture they're attention, and for whatever reason during half a dozen scenes where they would look out into the audience, they looked directly at me, and...AND held me in their gaze.  My only thought was that this was some sort of cheeky game Nico played with someone in the audience--an extension of their character's ornery sensuality.

Finally 5) goes to Harrison Smith.  Harrison was in the cast of Urinetown.  And for the past nine years I've watched as he's played one character role after another, but never the lead in various productions all across the DMV from Jesus Christ Superstar to Billy Elliot, and most recently in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.  Last winter, he got a bit of a break in the role of Charley Kringas in Keegan Theatre's production of "Merrily We Roll Along."  And he was magnificent.  I remember thinking how fearless he was in tackling the role.  Well, step back and reset the bar!  As the shepherd, Musidonus, turned Amazon warrior--fearless was his middle name!  The passion behind his performance was the thread that held everything, EVERYTHING together in the end.  Without it, nothing else would have been possible.  And his voice possesses both clarity and a comic functionality when necessary.  

I also had the opportunity to share my delight with Allison Stockman, the company's Founding Artistic Director, who has been so generous with me over the years of my support and visits.  I wanted to ask her what's next?  But it wasn't the time or place.  Whatever is next, I will be there.  Me and the spirit of RBG.

The musical opens and ends with ensemble dance numbers.

The younger princess, Philocea (Ariana Caldwell) discovers the secret to recognizing her true love, the Shepherd, Musidonus (Harrison Smith) by his heart beat.  They've got the beat!

Philocea's older sister, Pamela (Julie Link), is a vain and suppressed girl, but not for long!

Musidonus sings of his love for Philoclea with his flock!  The three members of the ensemble were all amazing and you never knew what to expect from them next!

The Regent Dametas' daughter Mopse is visited by the Oracle in the form of a serpent who delivers a scroll for the king.

Musidonus received a magical communication from the Oracle as well...

The king, Basilius and his regent visit the Oracle and receive their prophecy.

The oracle sends a trio of owls to Musidonus to help him transform into an Amazon warrior.  From here...things really take off!

The Regent Dametas, Queen Gynecia and King Basilius in the amazing set.

King Basilius (Oscar Salvador, Jr.) and Dametas (Stephen Russell Murray)

Amazon Warrior (Harrison Smith) and Princess Philocea (Ariana Caldwell)

Dametas in distress!

Mopse (Rebecca Ballinger) Princess Pamela's lady in waiting, with Princesses, Philocea and Pamela.

Dametas with his daughter Mopse.

Queen Gynecia (Fran Tapia) contemplating adultery...with her husband.

The Oracle (Nico Ochoa)

The Oracle is Fabulous, darling.

A magical Golden Stag restores Musidonus to life and the Oracle to human form.

King Basilius relinquishes his crown to the Queen who takes over responsibility for the kingdom of Arcadia.

The ensemble keeps shaking their asses!

[L to R]: Jordan Essex, Cristen Young, and Caroline Graham.

And the whole thing ends with another amazing dance number!  Kudos to Maurice Johnson!

Prologue Theatre: Muffed

 Prologue is one of my favorite small Theatre Companies.  It has an indomitable spirit that just refuses to not exist, though it has never been able to find a resident space.  It has been able to use other spaces when available, and when not, it does a wonderful job of thinking outside of the box.  Back when it first began, it rented a little space behind a CVS Pharmacy and a Nail Salon in the middle of a residential corridor of Arlington, VA.  The space was used for an office, storage, and rehearsal.  Now it's also where they produce works.

To say it is intimate is to not begin to describe the feeling I got.  The performance space is carved out of the rest of the room and is wide enough to accommodate approximately 16 seats in three tiered rows with a modest aisle up the middle.  On one side is a deck with the tech person.  And it's deep enough for 8 actors to perform and move around one another without having to sit on anyone's lap in the front row.  The closest thing I can compare it to is Constellation Theatre at The Source (though it's lost access to that venue after this season, so who's to say?)  In such a space, you're certainly not going to do Oklahoma or Les Miserables; but a play like Zack Peercy's "Muffed: A Recounting Of Farmington, Maine's 43rd Annual Chester Greenwood Day Devised By the Members Of The Meaningful Action Theatre Company" works just fine.  And for some reason--probably because the pre-title statement reads "The Meaningful Action Theatre Company Presents A Workshop Reading Of:" yadda yadda yadda... I came expecting a workshop reading!  The show is VERY meta.  And it's also exactly what it says in the pre-title/title.  

Eight members of this fictitious small town theatre company travel from their homes in Pennsylvania to spend a week interviewing all the good folks of Farmington, Maine about their festival dedicated to the inventor of the ear muffs.  City Officials, the local College Presidents and members of her staff, towns folks and students all pop-up and down in a tarantella that unravels the absurdity and the tenderness of the participants--even the members of the Theatre Company are not immune from revelations and petty rivalries that turn into something more significant.  To quote the director from his notes in the program: "...sometimes the seemingly ordinary is actually extraordinary and that we all have at least a little of that within us."

The horrible thing about being in an audience in a room where the lights are on for everyone's benefit, because there are no stage lights, per se; is that you are as exposed as the actors.  They are also looking at you!  When you have the gift of anonymity via darkness, you can experience the play without thought to what your face may or may not be expressing.  But when at any given moment, a member of the cast can lock their eyes on yours, even when they are not participating in the scene being staged; well, it's unsettling as worst, and just not something I'm trained to manage at best.  

The play is written so that each actor plays not only themselves, but 3 other characters.  The genders of these others bears no particular association with the actor's apparent manifestations of gender.  In contemporary theatre, this is not uncommon, and for an actor I should think that it can be a lot of fun--but in a play with so many characters--it can require additional concentration (or is that my 64-year-old brain talking?).  And which such a challenge, each of the members of this ensemble were on their toes, too!  I enjoyed everyone's contribution, but have to say that few stood out a little taller than the others.  

Fabiola da Silva's take on Mayor Abe McGuinn was one that just grew on you over time, and she had a couple of the most interesting bits as Company Member #3, too.  If you're familiar with the British Comedian Bridget Christie, I kept finding myself making comparisons between the two.  Emily Erikson's take on Deb in Accounting with her Shakespeare-speak was absolutely delightful.  Sam Slottow as the frustrated Junior Member of the troop, suddenly thrust into understudying the role of the mysteriously missing Derek, but whom no one respects until suddenly he finds himself portraying the ghost of Opera Diva Lady Nordica (another celebrity born in Farmington, ME) whom with his help explodes upon the stage in true diva fashion--well, a Prima Donna extraordinaire is born!

However, the glue that sets the tone and holds the pitch from start to finish is Robert Bowen Smith's Company Leader/University President Wendy Simmons/8-year-old Andy Sezzler Gingerbread House Maker/Aunt Eustice that really kept things shining.  Another comparison--a young William H. Macy with all the spunky-tude of Scott Thomas' "Kids in the Hall" character, Buddy Cole on a caffeine rush!  

Given sparse circumstances, the acting is all.  And this crew of actors made it happen.  They were entertaining, they were accessible, they were relatable, believable and endearing.  Well done!

The Entire Ensemble [L-R]: Robert Bowen Smith, Emily Zinski, Aron Spellane, Fabiolla da Silva, Joshua O. Olujide, Emily Erikson, Sam Slottow and Rachel Johns.

Three members in one of the many moments of intensity: Aron Spellane (middle) as Company Member 6 finds himself babysitting twins (left)  Emily Zinski as Randy Sezzler-age 6 and (right) Robert Bowen Smith as Andy Sezzler-age 8.  "Someone" has sabotaged Andy's Gingerbread contest entry...

Breakfast: Hong Kong-style French Toast with Apricots and Maple Syrup