Round House Theatre/Folger Theatre Co-Production: The Tempest

Living in the DMV, I am spoiled when it comes to excellent professional theater.  There are dozens of companies, at least 5 devoted to the works of Shakespeare and Shakespeare inspired productions alone!  One of the greats is the Folger's Theatre Company, part of the Folger's Shakespeare Library.  They're productions are ALWAYS outstanding--I've never seen a lemon.  Local Theater Critics like to pan one every now and then, but Local Theater Critics mostly seem to have their heads firmly planted up their tight little asses, so what do I care?

Folger's Theatre's last formal season coincided with the start of the Pandemic.  Their production of "The Merry Wives of Windsor" was next to the last live show I saw before everything shut down.  Their shutdown was; however, pre-planned and years in the making.  How serendipitous to close their theater space for a multi-million dollar renovation at the very moment and during the very time frame when no theaters were open.

As work on this transformation is now in it's final stages, Folger's has teamed up with other venues and theaters to still produce/co-produce a season.  You may recall, back in August I saw a production of "A Midsummer's Night's Dream" staged at the cavernous Smithsonian National Building Museum.  Another play was co-produced with Theater J.  And this production of "The Tempest" is in partnership with Round House Theatre in Bethesda, Maryland.  I've seen "The Tempest" performed on stage once before, and it's one of the few plays by Shakespeare that I've also actually read.  So I have a slightly better familiarity with the story--which is always helpful with Shakespeare.  But even if I hadn't, this production was so incredibly accessible, that I would have undoubtedly enjoyed it just as much.

Nate Dendy as Ariel

With Teller (of the Magician Duo "Penn & Teller) behind the design, magic is a foregone conclusion.  The magic began even before the play, when Nate Dendy as Ariel suddenly arrived and began entertaining (and including) the audience with mime and card tricks.  It must be pointed that this particular interpretation of The Tempest is essentially a restaging of previous productions.  Teller conceived it and staged it in other venues (one or two I seem to recall--both on the west coast) before this one.  Dendy is the one member of the cast who is reprising his performance here.  No doubt having such an amazing opportunity to participate in something like this again as both an outstanding stage actor and an exceptionally talented magician all the reason he needs.  I, for one, am so grateful that he did.  In every way imaginable, he will forever remain in my mind the quintessential Ariel.

When visiting the Round House website and previewing the cast, I will admit, I was very excited by the number of talented "favorite" actors who were part of the production.  In particular: Kate Eastwood Norwich, Naomi Jacobson, Cody Nickell and Megan Graves.  Others like Eric Hissom, Kenyatta Rogers and Ryan Sellers have also come to my attention over the years for their solid performances.  Add the fact that I have not seen any of these good folk on stage since before the pandemic's darkest days, and you can understand my great sense of anticipation.  So, to be fair, today's matinee performance was only this cast's third before a live audience thus far, having just opened on the 23rd.  Yet, I don't think it was evident in any way--and I can only imagine how much better this ensemble will become over time.

Eric Hissom as Prospero

Every single one of the aforementioned actors were every ounce the amazing performers that I had remembered.  Eric Hissom as Prospero jumped several notched in my esteem.  His grasp of Shakespearean dialogue and ability to make it come across as contemporary and accessible was delightful.  Overall there wasn't a loose end in the entire tapestry.  Among the stellar performances I would again elevate Nate Dendy as Ariel. Not simply for his amazing magic tricks, but his complete embrace of the fairy sprite.  Without effeminacy, he gave us androgyny.  Without pity, he awoke our empathy.  Without warning, he captivated us to the point of near tears in his most vulnerable moments.  Now, folks, THAT is call theater!  

On another level this production was most noteworthy for it's synergy.  Three examples leapt out.  1) Megan Graves performance as Miranda off of Ro Boddie's portrayal of Ferdinand.  Introduced separately, both blossomed when the plot brought them together.  It's the finest performance I've seen Megan give and Ro is a newcomer to me who I hope I will continue to see into the future.  2) Kate Eastwood Norris' Stephano against Richard R. Henry's Trinculo.  OMG!  First, Kate is without exception an actor of singular skill and force; a favorite of Folger's and Mine--I will never forget her Philip Faulconbridge in "King John"!  Richard was completely unknown to me, yet from his first utterance as he made his way through the audience to the stage I thought, "Yes!  Good!  Who is this amazing person?"  Together, their talents erupted with such humor and endearing buffoonery.  Which brings me to 3) Caliban.  

Hassiem Muhammad as Black Caliban

Caliban deserves his/his own paragraph!  The orphaned, befuddled, enslaved genie who is childlike yet menacing.  Caliban is one of Shakespeare's triumphant creations.  You might say too large for one actor to capture--and then you would LOVE how this production presented him.  Caliban was played by two men.  Hassiem Muhammad (Black) and Ryan Sellers (White).  Imagine them: Naked save baggy ragged yoga pants of rough fabric in earth tones with painted marking to mirror the body paint adorning each man.  Hassiem's where drawn to move his flesh lighter, and Ryan's to move his darker.  

Ryan Sellers as White Caliban

Together they were entwined flesh.  Their movements choreographed with Pilobolus level precision.  They moved by holding and pulling and torquing against each others well muscled bodies.  They spoke in unison, then as a call and response chorus, and back again with a vocal acuity akin their kinesthetic union.  At any moment, an ass, an arm, a leg, a head could be in the air or on the surface of the stage, but hardly ever static.  It was just a freaking wonder to watch.  Honestly, the entire play was just a freaking wonder to watch!

Add to this such a talented musical quartet, with two female vocalists (Lizzie Hagstedt and Kanysha Williams) whose harmonies were in turns heart-warming and bone-chilling performing tunes written by Tom Waits in conjunction with the action and mood of the play.  Add again an amazing three-story tall set designed by Daniel Conway to look like the bastard stepchild of a Grand 19th-Century Barkentine crossed with a turn of the 20th-Century Vaudeville stage.  Include costumes designed by Sarah Cubbage ready for a steampunk convention or a pirate party-house.  And did I mention magic?  When the show was over, the standing ovation completed, the lights up...I just stood there staring at the stage.  The line from Sondheim's "Into The Woods" from the Baker's Wife after her tryst with Cinderella's Prince was ringing in my head.  You remember.  She looks at the audience right after the Prince dashes off in search of another maiden and says, "What...was THAT?"  

If you live in the DMV, you have until January 1st to see this.  I should say don't wait to purchase your ticket.  This one is going to sell out.  Trust me.

Prospero (Eric Hissom) and Ariel (Nick Dendy) plotting the shipwreck

Prospero informing Ariel of the Price for his freedom

Prospero discovering the love between Prince Ferdinand (Ro Boddie) and his daughter, the Princess Miranda (Megan Graves)

The King of Naples' Shipwrecked servants Trinculo the Cook (Richard R. Henry) and Stephano the Baker (Kate Eastwood Norris)

The oafish demon, Calaban (Hassiem Muhammad & Ryan Sellers)

The Royal entourage: Sebastian (Kevin Mambo), Antonio (Cody Nickell), Alonso King of Naples (Kenyatta Rogers) and Gonzala (Naomi Jacobson)

Prospero levitating Miranda

Photographs by: Scott Suchman

T-Day Leftover Meal

 T-Day might better have called C-Day this year as Chicken replaced Turkey.  In the end, a homemade pot of Chicken, Rice & Vegetable Soup was possibly even more delightful than the Roast Chicken!

Thanksgiving for One: Keeping It Simple

 

I have never roasted a turkey in my entire life.  And have been single for nigh on to 20 years, I don't suppose I ever will.  I am totally okay with that.  

This year for Thanksgiving I roasted a Chicken!  I looked for the smallest one I could find and this one came in at just under 5 lbs.  In retrospect, I should have looked for a Cornish Hen.  To this I made but two sides: the traditional Green Bean Casserole and Stuffing Balls.  I did not stuff the chicken with stuffing, but with a pair of lemons (lacerated and poked full of wholes for the occasion).

For dessert, I made a Buttermilk Pear Pie.

1st Stage: The Rainmaker

 My second production at this wonderful little theatre tucked into the back side of a strip mall in Tysons, Virginia (above an auto body shop and next to a Doggy Day Care).  The show just opened and this was its third performance, so alas, they haven't published any press photos yet.  Which is a shame in that it keeps me from sharing some of the wonderful moments and beautiful set that were created in this production.

I told everyone prior to going that this American classic was unknown to me in that I'd never seen it on stage or the movie.  But about 20 minutes in and I know I am wrong.  I have definitely seen this preformed on stage before and though I think I have kept careful records of my now 45 years of theater going, this one missed the archives.  Combing through all of the possibilities, I'm thinking it was one most likely all the back in high school and probably at Gabriel Richard Catholic H.S.  A friend of mine attended and I would go to see her in shows or just with a group of friends to see a show.  Be that as it may, I now know that this was my second bite of this classic apple.

In a nutshell, it's about a family and a confidence man who shows up on their west Texas ranch.  It's a time a drought, and Starbuck promises for the sum of $100 that he can make it rain.  The Curry's are over seen by a kindly patriarch, with three adult children.  Noah the eldest who feel responsible for everyone.  Jimmy the youngest who has never been allowed to grow up.  And Lizzie the middle daughter.  Single and on the verge of spinsterhood.  Strong-willed, but plain in appearance.  The characters are rounded out by the Sheriff and his deputy, a younger man who has his own secret and who has a latent attraction to Lizzy that her father and brothers are keen to exploit.

All of the characters are well-played, though I take exception with one.  Matthew Sparacino as the charismatic Starbuck.  Starbuck is a type.  To inhabit that type requires an over-sized sense of self, an exuberant charm and energetic physicality.  Matthew is a fine actor, but he didn't bring the underlying cockiness and bodily finesse that I think the role honestly requires.  Of course, a production can go for a "different type" with any role.  It doesn't mean that it's going to succeed.

Tamieka Chaves

What does succeed was the compelling performance of Tamieka Chavis as Lizzie.  From the moment she arrived on stage, there was a sense that everyone's game took a step up.  She was funny, quick witted and empathetic.  There's a lot about the play that values the mores of yesterday's generation.  Her performance seemed to acknowledge that and to what extent possible, transcend them.  

Jacob Yeh

Playing off her character was Deputy File played by Jacob Yeh.  They had a lovely chemistry.  He played the invincible loner with a past not what he portrays it as very well.  A persona that transforms against his growing degree of trust and vulnerability in Lizzie's presence.  It also falls upon his character to offer up the most resonant line of the play, and when the time came, he did so flawlessly.  

The set by Nadir Bey is perhaps the most ambitious I've yet experienced at 1st Stage, especially with it's moving parts.  A lovely production overall and well worth the price of admission.  And if you see it, feel free to disagree with my reading of the casting of Starbuck.  

[updated with Press Photos]

Noah Curry (Vince Eisenson)--H. C. Curry in background

H. C. Curry (Scott Sedar), Jim Curry (Jonathan Del Palmer) and Lizzy Curry (Tamieka Chavis)

Lizzy Curry and H. C. Curry

Bill Starbuck (Matthew Sparacino), the Rainmaker

Deputy File (Jacob Yeh) with Lizzie Curry

The Jury Has Spoken

 Today a Jury of 12 Cis White Men and Women Decided the fate of the loves and the lives of countless millions of Americans whose relationships fall outside of their own.  Once again, we left to be grateful to our oppressors.

Theater J: Intimate Apparel

 My second Lynn Nottage play of the season...or, honestly any season at all.  I squeezed this one in after seeing "Mlima's Tale" at 1st Stage.  And I am ever so glad that I did.  It was excellently written, she has a gift for dialogue and characterization.  Played with a cast of six interesting characters that find themselves all looking for meaning in their turn of the 20th century lives.  Each member of the cast an immigrant to the multi-cultural salad bowl that was New York City in 1906.  In the hands of this skilled and compelling group of actors, I quickly developed a genuine empathy for each.  I watched with anticipation, eager to see where each would go next.

In the end, the message seemed to play second fiddle to the character development.  In the end, I was reminded of a line for Stephen Sondheim's "Into The Woods": Sometimes the thing you want the most in life is the thing that's not to be had.

I loved the actors to a person; yet, I will elevate three.  The central character in the story is a black woman named Esther. Esther is 35 and a budding spinster, who suddenly finds love in the most unexpected and improbably places.  Renee Elizabeth Wilson played her with a tender compassion.  She was moving in the down times and delightful in the moments of spontaneous joy.  No matter where her character was in the arc of her emotional life, Wilson gave us authenticity without over-playing it.  

Awa Sal Secka played one of Esther's customers, a prostitute named Mayme.  I've seen Awa in many things, all musicals.  I know she can sing.  Now, I know she can act.  She infused the character with a set of mannerisms and a vocal pattern that was consistent, effective and endearing.  Even when her character totally fucks up, you can't but feel compassion for her.  A bonus, in one scene Mayme and Esther sing a little duet.

The third was Esther's other customer (did I mention that Esther makes women's undergarments?) Mrs. Van Buren, a aristocratic white woman trapped in a childless and therefore loveless marriage.  Another outstanding character actor performance.  A former southern belle trophy wife past her prime and so lonely she turns her affections toward Esther.  Susan Lanskey played the role in turns of flare and pathos with an effortless magic that was impossible to turn away from.  I would love to see her take on Blanche duBois!

The set by Paige Hathaway centered on a lovely queen-sized brass bed that floated around the cardinal points to represent a variety of rooms.  Walls that looked like tenement buildings defined the depths of the set and floor to ceiling diaphanous drapes move in concert with the bed to place a punctuation on the different locations.  Very effective and beautiful, too.  It was good to be back at Theater J.

Esther (Renee Elizabeth Wilson) and Mr. Marks (Yoni Bronstein) the immigrant fabric merchant with whom she has an unrequited forbidden infatuation.

George Armstrong (Manu Kumasi) the young Barbadan immigrant who woos Esther from afar and then uses her for his own purposes.

Esther with one of her clients, Mayme (Awa Sal Secka) a prostitute

Mayme, Esther and Mrs. Van Buren (Susan Lynskey) another client of Esther's intimate apparel business.

Esther and George on their wedding night

Mr. Marks and Esther in his fabric shop

Turtle Back Zoo: Central Complexes

 The last stops on my visit to the Turtle Back Zoo were to a series of building based habitats in the central area of the campus and by chance the demonstration area of their amphitheater. 

SEA LION SOUND

This space feels older than most, and yet it's very contemporary which tells you just how we'll maintained the place is.  At the far end of what becomes a series buildings with habitats and animal programs, the Sea Lion habitat has a variety of both above and below water viewing opportunities. Next door is a little aquarium with a large touch tank of little sting rays for guests to engage with.  The final building houses a Sea Turtle Recovery Center giving visitor's a first hand authentic glimpse into the world of Sea Turtle Conservation.

Sea Lion Sound

The outside underwater viewing

The bull Sea Lion swims past

From inside, you could see the female

SEA TURTLE RECOVERY CENTER

Above tank display allows guests to see where turtles are

No where is the species of the turtle in their care identified.

AMPHITHEATER

My timing was perfect for a presentation at the amphitheater on tree sloths.

REPTILE HOUSE

The perfect layout for a smaller herpetarium.  Spacious multi-species habitats with live natural flora.  I saw the largest red-footed tortoise I've ever seen, and it shared it space with a beautiful pair of Toco Toucans.  An excellent way to end my visit.

Another view of the Reptile House

Red-footed Tortoise

Toco Toucans

Black-breasted Leaf Turtle

Amazon Milk Frog