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Love, Loss, and What I Wore is a polished piece of theatre with a superb five-women cast that grabs the audience from the moment everyone sits down and Loretta Swit, playing Gingy, a grandmother recalling her life through the clothes she wore, starts talking. We even get visuals of the dresses Gingy wore to various events, along with her sly commentary. Yet this is no exposition on haute couture. Every woman can relate to the riotously funny/poignant/traumatic moments associated with certain clothes.
We remember that special dress our mother bought us, the prom dress with matching prom date tuxedo that made us cringe, the boots, the first “training” bra, or the closet from hell that has caused every woman to cry out in frustration, at one time or another, “I have nothing to wear!” It all rings true because it’s written by women, about women, and performed by women.
The five actor cast is excellent representing various shapes, sizes, and attitudes. The women sit at music stands as though it’s a play reading, but the performances are so much more with the self-effacing Ms. Swit playing Gingy throughout, and also acting as narrator announcing the various scenes. The remaining four actors play multiple roles. (The contributors of the stories/scenes are mentioned in the program.) Along with Ms. Swit, Emily Dorsch, Daisy Eagan, Sonia Manzano, and Myra Lucretia Taylor give us an evening to remember. Emotions triggered run from riotously funny to nostalgic to heartrending.
The format is close to The Vagina Monologues, yet the subject matter here is more humorous, and allows us to laugh hardest at ourselves. The more serious moments about traumatic events or the losses we suffer just by living are moving and real. Yet, the show is more joyful than sad because although it points out our anxiety over our appearance, how we make fools of ourselves trying to live up to some ideal, ultimately we do figure out what is right for us.
The McGlohon Theater was packed with women, and a few “brave” men. And you can guess what all the actors were wearing, can’t you—--yes, black? This is a treat women of Charlotte, do not miss it! Review by Ann Marie Oliva
Ann Marie Oliva is an award-winning playwright with productions across the United States, a published fiction and non-fiction writer, and reviewer. She is the producer/editor of ARTS à la Mode and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
What does the world look like when you are a child? You are small and everything else is big, oversized, and often scary. Writer Mary Norton used that point of view for the characters in her award-winning book. This stage adaptation by Charles Way of the The Borrowers, gives both children and adults a way to imagine that circumstance.
These little beings called the Borrowers live under the floor of a regular size house. They are not just small, they are so tiny that a doll house size tea cup looks gigantic in their hands. The Clock family consists of the mother Homily (Nicia Carla), father Pod (Chaz Pofahl), and 14 year old Arietty (Casi Harris). The family survives by forays upstairs by Pod to “borrow” items they need to survive. The upstairs people don’t know about the existence of the Borrowers until a Boy (Daniel O’Sullivan) visiting the cranky Mrs. Driver (Debra Mein) spots Pod who returns in a panic.
Arietty, being 14, wants to experience more than the confines of their small home so she convinces Pod to take her upstairs. There she encounters the Boy herself and gets into a conversation with him. This leads to consequences that could mean disaster for the Clock family as they must leave their safe surroundings to find other Borrowers or live on their own in the real world of grass and bugs that dwarf them.
The play is a bit slow in the beginning, English accents and all, but not because of director Mark Sutton or cast. The visuals/props make it fun in Act I, but the real pleasure comes in Act II when the Clock family is out on their own. They must find a way to live with the elements of nature. Their problem-solving becomes gratifying for the audience who develops an investment in their survival. Danger is everywhere without much protection, except for a broken scissor, for the defenseless small beings.
This is a first-rate cast. Regulars Nicia Carla, as the over-dramatic mother, and Chaz Pofahl, as the stuffy but tender father, deliver reliably strong performances. Casi Harris strikes just the right note as a young teen wanting to break away and find her own path. Daniel O’Sullivan ably conveys a youthful innocence. The villain in the piece, Debra Mein is right up there with the nasty best of them. As for Gerard Hazelton, who plays multiple roles including the crowd-pleasing Spiller, he is a natural entertainer. Nice job casting, director Sutton.
Adding significantly to the pleasure of the show are the clever technical elements including: set design by Kerry L. Chipman, scenic art by Tim Parati, costumes by Bob Croghan, props by Peter Smeal (great bugs), sound by Jason Romney, and lighting by Eric Winkenwerder.
Overall, The Borrowers is a delightful production not to be missed. Take your children, and the little person inside you will be grateful as well. Review by Ann Marie Oliva
Ann Marie Oliva is an award-winning playwright with productions across the United States, a published fiction and non-fiction writer, and reviewer. She is the producer/editor of ARTS à la Mode and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.
James Baldwin was an African-American poet, novelist, playwright and social activist most popular during the Civil Rights movement. Raised in Harlem and influenced by his preacher stepfather, David Baldwin, James joined the Pentecostal Church at age 14 and soon became a preacher.
The Amen Corner, penned in 1954 by Baldwin, is an obvious testament of his experiences and struggles with religion and his worldly desires outside of the church. As in many poor African-American communities, there is typically a strong presence of worship and faith, and it holds true in this production. Set in a 1950s Harlem church, female pastor Margaret Alexander is a devout Christian and a by-the-word pastor who rules her seemingly dedicated congregation as well as her unsteady home with an iron fist. Singing, literally, nothing but the praises of the Lord, morning, noon, and night, Sister Margaret, played by award-winning actor Terry Denise Henry, thinks all of life's problems will be solved by quoting scriptures from the bible and doing only the Lord's work. Unfortunately, her sanctified world comes to a gospel halt when: her estranged and sickly husband Luke shows up at her doorstep; her confused church pianist son David is tempted by a secular life as was his father years ago; and her church family begins to doubt her leadership ability due to recent discoveries of past and present decisions.
The production begins, as many On Q productions do, with a booming musical number by the mixed choir and eventually commands the congregation to join in. This idea usually works well because it gets the immediate attention of the audience and causes them to tune in from the moment the lights go up. The opening musical number is inspiring and would challenge any professional church choir to rehearse more after witnessing their performance. The tiny set, divided into an intimate church upstairs and a quaint apartment downstairs, fills the space perfectly and the costumes are simple but effective. In addition to the main character Sister Margaret (Henry), lively moments give the show hope when Sister Moore played by On Q favorite, Lashea Stukes, displays her talents by eventually becoming Sister Margaret's nemesis after being one of her biggest followers early on.
The Amen Corner mirrors so many church communities due to the ongoing struggle with faith, the false sense of reality that often plagues some leaders, and the desire to believe that the Lord will heal all ailments, physical, mental, and spiritual. By the end of the show, attempting to lead a God-like life brings hard-working Sister Margaret to her knees and truly tests her faith and dedication.
Originally estimated by the producer at two hours and thirty minutes, on this night The Amen Corner actually ran unexpectedly close to three hours and thirty minutes and left a few patrons sleepy, tired, and frustrated by its closing at nearly midnight. Although the production is driven by beloved gospel hymns, and comical as well as serious moments, be prepared for a lengthy ride. Review by Dawn Cauthen
Dawn Cauthen is a freelance writer in the Charlotte area currently working on a screenplay, a novel, and many freelance articles. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing with a concentration in Writing for Stage and Screen from Queens University of Charlotte. Her work has appeared in Uptown Magazine and Dawn enjoys reviewing theater productions, movies, and loves most things artistic.
“Sex is a slot machine” wrote John Dos Passos. Sometimes you get two out of three, sometimes it’s a total loss, rarely do you win the big jackpot. Yet gamblers keep trying; they always will. And aren’t we all gamblers? We’re so strange (to each other) in our own particular ways that trying to make a real sustainable connection, with love thrown in the mix, puts people in the minus column more than the win column. You can see some of this folly manifested on stage now at CAST in Jack Goes Boating.
The story of two couples who try to find Nirvana through sex, drugs, and boating is a romantic comedy that gets off to a slow start as the audience is introduced to the ensemble cast. By the time it’s over you realize how much you like it. Jack (Brian Willard) is a shlumpy, neurotic with unfortunate dreadlocks prone to breathing issues when his anxiety level rises. He listens to Rastafarian music on a cheap tape player playing “Rivers of Babylon” whenever he gets too upset. He and his fellow chauffeur driver Clyde (Tony Wright) have become such good friends that Clyde and his wife Lucy (Marcie Levine Jacobs) decide to fix Jack up with Lucy’s fellow worker at a mortuary business named Connie (Greta Marie Zandstra). She is a free-spirited scatterbrain in mismatched clothes. Though Clyde and Lucy appear to be the more stable couple at the beginning of the play, things aren’t always what they seem.
Playwright Robert Glaudini brings authenticity to this New York based story with details of apartment living, driving in stop-and-go traffic, hard-sell marketing to deceaseds’ relatives, and an off-stage character named Cannoli (a favorite Italian pastry). Why are we drawn to stories/movies about New Yorkers? Are they crazier than others? Probably not. For one thing, there are so many more of them that the variety of people and situations yields a big number. Living in a high pressure environment forces those people to adapt in, shall we say, creative ways.
Director Michael Simmons has a good eye for choosing actors. Brian Willard is well-matched in his role as Jack eliciting sympathy as the lost friend who needs special help with women/life. We are never told exactly why Jack is so wounded, but it’s not essential to the storyline. Tony Wright is also well-cast as the slick, uninhibited friend (spending more than a few scenes in nothing but a skimpy speedo) trying to help Jack learn to swim to impress Connie. Greta Marie Zandstra is appealing as the sweet yet not altogether ditsy girl looking for a certain type of guy. She tests Jack, not trusting that he is the right one for her. Marcie Levine Jacobs does a nice job with Lucy, the most nuanced character in the piece, account-balancing her husband’s cheating against her own.
The set design by Allen Cassell is pleasing and functional for the many scene changes allowing the director to give his actors full use of the space. The various reggae/rock music cuts help sustain the mood, and sound is used effectively to convey the above/under water moments during the pool scene.
The second act definitely pays off with some funny group/couples scenes as each character begins to reveal his/her real self. The play is amusing, but makes a point. Never give up hope of finding your soul mate, gamblers. You never know when you’re going to pull the lever and win big. Review by Ann Marie Oliva
Ann Marie Oliva is an award-winning playwright with productions across the United States, a published fiction and non-fiction writer, and reviewer. She is the producer/editor of ARTS à la Mode and is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.