‘Experimental’ was the word around town this month with four fascinating approaches to theatrical storytelling. New Jewish Theatre’s season ender Yentl, with a terrific Shanara Gabrielle in the title role, combined an old Yiddish short story with a new contemporary score composed by Jill Sobule. Under the direction of Edward Coffield, the able chorus played numerous roles and told an ‘ancient’ tale of a girl, her education and friendships. There were standout performances from Gabrielle and Andrew Michael Neiman, and Amy Loui’s pigtailed teen was a delight. Some songs didn’t further the storytelling as well as others did, and some were pure fun, such as Yentl’s wife, Hadass’ lament, “Oh Shit.” Taylor Steward played Hadass with great charm.
Upstream Theater stepped closer to home for once, presenting Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie during the recent festival honoring the local playwright. J. Samuel Davis as Tom and Linda Kennedy as Amanda had an energy in their exchanges that created a very different play from previous versions I’ve seen. Certainly the scenes between the two are brilliant, and the mother-son relationship was strong. Sydney Frasure as the delicate, introverted Laura was at her best in the scene with the gentleman caller, a charismatic Jason Contini. Color-blind casting is only vaguely experimental, but hearing Williams’ tales of the old South spoken by an actor of color does provide an extra layer to contemplate.
What could be more experimental than making a musical about experiments? New Line’s splendid offering of Atomic is a musical about the morality musings of the scientists who worked together on the Manhattan Project. Atomic combined a great cast with gorgeous voices and a wonderfully crafted script and score by Danny Ginges and Philip Foxman, all led by the simmering volcano of passion that is Zachary Allen Farmer. His buttoned-up Leo Szilard was riveting. Kudos to the seven-piece band as well; it sounded great, and the addition of the cello added a warm grounding that made it sound even bigger. This is a musical where the songs really do further the action and run the gamut from a delightful three-piece female harmony, “Holes in the Doughnuts,” to the testosterone-laden “Stars and Stripes” sung by Farmer and Jeffrey M. Wright. And major kudos to Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, who have created a delightful space for a small professional company with Marcelle Theater.
Broken Bone Bathtub, a creation by Brooklyn actor Siobhan O’Loughlin, was presented by That Uppity Theatre Company and The Drama Club Stl in the Lavender Lady bathroom at The Lemp Mansion. It was another terrific example of theatrical experimentation. Eleven of us sat around the tub while O’Loughlin told us the story of her broken hand. What emerged from the interactive experience was a vunerable telling of many stories, both from the actor and the audience. Because she is so vulnerable, it allowed the audience to expose their own stories of human connection. Go prepared to say “yes.”
In closing, the local theater community lost one of its own when actor Barry Weller (B. Weller) died unexpectedly, a few days after his 50th birthday. Rest in peace, dear friend. You were a man of many faces, but always one of a kind.
Pictured: Shanara Gabrielle and Andrew Michael Neiman in Yentl
Photo: Eric Woolsey