Noises Off-A Theatrical Farce by Michael Frayn at NTC The Night of the Iguana at RVP--A Night To Remember Cantata #40 Wins 1st Place Honors at 29th Fringe of Marin Awards Ceremony

The cast of Novato Theater Company's production of Noises Off

Noises Off, a comic masterpiece, directed by Carl Jordan opened last night at NTC, is not one play but two--the hilariously horrible British farce "Nothing On" and the comedic nightmare that ensues backstage.  Slamming doors, flying props, pratfalls, sardines and the two story revolving sets by Gary Gonser abound as we see the first act of Nothing On presented three times, each with successively less attention to the script.  

Act I is the dress rehearsal. While the impatient director, Lloyd Dallas  (Craig Christiansen) trudges through the opening scene of Nothing On, the actors keep breaking character. Dottie (Kim Williams) keeps forgetting when to take her plate of sardines.  Garry (Robert Nelson) keeps challenging the stage directions in the script.  Brooke (Melissa Claire) is clueless about her fellow performers and constantly loses her contact lens.  

Act II is backstage antics and takes place entirely backstage. The entire set rotates to reveal the behind-the-scenes events that unfold. It is fun to watch the same scene of Nothing On from a different perspective.

Act III is when everything goes wrong after the cast of Nothing On performs their show for nearly 3 months--they are seriously burned out.  When Dottie makes a few mistakes during her opening scene, she just begins to ramble making up lines off the top of her head.  The rest of the characters then make a series of mistakes. Garry cannot improvise his way out of a paper bag. Brooke doesn't pay attention to the changes rapidly occurring. She keeps doing her lines even when they are not appropriate and the veteran actor, Selsdon (Ron Dailey) can't keep away from the booze.  By the play's end, their show is a comic catastrophe.  

Noises Off may be the most challenging script Director Carl Jordan has ever attempted to stage, where perfect timing is critical.  He is given able support by the professionalism of his cast and a wonderful technical crew.  Melissa Claire and Ron Dailey are particular standouts.  Dailey has few lines but makes the most of all of them while Claire's vacant expressions and exclamations and strong determination make Brooke extremely likable.  

Richard Nelson has a few funny moments as the inarticulate Garry as do Mark Clark as the overly nervous Frederick and Gigi Benson as the ever game Belinda as well as Emily Surface as Poppy, the pregnant assistant stage manager and Matt Farrell as the company stage manager, these two are the mostly innocent backstage crew members who get drawn into the trouble onstage. Last but not least, special mention to Kim Williams as the dotty Dottie who can barely remember her lines and Craig Christiansen as Lloyd Dallas, the demanding director.

Noises Off is written with wit and heart making it more than mere farce or parody of farce; it speaks to what we love about theater and makes us laugh at our dramas onstage and off.

Noises Off runs at the Novato Theater Company through June 17, 2012.  Performances are held Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. The Novato Theater Company Playhouse is located at 484 Ignacio Blvd., Novato.  For tickets, call 883-4498 or go online at www.novatotheatercompany.org.

Flora Lynn Isaacson

Eric Burke as Shannon and Kristine Ann Lowry as Hannah relax on the exotic set of the Ross Valley Players presentation of The Night of the Iguana

            Upon entering the theatre at Ross Valley Players, an impressive set by Malcolm Rodgers greets us of La Costa Verde Hotel in Puerto Barrio on the West Coast of Mexico in 1940.  The Ross Valley Players are celebrating Tennessee Williams' 100th birthday with its own spin on the popular play and movie.

            In the exotic world of the Mexican coastal jungle, Williams has given us an equally exotic collection of characters in search of redemption. Shannon (Eric Burke) had been an Episcopalian clergyman but has fallen from the grace of the church and has been employed as a tour guide by a second rate Mexican travel agency.

            Shannon abandons a bus full of 20 American Baptist women and seeks refuge in a cheap hotel near the coast. The hotel is run by Maxine (Cat Bish), a fading recent widow who still holds large appetites for a man in her life.   New arrivals there are Hannah (Kristine Ann Lowry), a younger artist who tries to make a living selling her paintings and Nonno (Wood Lockhart), her grandfather who is also a poet.  Tied to a post in the yard is a captured iguana--like the others, seemingly at the end of his rope. Williams mixes these characters into a steamy, passionate and dramatic search for redemption. This metaphor is intensified when Shannon tears at his golden cross on his neck, lacerating himself as if to free himself from its constraints. 

            Sensitively directed by Chris Cassell, this production has outstanding performances by Eric Burke as Lawrence Shannon, Kristine Ann Lowry as Hannah Jelkes and Wood Lockhart as Nonno.  They were ably supported by Cat Bish as Maxine, Sandi Rubay as Miss Fellowes, the leader of the Baptist women tourists and Kushi Beauchamp as Charlotte, a young girl who has a crush on Shannon. 

            Special mention should be made of Billie Cox's sound design and the lighting design by Ellen Brooks of the incoming storm.  Michael A. Berg deserves a lot of credit for his outstanding costume design. This was truly a night to remember!

            The Night of the Iguana runs May 17-June 17 at Ross Valley Players' Barn Theatre at Marin Art and Garden Center, 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross. Performances are held Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and 2 p.m. Sunday.  For reservations, call 415-456-9555, extension 1 or go online at www.rossvalleyplayers.com.
            Coming up next at Ross Valley Players will be Greater Tuna by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard. This production will be directed by Lynn Dunn and runs July 13-August 12, 2012.  

Flora Lynn Isaacson

With grateful thanks to Dr. Annette Lust, Artistic Director and Festival Coordinator, the Dominican University Community Players and Fringe of Marin just completed their 29th Anniversary Season.

Four special awards were announced at the beginning of the Awards Ceremony.  Nancy Benson and Velvet Harlow were given special awards for last minute substitution for an actress who became ill and Jessica Windberg and Mark Gutierrez were given special awards as Production Assistants.  

Bay Area Theatre Critic's Awards for Best Play, Director and Actors were just announced Sunday, April 29 at Meadowlands Assembly Hall at Dominican University.  

The first Critic's Circle Award was for Best Play. The pride of 1st Place went to Cantata #40 by Linda Ayres-Frederick.  2nd Place honors went to The Gatekeeper by Patricia L. Marin.  Getting the Message by Rod McFadden won 3rd Place. There was a tie for 4th Place between Noah, The Play by Charlie Lerrigo and Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland by Gaetana Caldwell-Smith.  5th Place went to All Gone-A Comedy Sketch by Pamela Rand and 6th Place went to There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!) by Michael Ferguson.  There was a 7th Place tie between Point of View by Suzanne Birrell and How the Onion was Nearly Scorched by Annette Lust.  

Next up were Awards for Best Director. Suzanne Lorraine won 1st Place for The Gatekeeper. 2nd Place honors went to Jim Colgan for A Chance Encounter.  There was a 3 way tie for 3rd Place between Suzanne Birrell for Point of View and How the Onion was Nearly Scorched; Charlie Lerrigo for Noah, The Play; and Pamela Rand for All Gone-A Comedy Sketch.  There was also a tie for 4th Place between Eileen Tull for Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland and Michael Ferguson for There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!) Finally, 5th Place honors went to Linda Ayres-Frederick for Cantata #40.  

There was a tie for 1st Place for Best Actor between Ken Sollazzo in The Gatekeeper and Byron Lambie for Noah, The Play.  There was also a tie for 2nd Place between Rick Roitinger in Getting the Message and Burl Lampert in All Gone-A Comedy Sketch.  C. Conrad Cady won 3rd Place as Best Actor for Identity Theft. 4th Place honors went to Steve North in Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland and 5th Place for Best Actor went to Bill Chessman III in There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!)  

The last of the Critic's Circle awards went to Best Actress won by Pamela Rand in All Gone-A Comedy Sketch.  Miyoko Schinner won 2nd Place in Noah, The Play.  3rd Place honors went to Christina Melochik in Getting the Message.  Crystal Nezgoda, who was in three plays won 4th Place for How the Onion was Nearly Scorched, A Chance Encounter and Point of View.  Trungta (Kae) Kositchaimongkol won 5th Place for How the Onion was Nearly Scorched and Annette Oliveira won 6th Place for Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland.  Finally, there was a tie for 7th Place for Best Actress between Velvet Harlow in There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!) and Lynda Sheridan in Noah, The Play.  

For the 10th consecutive time, the Audience Awards took place. Here are the results.  The Gatekeeper by Patricia Marin won 1st Place. There was a tie for 2nd Place between A Chance Encounter by David Hirzel and MONOLOGUES: Three Old Ladies Talk About Sex by Carol Sheldon.  Identity Theft won 3rd Place as Best Play.  There was a 4-way tie for 4th Place between Noah, The Play by Charlie Lerrigo, How the Onion was Nearly Scorched by Annette Lust, All Gone-A Comedy Sketch by Pamela Rand, Cantata #40 by Linda Ayres-Frederick and Hitting the High Notes by Valentina Osinski.  5th Place for Best Play went to Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland by Gaetana Caldwell-Smith.  There was a tie for 6th Place between Dirty Questions by George Dykstra and Point of View by Suzanne Birrell.  Nominations for Best Play went to Melinda E. Lopez for Recipe for Life, Michael Ferguson for There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!) and Getting the Message by Rod McFadden.  

Suzanne Lorraine won again the award for Best Director with The Gatekeeper.  Pamela Rand won 2nd Place for All Gone-A Comedy Sketch. There was a tie for 3rd Place between Charlie Lerrigo for Noah, The Play and Lauren Lundgren for Hitting the High Notes.  There was a 3-way tie for 4th Place for Best Director between Eileen Tull for Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland, George Dykstra for Dirty Questions and Linda Ayres-Frederick for Cantata #40.  Michael Ferguson won 5th Place for There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!)  Nominations for Best Director went to Suzanne Birrell for Point of View, Melinda E. Lopez for Recipe for Life, Pamela Rand for MONOLOGUES: Three Old Ladies Talk About Sex and Jim Colgan for A Chance Encounter.  

Ken Sollazzo again won the Audience Award for Best Actor in The Gatekeeper.  C. Conrad Cady won 2nd Place as Best Actor in Identity Theft and A Chance Encounter  Byron Lambie won 3rd Place for Noah, The Play. Steve North came in 4th for Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland.  5th Place went to Harold Delinsky for Dirty Questions. Burl Lampert won 6th Place for All Gone-A Comedy Sketch and Bill Chessman III won 8th Place as the Elephant in There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!)   Nominations for Best Actor went to David Moltzen for Recipe for Life and Jim Colgan for Identity Theft.  

Terri Barker won 1st Place as Best Actress for The Gatekeeper. Carol Sheldon won 2nd Place as Best Actress for  MONOLOGUES: Three Old Ladies Talk About Sex.  3rd Place went to Crystal Nezgoda for three plays--A Chance Encounter, Point of View and How the Onion was Nearly Scorched.  Lauren Arrow won 4th Place for two plays-Point of View and How the Onion was Nearly Scorched.  Valentina Osinski came in 5th Place for her one-woman show, Hitting the High Notes.  Flora Lynn Isaacson came in 6th Place for Dirty Questions.  Miyoko Schinner won 7th Place for Noah, The Play. There was a tie for 8th Place between Paula Suyehiro for All Gone-A Comedy Sketch and Linda Ayres-Frederick for Cantata #40.  Lynda Sheridan won 9th Place for Noah, The Play.  Nominations for Best Actress went to Trungta (Kae) Kositchaimongkol for Point of View and How the Onion was Nearly Scorched, Velvet Harlow for  There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!), Maureen Coyne for There Are No Elephants at Costco (Yes there are!), Melinda E. Lopez for Recipe for Life, Anne Collins for Identity Theft and Annette Oliveira for Wallis & Finnie in Cloud Cuckooland.  

Bravo to Dr. Annette Lust for maintaining the Fringe of Marin for 29 seasons.

Flora Lynn Isaacson