Green-Eyed Mystic

SHOWS RECENTLY SEEN:

"Jane Eyre" at PICT



Tribune Review

Unlike Pittsburgh Irish & Classical's three-actor "Crime and Punishment," this drama has a huge cast -- 16 performers, some of whom play three or four characters.

Some of these ensemble performances work better than others: Kate Young injects comedy and warmth as Mrs. Fairfax and Hanna, and Larry John Meyers creates two delightfully grumpy Victorians as Brocklehurst and Briggs.

The character of Jane is shared by three actresses. Jenna Lanz plays the blunt and honest Child Jane. Shelley Delaney plays Jane Senior, who observes the action and acts as occasional narration to the story and emotional support to her younger selves.

The core of the story and the charm of the production fall to Allison McLemore and David Whalen.

As the middle Jane, McLemore, who looks a lot like Audrey Hepburn, nicely balances strength and vulnerability, reason and emotion. She's a woman who knows what she wants and, more importantly, what she doesn't want.

Whalen's Rochester is a man in possession of dark secrets, unhealed emotional wounds and a conspicuously hideous wig. Whalen makes him appealing by emphasizing his ability to listen and talk with Jane as an intelligent equal. That Whalen the actor can deliver highly romantic and flowery lines with authenticity and honesty also is a big plus.

Production values are high. Douglas Levine has composed some musical interludes that he performs as pianist along with clarinet player Mary Beth Malek.

Costume designer Diane Kubasak Collins clothes the show's nearly 30 characters with some truly lovely outfits, most notably middle Jane's gray gown. Scenic designer Gianni Downs provides a shallow but practical playing area that eliminates set changes and maintains a cinematic flow. But I did get a little tired of the rocks that served as seating areas for both interior and exterior scenes.

The result is a production that honors the spirit and feel of Bronte's novel while making it enjoyable to a contemporary theater audience.

"Carousel" -- Point Park University



"The History Boys" at PICT



"Into the Woods"



"Les Miserables"


Broadway's Robert Cuccioli (Javert) and Fred Inkley (Jean Valjean)

"What the Butler Saw"


left to right: Douglas Rees, Helena Routi, Martin Giles

In London

"MADAME DE SADE"


Rosamund Pike as Madame de Sade


Judi Dench and Rosamund Pike



"SWAN LAKE" at the Royal Opera House

from the Times Online
Anthony Dowell's production is one of the world's finest, and this performance seemed to possess an aura of enchantment and a sense of the majesty of its heritage. Everyone, from Christina Arestis as Siegfried's patrician mother to David Pickering as his loyal friend Benno, acted with a strong sense of purpose, while Valeriy Ovsyanikov, conducting the ROH Orchestra, gave Tchaikovsky's score the full weight of his experience and passion.


ROYAL OPERA HOUSE








Behind the scenes




Derek Jacobi (Malvolio)


Victoria Hamilton (Viola) & Mark Bonnar (Orsino)


The high-larious Guy Henry (Sir Andrew Aguecheek) & Ron Cook (Sir Toby Belch)


Indira Varma (Olivia) stage center

SHOWS I HAVE SEEN
*in London
All other shows were seen in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where I am an usher at three theatres.

Musicals

42nd Street
Annie (2005 & 2007)
Anything Goes
Avenue Q
Beauty and the Beast (2001 & 2006)
Bombay Dreams
The Boy Friend*
Cabaret (2006* & 2007)
Camelot
Carousel (2005 & 2009)
Cats
Chicago (2004 & 2006*)
The Color Purple
Contact
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Dr. Dolittle
Dreamgirls
The Drowsy Chaperone
Evita*
Fiddler on the Roof
Forever Plaid
The Full Monty
Funny Girl
Grease
Hello, Dolly! (2002 & 2004)
High School Musical
Into the Woods
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Legally Blonde The Musical
Les Miserables (2004, 2006*, 2008* & 2009)
The Lion King (2004 & 2008)
Me and My Girl
Miss Saigon
Movin' Out
A Musical Christmas Carol (2002 - 2007; 2009)
The Music Man
My Fair Lady (2003 & 2007)
On the Record
Oklahoma! (2004 & 2007)
The Phantom of the Opera (1999 & 2006)
Pirates of Penzance
The Producers
Rent
The Rockettes Christmas Show (2005 & 2009)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
She Loves Me
Smokey Joe's Cafe
The Sound of Music (2005 & 2006)
Spamalot*
Stomp
West Side Story
White Christmas
Who's Tommy
Wicked (2006 & 2008)

Plays

Alice's Adventures in "Wonderland"
All My Sons
Bent*
Doubt
Elliot and the Magic Bed
Hamlet*
The History Boys
The Female of the Species*
An Ideal Husband
Ivanov*
Jane Eyre
Les Liasons Dangereuses
Little Women
Madame De Sade*
Oedipus*
The Pitmen Painters*
Pride and Prejudice
The Subject Was Roses
Summer and Smoke*
Things of Dry Hours
Twelfth Night*
Villette*
What the Butler Saw

Operas
Fidelio
Billy Budd



Ballets

Dracula
Giselle
Midsummer Night's Dream
Nutcracker
Swan Lake*

"I know so little about Beckett, I would embarrass myself with a comment. He hasn't been an influence on my work, although some of those in the know have told me that The Office had certain Beckett qualities. One journalist also said it was like Chekhov. I know nothing about him either. What I'm saying is, it seems I rip people off without knowing it. I also rip people off and know it. Laurel and Hardy, for example. Now they were like Beckett. Does that count as knowing something about Beckett after all?" - Ricky Gervais