SPT - This weekend, SPT closes its Games People Play series of "Tales from the Writer's Room," its first season at CSPS, with Sorry, a funny and thoughtful show with a host of skilled performers and an amazing band.
SPT's shows feature a wide variety of adept artists, and guest Craig Erickson is no exception. Erickson is an accomplished guitar player who can make a guitar speak truthfully no matter the style of the song. He lays down some powerful guitar solos on "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" and "Perfect Word." He also signs with passion and soul on "Rivertown" and "Prodigal."
As usual, we have excellent performances and a great selection of songs from Doug Elliott, Janelle Lauer, and Jane Pini. The band is great; everyone's really listening to each other and the effect is impressive. This setup is ideal - Greg Kanz and Dave Ollinger anchoring everyone with a steady beat so that Gerard Estella can set off into playful flights of fancy. What makes Sorry really work is this dynamic throughout the show: consistent pacing and really connected performers who are free to experiment and launch into a rockin' solo, a moving monologue, or a hilarious bit of comic acting.
Joining the acting ensemble this show are Scott Humeston, Aaron Murphy, and Hannah Spina. Humeston is an excellent character actor; he's always willing to pick something memorable and go all the way with it. From his wild-haired, rock-and-rolling Nikola Tesla to his creative rendition of "the voice from above" in the garden of Eden, Humeston is simply laugh-out-loud funny. He's also a rock when he needs to play a straight man or set up a punchline.
Aaron Murphy and Hannah Spina work well together. You can tell they're having a blast and some really fun comedy comes out of their interaction. Spina is big and bold with her character choices. Murphy is quick-witted and quite charming. They're both excellent listeners and really clear with their body language, which makes for a great pair. One of the best scenes is "My Best Ideas," where a blocked writer fields suggestions from his "helpful" wife. Spina jumps up and starts acting out her outrageous ideas in the middle of the kitchen; Murphy's reactions are priceless. They're also great in "Sweet and Cold," where a couple of spurned siblings plot revenge on their elders.
There's plenty of laughter in Sorry, but there's also a lot of heart. "Il Padrino" tells a poignant story of a woman and her dying mother-in-law sharing a quiet moment before they have to say goodbye forever. Mary Sullivan's acting is very effective as her character struggles to accept the facts in this scene.
"Check One" is a tear-jerking monologue that takes off from a simple form at the doctor's office—Akwi Nji is asked to check a box reporting to the government whether she's "black" or "white." "I can't check two?" she asks. It's suffocating, being stuffed in a box like this, forced to choose Africa over America or vice-versa, and the exploration of this idea is emotional without being sentimental, passionate without being didactic. At the heart of what makes these shows meaningful are these thoughtful or personal elements, and "Check One" is an excellent example.
It's also interesting in that it shows the theme cutting both ways. Nji starts the scene being "sorry"—embarrassed, even—but the monologue takes her from being defensive about the situation to being proud of her courage in rejecting the very idea of boxes for people. Many of these scenes are about people who refuse to apologize for who they are or what they've done—from a comic scene about an engineer who's alienated his daughter by deciding to become a mime to a thoughtful monologue about Fay Wray taking a wild chance and, quite literally, reaching new heights. There's also characters who are angry, wronged, and out for revenge, such as the spurned lover in "Young Woman's Lament." There are some funny examinations of the nature of apologies and of guilt itself in scenes like "Sweet and Cold," "And Mean It," and "Eden Prairie." It's always interesting to see the wide variety of ideas that come from the themes these shows take as their base.
The structure of the show, particularly in the second act, takes full advantage of the flexibility of the variety-show format. Songs can frame scenes, taking us in and back out again, and the combination of music and theatre has an additive effect; though two very different arts, they feed each other and keep the energy in the room always creeping up to a higher level. The pacing can be lightning-quick, with little snapshot moments taking off into the next thing as soon as they land, or there can be some breathing room for a longer and more complicated scene when there needs to be. The transitions, the choice of the songs, and the order of the scenes were well-considered in this show, and director Richard Barker's vision brings all of these elements into one coherent show quite well.
Games People Play: Sorry has one more night at CSPS (Saturday, June 2 at 8:00), then the series goes on break until September 14. Stay tuned for more information on SPT's next season!
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