Showing posts with label Theatre. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Theatre. Show all posts

Friday, July 8, 2016

An uncivil war

Othello soars at Bard
by Christopher Key

Director Bob Frazer credits actors Luc Roderique and Kayvon Kelly for the idea of setting Shakespeare’s tragic Othello in 1864 during the American Civil War.  Their motives may not have been entirely pure since they ended up with the two biggest roles, but the concept is brilliant.

Othello has always struck me as the most accessible of the Bard’s tragedies because who hasn’t felt twinges of jealousy at some point?  Never mind that the characters are in positions of power; it’s the human emotions that grab us and won’t let go.  If you’re not physically and emotionally limp by the time Othello ends, you need to check your vitals.

I’ve always found that the shows on the Howard Family Stage in the Douglas Campbell Theatre represent the very best of Bard on the Beach.  The theatre is smaller and the thrust stage sweeps the audience into the action.  But it’s also where Bard goes out on the edge and takes risks that are not always evident in the mainstage productions.

While Shakespeare’s script focuses on “the green-eyed monster,” which is as old as Cain and Abel, Frazer’s adaptation highlights racism and bigotry, which is as contemporary as this morning’s 
headlines.

Photo credit - David Blue


Roderique plays the title role with enormous sensitivity, making the audience squirm while watching an essentially good man be utterly destroyed by his emotions.  Yes, I know that not everyone likes to squirm, but it’s one of the hallmarks of great theatre.  Like good priests, good playwrights comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Photo credit - David Blue


The scheming Iago is the most interesting character in the show as he manipulates his superior officer like an Elizabethan Dick Cheney.  Kelly’s interpretation pulls no punches, but he manages to score his points about racism without inflicting blunt trauma injuries on the audience.



Kayla Deorksen sparkles as she delivers a spirited and sensual Desdemona.  This character must be played just right or the audience won’t identify with the insane jealousy her husband feels over her fictional betrayals.  Deorksen is firmly in Goldilocks territory.

As expected at Bard on the Beach, the supporting cast is as solid as Donald Trump’s head.  Watch for outstanding performances by Andrew Cownden, Luisa Jojic, David Warburton and Sereana Malani.

Costume Designer Mara Gottler handles military uniforms and hoop skirts with equal ease and Sound Designer Steve Charles brilliantly captures the music of that turbulent American era.  Fight director Nicholas Harrison makes all the mayhem frighteningly real and Lighting Designer John Webber has obviously seen what light looks like in Charleston.

I’ve got one more show to review, but at this point, Othello is this year’s must-see production.  It plays in repertory with Pericles on the second stage through September 17th.  See the Bard on the Beach website for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.

Remember what I said about dressing for Junuary?  This year, it also holds for Julember.

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Thursday, July 7, 2016

Wherefore art thou, Posthumus?


Shakespeare Northwest delights with second show

By Lily Olason

We’re lucky that the folks at Shakespeare Northwest give us a three-part festival. The Merchant of Vegas ran Tuesday, and last night dazzled with the classic Cymbeline. People have a hard time deciding if this is a comedy, a tragedy, or a dramedy. And I think that suits it just fine.

The love story drips with backstory and plot. But for the Bard hath written it heretofore, here’s the skinny: Evil queen marries unassuming king with a daughter named Imogen, and tries to get the crown all for her greedy self.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Caroline Rensel makes a perfect choice for the role of Imogen. She brings vocal clarity, masterful presence, and a youthful exuberance unconquerable by all the horrible things that happen to her character. Her rather distrusting husband Posthumus is played by James Brown, who brings a commendable and searing, love-scorned agony to the part, tempered only by the occasional and explosive duel.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Trey Hatch plays dad to Imogen as King Cymbeline. Hatch, who also plays the Duke in The Merchant of Vegas, gives a great authority figure: lines and energy are delivered with ease and command.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


His conniving Queen is given life by Glynna Goff. Goff projects so well and with such quaking force that the rock behind her reverberates and echoes. Her scenes with son Cloten are bottled lightning.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Jesse Collins perfectly plays the petulant prince Cloten. He’s sullen and single-minded in his pursuit of royal glory and marriage to Imogen, even though she’s already married and wants nothing to do with him. Though there were several contenders due to his tremendous acting, Collins’ winning scene involves him serenading Rensel with an out-of-tune guitar, which he implores to tune itself.

While Postumus is banished to Rome after marrying his beloved, he meets Iachimo (Glen Nelson Bristow). Iachimo bets he can seduce Imogen and cause her to flub her vows. Bristow gives a wonderful performance as Iachimo, and his scenes with Imogen, Cymbeline, Posthumus and the like are all equally brilliant.

Iachimo’s right-hand dignitary is Caius Lucious, played by Sam Schlobaum. He performs with the precise level of bureaucracy and wit.

Carolyn Travis Hatch plays the oft-exasperated disgruntled ex-courtier, Belaria, with show-stealing humor and theatric prowess. Her physical comedy is reminiscent of Lucy Ricardo and that isn’t easy. Kidnapping the king’s other two daughters and raising them as her own, Hatch runs a veritable off-the-grid existence until Imogen comes a’knockin’.  Sisters Guideria and Arviraga are played by Jessie Spangler and Gilly Kellher, who rock the self-sufficiency wilderness deal. Spangler’s scene bouncing the beach-ball head of Cloten is fine work.

Tess Nakaishi gives a fantastic performance of court page Pisania. She plays with a sparkling innocence and good-natured charm, running back and forth delivering letters and trying to do right by everybody.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


The doctor, or the Oz-like wizard in charge of the whole enterprise, is played by Beth Salmon Greatorex. On a hunch, she switches the death potion the queen sends out for Imogen for something less potent, and swoops in at the end to recount all the puzzle pieces. Greatorex brings refinement and dexterity to the role.

Elizabeth Lundquist, Seanna Faley, and Josiah Miller are awesome multi-taskers, playing several different parts with ease. Lundquist delights as Dorothy among other roles; Faley gives a great British Captain when she’s not Helen. Josiah Miller has the out-the-road British accent down and the lopey gait of a Monty Python-esque jailer to a T.

Cymbeline runs alongside The Merchant of Vegas at the Shakespeare Northwest Festival in Rexville. You can find tickets, directions, and other info on the SNW website. As always, bring the chairs, bug spray, blankets, and tasty morsels. 

Pray not miss out, fair reader; it doth enchant.


 (The third part to SNW, in case you’re wondering, is a free traveling show that sets up shop in parks around Whatcom and Skagit Counties. Neat, eh?)

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Winner takes all

Shakespeare NW puts Nevadan spin on Bard’s tale

By Lily Olason

Walk through a grotto of maple trees and find yourself in a cozy organic nook. This is the Rexville Blackrock Ampitheater, named aptly for the mammoth, earthly wonder of a rock face that serves as backdrop for actors belting everything from retro group harmonies to more classically Shakespearean soliloquies.

The SNW crew usually ruffles the (formerly) European feathers of Bard’s most classic work. This time, director Mike Wallace relocates Venice to the Nevada desert and makes it The Merchant of Vegas.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Skagit theater veteran Carolyn Travis Hatch plays Antonia with sparkle and a flooring talent. Her timing is exquisite and humor exceedingly well played. Her big, jailbird solo on “This Town” is sultry-hammy and shows off her theatrical chops: twenty minutes later she’s on the floor, face-to-face with certain death and begging them to get it over with. We are engrossed.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Glen Nelson Bristow plays the perfect Shylock—his delivery is crisp yet ever-so mobster, and he aces big speeches with ease (namely, “hath not a Jew eyes?”). His scenes with Hatch are a joy to watch, and the courtroom showdown in front of the Duke (Trey Hatch) is nail-bitingly good.

John Metcalf plays Bassiano with a slick charm and sensitivity, and his work with both Hatch and Lydia Randall as love-interest Portia is as versatile as it is good. He can belt it in song, too, clad in a Bobby Darin suit.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Lydia Randall plays Portia with the just-right air of regal refinement and take-charge agency. She orchestrates, at the behest of her father’s will, a The Price Is Right-esque hand-winning contest to hopefully score the betrothal of Bassiano, and not that of the stuffy princes of Aragon and Morocco. However, Devon Breur plays both with schmaltz and hilarity.

Her handmaid/BFF Nerissa is played by Jessie Spengler with a fierce dramatic talent, sass, and formidable girl-power. She also takes the cake in the theatric eye-roll department. Randall and Spengler dress up as men to save Antonia from her mortal fate, and their interactions with their oblivious husbands is complete comedy and so well done.

Sam Schlobohm is the perfect choice for Gratiano, the take-the-bull-by-the-horns friend of Bassiano and husband of Nerissa. He plays with showmanship and whimsy.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


When starry-eyed Jessica (Tess Nakaishi) forsakes her father (and her Jewish faith) for fast-talking Lorenzo (Danny Herter), she runs off with a casket of ducats and her dad’s dignity. Nakaishi is a great choice for the role and her work with Herter, especially in the second act, is explosive drama. Lorenzo is the scheming guy you’d expect to steal a gal away. Between wooing Jessica and singing tunes, Herter plays the role with energy and wit.
                       
Bassanio’s buddy Salerio is played by John Roberson. In between supporting Bassanio’s pursuits, he can sing, too. Dale Asplund plays Gaoler and Bathazar and does the most comical slow walking I’ve seen. James Brown expertly plays Launcelot Gobbo, who’s stuck in a theosophical quandary between the merits of the person versus their religion. He wears a patched elbow tweed jacket and snacks on candy incessantly. One of several nice touches by the SNW crew.

The Merchant of Vegas is a true Shakespearean show. Mentions of Lake Tahoe and Sin City whiz by while you’re lulled by the magnificent talents up on stage.

The Rexville Blackrock Ampitheater is a slight (but worthy) drive, so be sure and bring along a map or digital device to point you in the right direction. It’s BYO seating, so consider a lawn chair or blanket of sorts. I also recommend bug spray.  The festival runs through August 13th, and you can find tickets and other info on the SNW website.


If you’re lucky, they might even let you play craps.



Tuesday, June 21, 2016

I can see clearly now

New company rocks one-acts
by Christopher Key

One of the most exciting things that can happen to an old, jaded reviewer is to be invited to the premiere performance of a new theatre company.  It’s exciting for me, too.  Rimshot.

Mijo Buiskool and Spenser Stumpf are two Lynden theatre veterans with a vision.  It’s called Clear Space Youth Repertory and is sponsored by the Lynden Performing Arts Guild.  Artistic Director Buiskool calls it “…a community of like-minded people who create art, regardless of whether they’re on the cast or crew.”  Their productions are designed, managed and directed by theatre students from around the state.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


I was all prepared to lower my standards a bit for a first production by students, which goes to show how much I know.  Clear Space is a serious contender among local theatre groups and you’ll be impressed and entertained by their first effort.  They’re smart enough to start with one-acts and that’s refreshing because we don’t get to see enough of them.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


The plays are a very well-balanced group of comedies and dramas by everyone from Anton Chekov to some local playwrights that are getting first exposure.  There are remarkably few weak spots.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Directors include Buiskool and Stumpf, in addition to Julia LaFortune, Laurence Meenk, and Weston Whitener.  The actors are an intriguing mixture of veterans and newbies and they play very well together.  Because this is an ensemble effort, I’m not going to single anyone out.  More or less in order of appearance, they are Emma Ritchie, Trevor Burden, Skyler Jones, Kit Vonnegut, Madra Likkel, Sarah Miller, Evan Riccii, Chelsea Burlile, Jonathan Phlaum, Isaiah Stumpf, Gillian Dodson, Kyle Anthony Pennington, Carole May, Laura (Williams) French, Levi Langstraat, Skyler Jones, Carmen Ferran, Dale Ross and Laurence Meenk.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


All of the techies are students, as well.  Elizabeth Barrett has designed a deceptively simple set that serves all the one-acts with a few changes of props.  Her work is enhanced by Lighting Designer Gavin Wynne.  The cast as a whole is responsible for the props and costumes and they come through like champs.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Ever since Mickey Rooney said, “Hey, let’s put on a show” to Judy Garland, young artists have been doing theatre with varying levels of success.  This company will astonish you with the professionalism of their first production and it’s because they did a lot of homework before hitting the stage.

They seriously deserve your support and you have only three nights to show them your appreciation: June 23, 24 and 25 at the Claire vg Thomas Theatre in Lynden.  Tickets are $5.00 at the door or at the Clear Space website.

You’ll want to be able to say, “I saw them back when…”


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Saturday, June 11, 2016

Why must I be a teenager in love?

Smokin’ hot R&J at Bard
by Christopher Key

“Hormonal” was the word that kept popping up on my inner screen as I watched opening night of Romeo and Juliet at Vancouver, BC’s, Bard on the Beach.  This is a very good thing.  Too many directors forget that the star-crossed lovers are teenagers and full of what people used to refer to as “juices.”  Those metabolic demons are what powers puberty and lead young people into making oft-disastrous decisions.

Kim Collier is not afraid to unleash those demons onstage and the result will make your hair, among other things, stand on end.  Quite frankly, R & J has never been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.  This production raised it several notches in my estimation because all of the elements come together in a way that is truly synergistic.  That’s why the techies get first billing.

I’m not sure why Pam Johnson’s set, reminiscent of Soviet brutalist architecture, works so well in the context of romantic Verona, but it does.  Nancy Bryant’s sensuous costumes are a complete contrast and maybe that’s what modifies the harshness of the set.  Certainly Brian Linds’ sound design is essential to the mood.  Ranging from raw percussion to electronica to industrial rock, the soundtrack grabs you by the short ‘n curlies and never lets go.

Photo credit - David Blue


Vancouver native Andrew Chown delivers a Romeo that gives new meaning to the phrase “testosterone poisoning.”  His acting chops are solid, but it’s his athleticism that will astound you.  Whether it’s a prodigious leap toward Juliet’s balcony or a running handstand against a wall, Chown forcibly reminds us of the male persuasion how much fun it is (was?) to show off for a girl.  Not to mention the accompanying adrenaline rush from doing something really stupid.

Photo credit - David Blue


Hailey Gillis’ Juliet is eminently worth showing off for.  There’s a theatrical axiom claiming that by the time an actor is capable of portraying Juliet, she’s too old to look the part.  Gillis puts the lie to it by thoroughly capturing the giddiness of estrogen poisoning while giving a mature performance.  R & J is all about such contradictions.

Romeo’s homies, Mercutio and Benvolio, are played by Bard vets Andrew McNee and Ben Elliott with the adolescent edginess that defines this production.  Their fight scenes with Tybalt and his Capulet cronies are frighteningly authentic, for which we can thank Fight Director David McCormick.  Anton Lipovetsky portrays Tybalt with a sneering sense of entitlement reminiscent of certain political figures.  You’ll want to run him through as much as Romeo does.

The Nurse is one of those Bardish characters that can run away with the show if played well.  Bard fave Jennifer Lines plays the role in this version and I really don’t need to say much more than that, do I?  How about bawdy, bumptious and brilliant?

Another Bard fixture, Scott Bellis, plays Friar Laurence with a hip sensibility reminiscent of a Doonesbury character.  The massive headphones are a delightful touch. 
As always at Bard, the supporting cast is bulletproof (if not swordproof) and that’s all of a piece when the whole becomes greater than its parts.

It really doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen Romeo and Juliet and all its spinoffs.  This production will give you a fresh perspective on the old story and that’s what Bard on the Beach does best.

R & J performs in repertory with The Merry Wives of Windsor on the BMO Mainstage through September 23.  For showtimes, see the Bard on the Beach website.  You can purchase tickets there, as well.

Do keep in mind that it is Junuary and dress accordingly.

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Friday, June 10, 2016

De-lovely!

BTG wraps 87th season
by Christopher Key

I was supposed to review Teri Grimes’ production of Anything Goes on Tuesday, but I had a nasty bug that I graciously refused to share with the cast and crew.  You’re welcome.  So I sneaked into Thursday’s VIP night and since it was Cole Porter’s birthday it was obviously meant to be.

Yes, there’s a storyline of sorts from a book by Tim Crouse and John Weidman, but this show is all about the music.  Grimes understands this sort of thing better than anyone and assembled a cast of thou…well, dozens to make it sing.  It’s about as big a production as the BTG can hold and it’s a good thing they’re about to replace the foundation.

It ain’t easy to get the kind of big band this show demands into the BTG space, but Grimes squeezes them in backstage and gives them a bow before the show.  The ubiquitous TJ Anderson serves as musical director and the players truly rock.  I’d list them all, but I have a day job.

Anything Goes is set aboard a steamship crossing the Atlantic and everyone knows that people behave abnormally on a boat.  Throw in some of Porter’s racy lyrics and you’ve got a swingin’ scene that still manages a PG rating.

Photo credit - Jay Solomon


BTG newbie Amanda Carpp makes a scintillating debut as Reno Sweeney, the showgirl/evangelist/con artist extraordinaire.  She’s a former Disneyland cast member and seems to have recovered with all her chops intact.

Photo credit - Jay Solomon


Will Dubiel, last seen in The Drowsy Chaperone brings his trademark naïveté to the role of Billy Crocker, who is not as innocent as he looks.  His voice is a bit reminiscent of Dennis Day and anyone under 60 will have to look that one up.

Photo credit - Jay Solomon


The multi-talented David Cohn has been spreading his theatrical wings over the past few years and hiccups his way through the role of Elisha Whitney with élan.  Cohn likes to sing and dance and can even do both at the same time!

Photo credit - Jay Solomon


Do I really need to point out once again that Paul Henderson II is one of the best performers on the local scene?  I’ll just say that he’s his usual singing/dancing/acting amazing self and let it go at that.

Photo credit - John Phillip


It’s been far too long since we’ve seen Deborah Blakesley onstage.  It’s worth the wait as she torches her way through the role of Erma with that astounding voice and utterly charming stage presence.

Photo credit - Jay Solomon


Jordan Smith brings a solid Brit accent and a thoroughly Bertie Wooster presence to the role of Lord Evelyn Oakleigh.  Upper-class Twit of the Year?  No perspiration.

There’s a wealth of other talent in this mighty cast and some of them will be pissed because I didn’t mention them.  Blame it on the techies, whose praises I need to sing because this is a smasheroo.

Russ Nelson designed a set that Cole Porter would call “swell!”  Genny Cohn owns the local costume scene the way Warren Buffett owns everything else.  Kat Riehl and Emma Delaney have the cast dancing like everyone’s watching and will blow you away with the tap numbers.  Dee O’Connor pushes the photons and Ryan Goelzenleuchter wrangles the audio.

Anything Goes plays June 10 – 26 at the BTG Playhouse, 1600 H Street.  Tickets are available by calling the box office Tuesday – Saturday 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (360) 733-1811 or online.  Do it now because this is a sure sellout.

You get extra points for identifying the Donald Trump joke.

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Thursday, June 2, 2016

Eat, drink and be Mary

Poppins soars at BAAY
by Christopher Key

I doubt if there is anything original I can say about the beloved musical Mary Poppins.  It’s simply a classic, adored by children and adults alike for its witty dialogue, evocative characters and memorable music.  Put that together with some truly gifted kids from Bellingham Arts Academy for Youth and you’ve got the most delightful evening ten bucks can buy.

I may also have exhausted all the adjectives I can use to describe what BAAY founder David Post can do with his young charges.  He directs with an obvious love for the material, but it’s his love for the kids that creates the kind of magic Mary Poppins can only dream of. 

Pianist and Vocal Director Evan Ingalls has them sounding like a million bucks and you will simply not believe what student choreographer Zoë Taylor Sturtz has achieved with the dance numbers.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Ms. Poppins herself is played to perfection by Lainie Mueller.  She not only sparkles as an actor, but has a wonderful voice that compares favorably with a certain actor who made the role famous in the 1964 Disney film.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


The nonpareil nanny, of course, is assisted in her enchantments by Bert the Chimney Sweep.  Meixing Rain plays Bert with the requisite twinkle in the eye and a terrific voice.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


Magic is perhaps the only thing that can save a couple of kids from becoming typical upper-class British twits like their Father.  Mehar Singh has the whole stiff-upper-lip, once-more-dear-friends-into-the-breach thing down cold.

Photo credit - Christopher Key


His long-suffering wife, a closet suffragette, is portrayed with hand-wringing pathos by Jadelyn Drake.  It’s a bit of a stretch to believe that such a man as her husband could unbend long enough to reproduce, but there are two children whose lives are changed by the flying nanny.

Corinn van Woerden and Ethan Riggs are absolutely delightful as the Banks children.  Riggs, in particular, has a mischievous stage presence that bodes well for future roles.

There is an all-star cast of BAAY brilliance backing them up and that’s just the ones I saw tonight.  There’s a complete second cast who are most certainly as good as this one, but there’s only one of me.  My recommendation would be to see the show at least twice to appreciate all the hard-working kids who make BAAY rock.

Dana Crediford, who seems to be everywhere, provides the imaginative costuming and you’d better believe the kids hang up their costumes when she tells ‘em, thank you very much!

Mary Poppins plays June 3 – 12 at the BAAY playhouse at the corner of State and Maple.  Tickets are $10 at the door or on the website.

You may find that you enjoy this even more than the movie thanks to the wild energy the BAAY kids bring to every performance.


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Thursday, May 26, 2016

Do the math!

ACT delivers Proof
by Christopher Key

Most of us don’t really see Anacortes because we’re usually rushing to catch the San Juan Ferry.  Let’s face it, that humungous Shell refinery isn’t really the most attractive gateway to a city.  The main drag, Commercial Street, lives up to its name with one tacky strip mall after another.  However, if you go straight instead of turning left toward the ferry, you’ll find yourself in a charming, relaxed village full of brew pubs and boutiques.  You could say Anacortes is a bit bipolar.

Which brings us to the point of why I was in Anacortes to start with.  Theatre friend Emily Lester is in a show at Anacortes Community Theatre (fortunate acronym, that) and invited me to come write a review.  No, Emily is not bipolar and neither am I.  At least not any more than most actors.  But playwright David Auburn’s Proof is a scorching examination of the relationship between genius and madness.  Are all geniuses madmen?  Are all madmen geniuses?  Having recently played a character who had a lot of both, I can tell you that the dividing line, if there is one, is not easily discerned.

Robert was a brilliant mathematician who increasingly suffered from mental illness as he aged.  He just died and his daughter Catherine has inherited at least some of his mathematical genius.  But has she also inherited the madness?  And where’s the proof?

Hal is a former student of Robert’s who believes the late Professor may have found a long-sought proof for a theorem involving prime numbers.  Catherine’s sister Claire has just arrived to take charge of the funeral, Catherine’s life and the universe as a whole.  Oh, and Robert’s ghost keeps hanging around to watch the fun.

It’s set in the late Professor’s home in Chicago and director Billy Hendrix also designed the lovely set, which takes advantage of the theatre’s idiosyncrasies.  Emotional roller-coaster would be a vast understatement for this script.  It’s loud, raw, obscene and no wonder Emily wanted to be in it.  This show is all about the actors, how much they trust each other and how much they trust Hendrix.  A lot, to judge by the result.

Kat Rose Agnew and Emily Lester play battling sisters in Proof.  Photo credit - Christopher Key


Kat Rose Agnew plays the long-suffering daughter who has cared for her father at home rather than institutionalizing him.  Agnew has a marvelously expressive face that she uses to great effect, going from flippant to frightened to furious within the same scene and never missing a twitch.  She’ll mesmerize you, then tell you where to put it.

Calvin Brown plays the mad mathematician in Proof.  Photo credit - Christopher Key


Dad’s ghost is the most obstreperous revenant imaginable, roaring and howling and generally making Catherine’s life more miserable than it already is.  Calvin Brown plays him with truly trigonometric authenticity, right down to that ineffable gleam of madness in the eye.

Friend Emily, well-known to Whatcom County audiences, plays Claire with unshakable faith in her own sanity and ability fix everything, broken or not.  Lester has an extraordinarily wide range as an actor and can do brittle with the best of them.  You keep wondering if the character will shatter into shards before your eyes.

Sam Guzik plays uber-geek Hal in Proof.  Photo credit - Christopher Key


How much of an uber-geek is Hal, the former student seeking the elusive proof?  He plays drums in a band of fellow mathematicians whose claim to fame is a three-minute song with no words or music.  Sam Guzik plays him to Nerd Nirvana, occasionally charming, but normally as annoying as a car alarm.

I saw this show a while back at Mount Baker Theatre’s Summer Rep, where most of the actors were professionals and with the considerable resources of MBT to draw on.  The ACT version doesn’t give them a centimeter.  It’s every bit as well-done.

So hop in the Tesla and give yourself time to enjoy a meal at one of those Anacortes bistros before the play.  Proof runs May 27 – June 18 at the playhouse on the corner of 10th and M Streets.  Tickets are $20 and available by calling the box office at (360) 293-6829, major credit cards accepted.  Access the ACT website for precise dates and times.

Proof contains adult themes and language and may be unsuitable for younger children.

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