Abe Lincoln in Illinois - INTIMAN

Abe Lincoln in Illinois

INTIMAN

Tickets and Information

October 2 – November 15, 2009

When American citizens think of common men, Abraham Lincoln is probably the furthest thing from anyone’s mind. As the sixteenth president of our country, the man who ended slavery and a man who was gunned down by a disgruntled actor who, to this day, no one is quite sure of all of his motives, Lincoln is, by all accounts, a true American Hero. However, what of the man behind the beard? What struggles did he have as a young man and how on earth did he end up in the White House? Robert E. Sherwood answers the call in this fantastically engaging epic play.

Erik Lochtefeld and R. Hamilton Wright. Photo by Chris Bennion 2009.

No smoke and mirrors here: Abe Lincoln in Illinois is a long play. With three acts, two intermissions and clocking in as (with intermissions included) a three hour adventure, it’s a long play. However, never once does it drag and never once does it bore. Sherwood’s script is highly entertaining and, though we all know how the story will eventually end, the bumps along the way keep the audience engaged every minute of the show.

Sheila Daniels takes this seventy-year old, Pulitzer Prize winning play and runs with it. Her direction and staging with her nineteen-member cast is very effective and the vaguely-metatheatrical script lends itself well to Daniels’ somewhat presentational staging tactics. Along with Daniels is a creative team to make any theatre veteran swoon. From the highly evocative set design (Mikiko Suzuki MacAdams) to the moving original compositions (Gretta Harley, Music Direction by John Ackermann) to the gentle suggestions from the lighting design (L.B. Morse), the creative team is, in and of itself, an all star cast.

Similarly, the knock-out cast of performers is one to get any Seattle theatre-goer giddy with recognition. R. Hamilton Wright as Stephan A. Douglas, Mary Jane Gibson as Mary Todd Lincoln (the Todd with two D’s), and other outstanding performances from Hans Altwies, Kate Wisniewski and many more create a every exciting world. Erik Lochtefeld, not unfamiliar to Seattle’s theatre scene (Seattle Rep’s Metamorphoses and The Secret in the Wings) presents Abe Lincoln as no one knows him: simply a man. Born at the bottom of the barrel and working his way up, mostly against his will, from private lessons with a generous school teacher in the wee hours of the night to the front steps of the White House, Lochtefeld’s Lincoln is the kind of guy with whom no one is unfamiliar. He has no trouble entertaining a crowd but is deeply troubled by challenges with women. He is a great pacifist but will lay a man out if the need arises. He’s the kind of guy you want to have a beer with but if he gets going, you may need to find a new table. He’s fully human.

In an age when our African-American President – who is trying desperately to get our country back on track with what is important to us all, who is presented with an extremely generous Nobel Peace Prize and who is swimming completely against the wake left by his predecessor – is in office during Lincoln’s Bicentennial year, Sherwood’s play could not come at a better time.

Review by Andrew J. Perez

The 39 Steps--Seattle Rep

The 39 Steps
Seattle Repertory Theatre
September 25-October 24, 2009
Tickets and Information

The first impression is everything. As far as theatre goes, the first production in a season sets the tone for the rest of the year. This considered, Seattle audiences are in good hands this year at the Seattle Rep who began their season tonight with The 39 Steps.

Photo by Craig Schwartz.

Brought to the stage in conjunction with the La Jolla Playhouse, The 39 Steps is a fast-paced comedy based on Alfred Hitchcock’s film and the book, both of the same name. Richard Hannay (Ted Deasy) is a lonely yet charmingly handsome type who suddenly finds himself accused of a murder, on the run from police and in pursuit of unknown foreign spies who have “the answers”. Along the way he meets Irish farmers, possible love interests, and curious men standing under lampposts in trench coats, all played hilariously by Claire Brownell, Eric Hissom and Scott Parkinson. As if that weren’t recipe enough for mayhem, the play embraces every single characteristic of Hitchcock’s filmmaking in a refreshingly self-deprecating and yet reverent way.

The stellar cast of four (with a special cameo by a ninth hand in the final scene) has obvious fun blasting through this whirlwind of a play. With so much going on non-stop, it takes a lot of chemistry and trust to pull it off. Deasy is schmoozy, charismatic and daring in all the right ways as Richard Hannay. Brownell is captivating as Hanney’s various love crossings. Working in tandem, Hissom and Parkinson steal every scene with lightning-fast quick changes (some you see, some you don’t) and endless bursts of energy.

Photo by Craig Schwartz.

For all of the accents and grand gestures, the ensemble would be nothing without the support of a spot-on technical team. Peter McKintosh’s sets and costumes stand up to the beating they take through the course of the production in a stylish, 1930s fashion. The lighting, done by Kevin Adams, is a creative homage to classic noir cinema. Mic Pool’s sound design uses only period and Hitchcock film music in a soundtrack that quickly takes the audience back to another time. In the center of the controlled chaos is director Maria Aitken. Every moment is choreographed and shaped perfectly to garner maximum laughs.

The 39 Steps is a golly good choice for an evening out on the town, especially during this time where laughs are much needed. It will entertain and thrill even those who live under a rock and have never enjoyed a classic suspense thriller. Hitchcock would be pleased.

Review by Kacey Shiflet.

Runt of the Litter--ACT

Runt of the Litter

ACT

September 18-October 11, 2009

Tickets and Information

If ever football has been both warlike and poetic, it is in Runt of the Litter, now playing at ACT. Former NFL player turned writer/actor Bo Eason plays Jack Henry: the ultimate underdog who has battled adversity, a more talented older brother and four knee surgeries to get a chance at playing in the Super Bowl. While preparing for the playoff game before the Super Bowl, he tells stories of how his childhood dream of making it into the NFL transformed into a life-long quest of pushing the boundaries of physical possibility and outside expectation.

Photo by Chris Bennion.

Definitely not the typical athlete turned actor, Bo Eason commands the stage with confidence and determination, allowing the audience to experience both his inner primitive warrior and the shy and wide-eyed 9 year old within.

The technical elements of the production played a good supportive game to Eason’s storytelling. Martin Christoffel’s scenic design, in conjunction with Alex Berry’s lighting and Bruce Ellman’s sound design, created a space in which the mood could change from touching to menacing as quickly as Eason could run (25 miles an hour, he says repeatedly).

Like a good coach, director Larry Moss channels Eason’s brute strength and stamina into a powerhouse of a show. Bursts of energy are blended in with tender moments of emotion that keep the performance moving swiftly through its hour and a half entirety. Under Moss’ guiding hand, Eason’s heart and spirit are showcased right alongside his locker-room dance moves.

Photo by Christ Bennion.

Runt of the Litter looks at football not as “just a game” but as an almost Spartan lifestyle full of injuries in battle and a disregard for the point when human nature says no. Here, the hero is carted off the field on a stretcher and the hardworking everyman has already locked his sights on his next target.

Review by Kacey Shiflet.

Das Barbecu--ACT

Das Barbecü
ACT
July 31st-September 6th, 2009
Tickets and Information

When Richard Wagner created his operatic masterpiece The Ring series, the last thing he could have imagined was his tale of grandiose gods, heroic mortals, and mythical creatures being reincarnated into a honky-tonk Country Western soap opera, chalk full of catchy tunes and dance numbers. Alas, such a show not only exists but succeeds in entertaining audiences for the second time at ACT since its commissioning 18 years ago: Das Barbecü.

Don’t know the synopsis of The Ring? That’s alright; it’s too lengthy and involved to describe here, and it’s all laid out for you within the first minute and a half of the show. Basically, intertwined families and lovers struggle with getting what they want, whether that be love, peace and quiet, or a gold ring that has both great power and a great curse attached to whoever possesses it. All this is set somewhere in Texas where dwarves are conniving criminals, giants are kind general contractors, and barbecue is roasted in a six foot deep pit.

Photo by Chris Bennion.

The mood is quickly put in place by the uncompromisingly outrageous costumes and innovative set, both (amazingly) designed by David Zinn. Every vom is used and every inch of stage space is milked; not to mention the mechanical trapdoor is cleverly used for maximum efficiency and effect. Alex Berry's lighting design has its epic moments worthy of an operatic production.The costumes enhance the exaggerated characters but never steal the spotlight from the wonderful performances of the actors.

The dozens of characters that flitter across the stage are played amusingly by a cast of just five: Anne Allgood, Carter J. Davis, Jennifer Sue Johnson, Billie Wildrick, and Richard Ziman. All five manage to give a distinct flair to the handful of personas they each inhabit through the course of the evening (the costume changes and acting choices are so crisp, it’ll take you half of Act 1 to realize the people don’t just happen to look alike).

Photo by Chris Bennion.

With a show so jam-packed with harried costume switches and hurried exits and entrances, it takes a grounded director to keep the production train from going off the rails; Stephen Terrell (who also serves double duty as the choreographer) fits the bill impressively. For all the cheesiness that comes along with a slapstick country opera, Terrell exposes the heart and humanity lying just beneath the layers of tulle and teased hair.

Das Barbecü takes Wagner’s fifteen hour behemoth of an opera and affectionately molds it into an accessible, laugh-filled production that connects with its audience—even those who know little about The Ring, or opera in general.


Review by Kacey Shiflet