By Shari Barrett
The new production of Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand, freely adapted by Martin Crimp to match modern sensibilities and directed by Mike Donahue as a salute the historic theater space, brings one of the greatest plays ever written to the Pasadena Playhouse through September 29. The production begins with Larry Powell as the dreadlocked Lignière welcoming the audience into the theater while introducing the actors who will be presenting the evening’s entertainment. Most notably is Jonathan Slavin as Montfleury who delivers a comically awful character study of Hamlet to perfection.
The scorching love triangle in the evening’s play unfolds through poetry and passion when Cyrano discovers the love of his life has eyes only for another man – his new best friend Christian. But Roxane’s heart can only be won through skillfully written words, of which Cyrano is an expert. But she only looks upon him as her lifelong friend. So, since he cannot win her for himself, Cyrano decides to play matchmaker for his two friends after their immediate physical attraction sparks when the very educated and beautiful Roxane (Rosa Salazar) and handsome Christian (Will Hockman) first meet. Poor Cyrano (Chukwudi Iwuji in a tour-de-force performance) experiences both heartbreak for himself thinking his looks (a big nose which is referred to but not part of Iwuji’s physicality) forbid her to love him, and excitement for his two friends who have found each other.
But there is a big problem: Christian is not a wordsmith and stumbles to express his feelings. So, Cyrano offers to woo Roxane, winning her for his friend by expressing his own true feelings without revealing his identity. But after marrying Roxane, Christian is sent away by a jealous rival for her affections, his commanding officer De Guiche (Michael Nathanson). To ease her pain, Cyrano decides to send Roxane love letters from Chrisitan to keep their love flourishing during their separation. It works… until Christian is killed on the battlefield and never returns. Will Cyrano ever reveal the truth and win Roxane for himself? See this immaculate and astoundingly inventive production to find out!
Others in the outstanding ensemble include Kimberly Scott as Madame Ragueneau; Jens Austin Astrup as Alastair/Act 3 Soldier; Aaron Costa Ganis as Cyrano’s friend Le Bret; E.M. Davis as Usher/Denise/Medic; Christine Lin as Woman Sent By Roxane/Marie-Louise; Barry Livingston as Theatre Owner/Priest; Kila Packett as Fencing Referee/Sentry; Sawyer Patterson as Valvert; Jonathan Slavin as Armande; and John Garet Stoker as Annoying Person.
Cyrano de Bergerac performances take place Wednesday and Friday evenings at 8 p.m., Thursdays at 7 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., and Sunday, September 29th at 7 p.m.. Tickets starting at $40 are available at pasadenaplayhouse.org, by phone at (626) 356-7529, and at the box office at 39 South El Molino Avenue, Pasadena 91101. Run time is approximately three hours with one intermission.
Continuing the Geffen’s season of story-driven productions, Sara Porkalob gives a tour-de-force performance in her self-written play Dragon Lady in which she shares episodes in her family’s trigenerational journey with laugh-out-loud comedy as well as heartfelt truth and tragedy. Fusing killer karaoke performed live with an outstanding trio featuring Pete Irving (who wrote several of the play’s original songs), Jimmy Austin, and Mickey Stylin, Porkalob commands the stage and your attention as she recounts her family’s origin story from the Philippines to Bremerton, Washington from 1953 through 2005.
Directed by Andrew Russell with poignant respect for her stories being told, the play begins on the eve of the family’s matriarch, Grandmother Maria Porkalob Sr., 60th birthday party as she descends a staircase into the basement apartment set up in her granddaughter’s home, the centerpiece of which is a karaoke machine given to her as a birthday present. Porfalob fires it up to regale her granddaughter Sara with her astonishing life story, beginning with a rousing rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” infused with personal details of starting her life in the Philippines working in such an adult establishment at age 18.
Grabbed from the popular club by a top local gangster, Maria then performs as a lounge singer in his gangster-controlled nightclub in Manila. But after bearing his daughter (also named Maria) who gets taken away from her by the gang, she proves herself a matriarch not to be trifled with in any aspect of her life. Taking her daughter back from his clutches with deadly force at the end of Act 1, the time frame then switches in Act 2 to Maria Sr.’s granddaughter Sara sharing how as a young teenager herself, she was forced to take on the raising of her four brothers and sisters. With the youngest a baby held in her arms, Sara struggles to maintain her sanity and feed everyone after her mother, Maria Sr.’s daughter Maria, has been abandoned by her American solider husband, leaving her a free-range and fun-loving mother of five in the United States. It’s not a job Sara wants, but she is dedicated to keeping the family together no matter what.
You will be amazed as Porkalob embodies dozens of characters, most notably each of her five grandchildren ranging in ages from a few months to age 18, with each one a very distinct personality, physical movements, and speech patterns. We also meet several of the family’s white neighbors to whom the two grandsons go dressed as boy scouts (in borrowed uniforms) to collect food “donations” for needy families, items Sara then uses to feed the family during her mother’s long “business vacations” away from them. Thus, each child learns to become self-sufficient in their own way, stories I look forward to hearing more about in Parts 2 and 3 of Porkalob’s trilogy of plays, hoping the Geffen will present them in the future.
Tech credits are to be commended for creating such an authentic atmosphere in which Porkalob shares her stories.
Scenic Designer Randy Wong-Westbrooke, Lighting Designer Spense Matubang, Sound Designer Erin Bednarz, with Original Music & Lyrics by Pete Irving. The production contains staged violence, mature content, sexual content, profanity, theatrical haze, strobe lighting effects, loud music, loud sound and gunshot effects, and is recommended for audiences 12+ with children under 10 years of age not admitted.
Written and performed by Sara Porkalob and directed by Andrew Russell, Dragon Lady continues in the Gil Cates Theater at Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Avenue, Los Angeles 90024, thought October 6 with performances on Wednesday – Friday 8 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.. Run time is two hours, including one intermission. Tickets begin at $36, available by phone at (310) 208-2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org. Metered street parking (red signs carefully) or in local area pay-to-park lots.
For a most entertaining acrobatic tour-de-force mix of circus, theatre, illusion, music, and dance inspired by the tale of Romeo and Juliet, head on over to the Ahmanson Theatre to experience Duel Reality performed by The 7 Fingers. Imagine an exhilarating and dangerous world where the star-crossed lovers are circus stars from two highly competitive families during which their love story unfolds through graceful, gravity-defying acrobatics performed on a combination of tall poles for climbing and spinning, juggling competitions, the always attention-grabbing “fencing” duel performed by a member of each family in a tumbling match on a see saw, and the two lovers finally experiencing their true love while dazzling the audience with their acrobatic skill on a trapeze. And all the while, your senses will be dazzled and your heart stirred as the two feuding families engage in a battle of skill, each competition more daring than the last – while the pair of star-crossed lovers struggles to escape the inevitable showdown. But thankfully, this tale has a happy ending because “who needs more tragedy right now?”
Duel Reality by The 7 Fingers and directed by Shana Carroll was originally produced and created in collaboration with Virgin Voyages. Performances take place at The Ahmanson Theatre at 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles 90012 through September 22 only. Run time is 1 hour and 15 minutes with no intermission. Tickets start at $28.75 (all-in pricing including fees) by calling (213) 972.4400. Group Tickets of 10+ can be arranged by calling (213) 972.7231. This production includes stylized depictions of violence and is recommended for ages six and up. Please note: due to the unique nature of the show, there will be no late seating.
And for those really wanting to get even closer to the action of this one-of-a-kind daredevil theatrical extravaganza, special onstage seating is available for $40, sold exclusively through TodayTix. Wheelchair accessible seating is available by calling Audience Services at (213) 628.2772, and there will be an ACCESS performance for those with hearing issues or are sight-challenged on Sunday, September 22.
