What Are You Doing This Weekend?

There's a wide variety of theatre in the Corridor this weekend, from old classics to brand-new works, with a little holiday (or rather, anti-holiday) flavor thrown in as well.

Here's the rundown:

@Riverside
Guys on Ice continues its run at Riverside. It's an ice-fishing musical about two pals trying to land a cable fishing show. The show starts at 7:30 (2 on Sunday); tickets Here.

@The Ox Yoke Inn
Murder Rides again is Old Creamery's whodunnit with food, held at the Ox Yoke Inn. The show begins at 6; call the Ox Yoke at 1.800.233.3441 for tickets.

@TCR
Theatre Cedar Rapids continues with the hilarious Oscar Wilde play The Importance of Being Earnest on the mainstage, while down in the basement, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde tells a darker tale of Oscar Wilde's persecution by a court that was highly suspicious of his work and his lifestyle. Earnest is on the mainstage Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 (Sunday at 2:30); Gross Indecency is in the Grandon at 7:30 Friday & Saturday. Tickets here.

@PS1
3 Brothers' Men Misbehaving is a series of bad-boy monologues that is stomping up the Corridor from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City this weekend. They'll be at Public Space One (129 E. Washington St) at 7:30 (2 on Sunday); call 319.621.0024 for tickets.

Also in Public Space on this weekend is Mud, a University of Iowa Theatre Honors Project. The play is written by Maria Irene Fornes and directed by Maria Vorhis. From the Facebook page:

"Mae is learning to read. When not at school, she irons all day and takes care of Lloyd. Mae meets Henry, and desiring his brilliant mind, invites him to live with them. Tensions in the house grow and Mae must choose between the world she inhabits and the world she craves."

The cost is free, and the time is 8 starting Thursday (tonight), and Friday. For Saturday and Sunday, the show will move to the University of Iowa Theatre Building, room 172.

@UI
While you're in the Theatre Building to see Mud, why not pop into the Next Room? Yes, the University is doing Sarah Ruhl's hit adult comedy In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play. It's an examination of the history of the vibrator, which was originally invented by Victorian doctors to cure "hysteria" in women. Ruhl's play is a bold and funny look at the sexual politics of the Victorian Age and the fear of feminine sexuality. It's at 8pm Friday and Saturday (no Sunday) in E. C. Mabie Theatre. Tickets through Hancher.

@Gilbert St. Piano Lounge
The sexy and funny In the Next Room must be the perfect show for Valentine's Day. But what if you can't stand Valentine's Day? Well, the perfect show for you might be Fourth Room's Anti-Valentine's Day Cabaret, F*CK LOVE!!! From Fourth Room's press release:

"Fourth Room Theatre presents an evening of piano and song dedicated to the misery, insanity, heartbreak, betrayal, boredom, loss, grief, unrequited passion, obsession, creepiness and sadism that comprise the dark side of Hallmark's favorite holiday.

F*ck Love features songs by C.Lo Green, George Michael, Stephen Sondheim, Adele, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Burt Bacharach, Weird All Yankovic, Leonard Cohen, Chess the Musical and many others."

The show begins at 8pm. Cost is a $5 donation at the door, which goes to help fund Fourth Room's next season.

@The UU
Dreamwell continues its "Here I Stand" season with Sans Merci by Joanna Adams. It's the story of a staunchly conservative woman's encounter with her daughter's lesbian lover. The girl has recently died tragically, and as the details unfold, the two very different survivors must find some common ground. Plays Friday & Saturday at 7:30 at the Unitarian Universalist Society. Tickets here.

@Coe College
Last but not least, the Acting Company is bringing a production of Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors to Coe College. The production, directed by Ian Belknap, is a ridiculous romp playing off confusion and mistaken identity, centered around two pairs of long-lost twins. Plays Sunday at 3pm; call Coe's box office at 319.399.8600 for tickets.

So what are you waiting for? Plenty of options this weekend, so you've got no excuse. Grab your date, your twin, your imaginary brother, or your anti-Valentine's-Day anger, and get out to the theatre!

Earnest Is Seriously Funny

by James E. Trainor III

TCR - Jack and Algernon are two friends who are quickly learning that they have more in common than they suspected. Jack has slipped up and allowed Algernon to discover his imaginary brother Earnest, whom he uses as an excuse to go to the city whenever he likes. Algernon has decided to reveal to Jack the secret of his fictional friend Bunbury, whom he uses as a pretext to visit the country on a moment's notice. Thess little secrets would probably remain between the two men if matters of the heart weren't complicating things: Jack is attempting to court Algernon's cousin Gwendolen in the city, and Algernon visits the country in order to woo Jack's ward Cecily.

It is with this cleverly convoluted setup that Oscar Wilde begins his most successful play — a witty, biting portrayal of late Victorian society entitled The Importance of Being Earnest. TCR's production opened last night, under the direction of Leslie Charipar.

The text is full of the clever one-liners for which Wilde is known, but at the same it is paced quite well and plotted precisely. In order to manage their marriages, Jack and Algernon must not only clear up the issue of their false identities, but they must also contend with Lady Bracknell, the draconian guardian of Victorian mores. Bracknell is a wonderful creation: sharp-tongued, cynical, and maddeningly rational in defense of her irrational ideals. As a piece of satire, she hits the nail on the head and is instantly familiar. "She is a monster, without being a myth, which is rather unfair,' says Jack.

Bracknell's rigid social rules are ridiculous: invalids must hurry up and decide whether or not they're going to die, an orphan can be excused losing one parent but certainly not two, and marriage is far too important an institution to be left up to the two young people involved in it.

The principals inhabit this world of hypocrisy and cynicism as well. Jack and Algernon are excessively genial until they start courting each others' family members, and Cecily and Gwendelon express boundless affection for each other, while they sublimate their rage into a bitter dispute over the tea setting. It is all done in a style of high farce that is great fun.

Charipar understands the vicious social environment of the play quite well, and her casting and staging underline the power struggles and create tension, energy, and a lot of laughter. Scott Olinger's set is open, airy, and picturesque. It's very effective, though the change from city to country does seem to go on a bit. Joni Sackett's costumes and Derek Easton's lighting create a pleasant, sophisticated environment for these entertaining but ultimately petty characters. Care is taken to create a physical world for the actors to bring to life. One image near the end stands out as an example of this unity of elements: Jack, who is preparing to out Algernon, turns from the window, trots smugly down the stairs, dapper in his white coat and tails, and reveals the worst of Algernon's ghastly behavior: he ate all the muffins.

It is satire at its best -- sharply critical and gleefully unapologetic -- and the company delivers it well. Aaron Murphy plays Algernon with wit and ease; he seems perfectly at home in the altogether silly world he inhabits. Alex Williams plays Jack with desperate energy, driving home the scenework with powerful but precise strokes. The two work well together, and the scenes in which they spar are as delightful as the scenes in which they frantically work together.

Hannah Spina is simply adorable as Cecily. Her character is ludicrously childish and vain, filled to the brim with youthful vigor. The way she interacts with Miss Prism is priceless. The way she runs Algie in circles and cautiously sizes up Gwendolen shows a range of skill. She is able to turn on a dime, and never afraid to commit herself fully to a bit. Comic acting of this caliber is always a joy to watch.

Angela Meisterling Billman, as Gwendolen, is the reserved, sophisticated counter to Spina's bubbly country girl. Her vocal energy is excellent, and she plays scenes with a subtlety and an intensity that fit right into the mix. With Williams she is charming, and the barely contained sexual tension is hilarious. With Spina she is sharp and sarcastic, and the supposedly civil conversation between the two ladies is quite entertaining.

Cherryl Moon Thomason plays the immortal Lady Bracknell, and she does so with grace and precision. Thomason knows exactly how to effectively portray power onstage, and she adds a great deal of tension and energy to every scene she inhabits.

The rest of the company consists of Marty Norton (who plays Miss Prism, the flighty and overbearing tutor to Cecily), Jim Kern (who plays Reverend Chasuble, the learned but lecherous country preacher), and Scott Humeston (who plays all the servants). These performances are delivered with the skill and care you'd expect from TCR veterans, but Humeston's Merriman was a little perplexing.

The old servant plods on and off stage in an exaggerated manner and speaks in a barely intelligible way. Apparently he's had a stroke; exactly what is going on is unclear, but what does happen is that every time he comes on or off, the "pause" button is pressed on the plot. A bit of physical comedy as a palate-cleanser to a couple of hours of verbal sparring is completely understandable, but the timing here seems oddly inexpert. Humeston's slow, staggering (and staggeringly slow) entrance interrupts the rising tension of the fast-paced dispute between Cecily and Gwendolen, steals focus from the principals, and drains quite a bit of energy from a really engaging scene. Lady Bracknell's game-changing entrance later is similarly upstaged. The performance is quite good, but the absurd physicality of the choice seems disruptive. Humeston's reserved butler Lane and his rustic gardener Moulton are a bit subtler, and are quite funny.

Overall, though, if you're a fan of Wilde, you cannot miss this play. It's an excellent example of skilled artists faithfully producing a timeless script. If you've never heard of this Oscar Wilde fellow, this is a great opportunity to see what all the fuss is about. I cannot overstress the importance of seeing Earnest.

The Importance of Being Earnest runs through February 18th on the mainstage at TCR. Performances are at 7:30pm (2:30pm on Sundays). Tickets here.

What Are You Doing This Weekend?

January's not quite over, and already we're waking up in pitch darkness, scraping ice off our windshields, and wondering if those New Year's resolutions are really going to stick. There's nothing quite like post-holiday blues, but luckily there's a great way to shake them...

... get out to the theatre!


Riverside Theatre is already breaking the ice with another side-splitting production of their popular comedy Guys on Ice: An Ice Fishing Musical Comedy. It's set in an ice-fishing shanty in Wisconsin, and is full of warm humor for the cold season. John Watkins, who plays Lloyd, calls it "a terrifically written show with fabulous music, a big heart, sidesplitting humor grounded in Ernie, Marvin and Lloyd's candid simplicity, and a halftime show where you can win prizes."


Or, if you're more comfortable sitting in a stately British Manor than being exposed to the elements, TCR's The Importance of Being Earnest might be more your speed. Just make sure your calling card has the right name printed on it; you wouldn't want to cause undue confusion.

Or, if student theatre is your cup of tea, the University of Iowa is presenting a brand-new play by Louisa Hill. It's called The Lord of the Underworld's Home for Unwed Mothers, and it's described as "a reimagining of the Demeter and Persephone myth set in the 1960s and 1990s that explores the politics of motherhood through a landscape of Catholicism, horticulture, and death metal."

And finally - included just for completeness as the tickets are already sold out - SPT has one more weekend of its hit music-and-comedy show at Brucemore, A Modern Salon. If you already have tickets, you're one of the lucky ones; congratulations, SPT and special guest Jeff Ircink, on a successful run!

Guys on Ice opened January 20th and runs until February 19th. Get tickets here.

The Importance of Being Earnest opens January 27th and runs until February 18th. Get tickets here.

The Lord of the Underworld's Home for Unwed Mothers opens January 27th and runs through January 29th at the UI Theatre Building (Theatre B). More information here.