City Circle - If you are planning to check out the Circle's Edge Repertory Festival this weekend, you need to know that the location has changed. Apparently, the Fire Marshall and Building Inspector for the City of Coralville informed the people that rented City Circle the space in the Iowa Realty and Wells Fargo Building that renting the space for a theatre peformance was a violation of code. Consequently, City Circle has had to find alternate venues for the the final weekend.
I am sure no one reading this will be surprised to learn that we are a theatre community that pulls together when faced with adversity. Thanks to individuals who wholeheartedly believe the shows must go on, we can announce that on Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17, at 7:30 p.m., Rabbit Hole will be performed in the former That's Rentertainment space at 411 2nd Street on the Coralville Strip, which most recently housed the Johnson County Republicans and is located directly across the street from Mondo's Sports Café.
On Saturday, April 18, Sarah Shattered (4:30 p.m.) and Picasso at the Lapine Agile (7:30 p.m.) and will be performed at Theatre B in The University of Iowa Theatre Building.
On Sunday, April 19, Picasso at the Lapin Agile (2 p.m.) will also be performed at Theatre B.
As a result of the move, the reading of Sarah Shattered on Sunday, April 19, 4:30 p.m. has been canceled. Otherwise, all show times will be presented as previously announced.
A review of Picasso is here. A review of Rabbit Hole is coming soon.
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Showing posts with label Picasso at the Lapine Agile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Picasso at the Lapine Agile. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
A Review of Picasso
City Circle - “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
That phrase was spoken by more than one audience member at the end of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Although it does follow the convention of having a beginning, middle, and end — all set nicely in the framework of “when the lights go down” to “when the lights go up” — somewhere in the middle it turns and veers and becomes somewhat absurd, although not in an inaccessible way. It is the fictional story of a chance meeting between Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein, and an unnamed but immediately recognizable Visitor in the Lapin Agile bar in France in 1903. The play provides some food for thought along with many laughs, though it is a deeper piece than one might expect from a man who first became famous while wearing an arrow through his head.
There are no small parts in theatre, of course, and even those with fewer lines have important roles to play. Rachel Korach Howell plays no fewer than three characters. I don’t know if this is by design of the playwright or by economy of the director, but she manages to infuse each one with a different sensibility simply by changing her demeanor from the sultry Suzanne, to the brash Countess, and to the flibbertigibbet female admirer. Lorin Ditzler embodies Germaine, the only other woman in the show, who holds her own as the waitress at the bar. Her petite frame makes an excellent physical counterpoint to her boyfriend the bartender, Jaret Morlan’s Freddy. There’s a fun bit of business during a fight these two have, about whether her romanticism is neo- or post-, when they are pointing fingers at one another and he points a finger straight down at her head.
Nick Ostrem’s appearance Schmendiman is brief but memorable; I think these Ostrem kids are definitely ones to watch for in the future. Jay Stein’s Gaston is the anchor character of the play; the foil against which Einstein and Picasso riposte. He embodies the part of the exasperated old Gaston with overexaggerated movements and sighs, allowing the audience to feel his frustration with the way old age is treating him.
Eric Burchett’s Visitor is the perfect embodiment of his character; someone whom I’d rather not name as it would take away from the surprise of the play. When you see him, you’ll understand. Michael Stokes’ is the perfect art dealer; a combination of marketing schmooze and artistic ego-stroking familiar to agents even today.
The true stars of the show, of course, are Brad Quinn’s Einstein and Matthew James’ Picasso. Brad makes a wonderfully believable Einstein; his hair even does an admirable job of looking pretty much like a young Einstein’s. (Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for his mustache.) He speaks with the physicist’s German accent, and you wholeheartedly believe him when he spouts off figures and formulas.
Matthew James is on fire as Picasso, commanding the attention of not only everyone on stage but everyone in the room. He employs a Spanish accent to great effect, both to woo lovers and to put down fellow artists. I suspect nearly every woman in the audience wished he would turn his artist’s Lothario eye on her.
The costumes for the characters were spot on, from Germaine’s bosomy barmaid dress to Picasso’s slouchy artist look. The set is simple, a bar with a couple of tables and a few stools, and a very large picture of pastoral sheep — a painting that’s integral to the plot.
City Circle is producing this show as part of their first ever repertory season, alternating it with the play Rabbit Hole and including a reading of Sarah Shattered, written by a member of the University of Iowa theatre community. The show is on the third floor of the Iowa Realty Building on the Coralville strip—a delightfully empty warehouse of a room, comfortably appointed with padded folding chairs and temperature controlled. It is useful to have a large empty room like this as a theatre space, but as with any space without an elevated stage or raked seating, there are bound to be sightline troubles. Though I was able to procure a seat in the front row, I did occasionally miss some bit of action on the stage because the actors were cheated towards the other side of the audience, or because crowding of the actors prevented me from seeing every detail.
Theatre goers and theatre newbies will thoroughly enjoy Martin’s play and our own local actors in it. I encourage everyone to take it in.
--Sharon Falduto
Sharon Falduto has been involved with theatre for many years. Notable roles include Corrie in Barefoot in the Park with Dreamwell and Myra in Hay Fever with ICCT. She has directed God for the now defunct student group, West Side Players, and Of Mice and Men for Dreamwell. She is currently out of the theatre scene, as she is busy directing the lives of Rachel, Samantha, and Piper at her home in Coralville. She still enjoys the stage, however, and hopes to trod the boards again in the future.
That phrase was spoken by more than one audience member at the end of Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile. Although it does follow the convention of having a beginning, middle, and end — all set nicely in the framework of “when the lights go down” to “when the lights go up” — somewhere in the middle it turns and veers and becomes somewhat absurd, although not in an inaccessible way. It is the fictional story of a chance meeting between Pablo Picasso, Albert Einstein, and an unnamed but immediately recognizable Visitor in the Lapin Agile bar in France in 1903. The play provides some food for thought along with many laughs, though it is a deeper piece than one might expect from a man who first became famous while wearing an arrow through his head.
There are no small parts in theatre, of course, and even those with fewer lines have important roles to play. Rachel Korach Howell plays no fewer than three characters. I don’t know if this is by design of the playwright or by economy of the director, but she manages to infuse each one with a different sensibility simply by changing her demeanor from the sultry Suzanne, to the brash Countess, and to the flibbertigibbet female admirer. Lorin Ditzler embodies Germaine, the only other woman in the show, who holds her own as the waitress at the bar. Her petite frame makes an excellent physical counterpoint to her boyfriend the bartender, Jaret Morlan’s Freddy. There’s a fun bit of business during a fight these two have, about whether her romanticism is neo- or post-, when they are pointing fingers at one another and he points a finger straight down at her head.
Nick Ostrem’s appearance Schmendiman is brief but memorable; I think these Ostrem kids are definitely ones to watch for in the future. Jay Stein’s Gaston is the anchor character of the play; the foil against which Einstein and Picasso riposte. He embodies the part of the exasperated old Gaston with overexaggerated movements and sighs, allowing the audience to feel his frustration with the way old age is treating him.
Eric Burchett’s Visitor is the perfect embodiment of his character; someone whom I’d rather not name as it would take away from the surprise of the play. When you see him, you’ll understand. Michael Stokes’ is the perfect art dealer; a combination of marketing schmooze and artistic ego-stroking familiar to agents even today.
The true stars of the show, of course, are Brad Quinn’s Einstein and Matthew James’ Picasso. Brad makes a wonderfully believable Einstein; his hair even does an admirable job of looking pretty much like a young Einstein’s. (Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for his mustache.) He speaks with the physicist’s German accent, and you wholeheartedly believe him when he spouts off figures and formulas.
Matthew James is on fire as Picasso, commanding the attention of not only everyone on stage but everyone in the room. He employs a Spanish accent to great effect, both to woo lovers and to put down fellow artists. I suspect nearly every woman in the audience wished he would turn his artist’s Lothario eye on her.
The costumes for the characters were spot on, from Germaine’s bosomy barmaid dress to Picasso’s slouchy artist look. The set is simple, a bar with a couple of tables and a few stools, and a very large picture of pastoral sheep — a painting that’s integral to the plot.
City Circle is producing this show as part of their first ever repertory season, alternating it with the play Rabbit Hole and including a reading of Sarah Shattered, written by a member of the University of Iowa theatre community. The show is on the third floor of the Iowa Realty Building on the Coralville strip—a delightfully empty warehouse of a room, comfortably appointed with padded folding chairs and temperature controlled. It is useful to have a large empty room like this as a theatre space, but as with any space without an elevated stage or raked seating, there are bound to be sightline troubles. Though I was able to procure a seat in the front row, I did occasionally miss some bit of action on the stage because the actors were cheated towards the other side of the audience, or because crowding of the actors prevented me from seeing every detail.
Theatre goers and theatre newbies will thoroughly enjoy Martin’s play and our own local actors in it. I encourage everyone to take it in.
--Sharon Falduto
Sharon Falduto has been involved with theatre for many years. Notable roles include Corrie in Barefoot in the Park with Dreamwell and Myra in Hay Fever with ICCT. She has directed God for the now defunct student group, West Side Players, and Of Mice and Men for Dreamwell. She is currently out of the theatre scene, as she is busy directing the lives of Rachel, Samantha, and Piper at her home in Coralville. She still enjoys the stage, however, and hopes to trod the boards again in the future.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
City Circle's Edge Rep opens this weekend
City Circle - City Circle Acting Company of Coralville presents the Circle’s Edge Repertory Festival April 3-5, 10-12, and 16-19 at the Iowa Realty and Wells Fargo Building at 327 2nd Street in Coralville.
Circle’s Edge Repertory Festival features a hand-picked selection of bold, fresh, and engaging material. Three very different, yet dynamic plays will be presented over three consecutive weekends in April.
Picasso at Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin, is a long running Off-Broadway comedy that places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a chance encounter at the Lapin Agile, a Parisian bar in 1904.
In his first comedy for the stage, Martin has constructed a play that captures his trademark wit with a clever mix of fact and fiction.
The two main characters are both on the verge of a breakthrough—Einstein is just about ready to submit his first paper on relativity for publication and Picasso will paint Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in 1907. Here they have a lengthy and hilarious debate about the value of genius and talent while interacting with a host of other characters.
Picasso at Lapin Agile is directed by Kehry Lane and will be presented on Friday and Saturday, April 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 5 at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m.
Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abaire and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a story of a family that endures a life-shattering accident that turns their world upside down. The play focuses on Becca and Howie, a couple who attempts to cope with the death of their four-year old child in an auto accident and the ensuing complications impacting the family.
This powerfully moving drama charts their bittersweet search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day. This play is an intensely emotional examination of grief, laced with wit, insightfulness, and compassion.
Rabbit Hole is directed by Joshua Beadle and will be presented Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, April 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m.
The third selection is Sarah Shattered, a new play by UI Department of Theatre Arts faculty member John Cameron, a factual and fantastical travel through the life of the author's mother, mixing humor and pathos as only he can.
A staged reading of Sarah Shattered will be presented on Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19 at 4:30 p.m.
A special discount ticket package for all three productions is $18 for adults and $15 for youth, students, and seniors.
Tickets for each of Rabbit Hole and Picasso at the Lapin Agile are $12 for adults and $10 for youth, students, and seniors. Any ticket to either show includes admission to the staged reading of Sarah Shattered. If purchased alone, Sarah Shattered tickets are $2 each.
Tickets are available at the Coralville Recreation Center, J. Frahm Music, or by calling 248-1750.
Cast for Picasso at the Lapine Agile:
Freddy - Jaret Morlan
Gaston - Jay Stein
Germaine - Lorin Ditzler
Einstein - Brad Quinn
Suzanne/Countess/Female Admirer - Rachel Howell
Sagot - Michael Stokes
Picasso - Matthew James
Schmendiman - Nick Ostrem
Singer - Eric Burchett
Cast for Rabbit Hole:
Becca - Jana Stedman
Howie - Jeremy Ping
Izzy - Kerry Kieler
Nat - Connie Stannard
Jason - Nick Ostrem
Circle’s Edge Repertory Festival features a hand-picked selection of bold, fresh, and engaging material. Three very different, yet dynamic plays will be presented over three consecutive weekends in April.
Picasso at Lapin Agile, by Steve Martin, is a long running Off-Broadway comedy that places Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a chance encounter at the Lapin Agile, a Parisian bar in 1904.
In his first comedy for the stage, Martin has constructed a play that captures his trademark wit with a clever mix of fact and fiction.
The two main characters are both on the verge of a breakthrough—Einstein is just about ready to submit his first paper on relativity for publication and Picasso will paint Les Demoiselles d'Avignon in 1907. Here they have a lengthy and hilarious debate about the value of genius and talent while interacting with a host of other characters.
Picasso at Lapin Agile is directed by Kehry Lane and will be presented on Friday and Saturday, April 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 5 at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 18 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, April 19 at 2 p.m.
Rabbit Hole, by David Lindsay-Abaire and winner of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, is a story of a family that endures a life-shattering accident that turns their world upside down. The play focuses on Becca and Howie, a couple who attempts to cope with the death of their four-year old child in an auto accident and the ensuing complications impacting the family.
This powerfully moving drama charts their bittersweet search for comfort in the darkest of places and for a path that will lead them back into the light of day. This play is an intensely emotional examination of grief, laced with wit, insightfulness, and compassion.
Rabbit Hole is directed by Joshua Beadle and will be presented Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, April 12 at 2 p.m., and Thursday and Friday, April 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m.
The third selection is Sarah Shattered, a new play by UI Department of Theatre Arts faculty member John Cameron, a factual and fantastical travel through the life of the author's mother, mixing humor and pathos as only he can.
A staged reading of Sarah Shattered will be presented on Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19 at 4:30 p.m.
A special discount ticket package for all three productions is $18 for adults and $15 for youth, students, and seniors.
Tickets for each of Rabbit Hole and Picasso at the Lapin Agile are $12 for adults and $10 for youth, students, and seniors. Any ticket to either show includes admission to the staged reading of Sarah Shattered. If purchased alone, Sarah Shattered tickets are $2 each.
Tickets are available at the Coralville Recreation Center, J. Frahm Music, or by calling 248-1750.
Cast for Picasso at the Lapine Agile:
Freddy - Jaret Morlan
Gaston - Jay Stein
Germaine - Lorin Ditzler
Einstein - Brad Quinn
Suzanne/Countess/Female Admirer - Rachel Howell
Sagot - Michael Stokes
Picasso - Matthew James
Schmendiman - Nick Ostrem
Singer - Eric Burchett
Cast for Rabbit Hole:
Becca - Jana Stedman
Howie - Jeremy Ping
Izzy - Kerry Kieler
Nat - Connie Stannard
Jason - Nick Ostrem
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