Article Launched: 04/02/2008 05:49:20 AM PDT
The final play of Solano College Theatre's 2007-08 season, "A Year With Frog & Toad," invokes the ghost of Fred Rogers, the kindly minister, educator and songwriter who hosted the long-running PBS children's show, "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood," until shortly before his death in 2003.
Well, Edward Hightower's Frog seemed to embrace the spirit of the legendary TV personality. Hightower did not change into sneakers, zipper himself up in a cardigan, feed a fish or sing "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
But, during the course of the nearly two-hour musical at SCT's main campus theater in Fairfield, Hightower's character came close imitating Rogers' compassion for others, especially in his interactions with Toad, played by Brian Herndon.
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3/3/08:
08-09 Season Unveiling!
You are cordially invited to the unveiling of Solano College Theatre's 2008/2009 Season!
Wednesday, March 12th, 2008
6:30-7:30 p.m.
At the Harbor Theatre
720 Main Street, Downtown Suisun City
Join us for champagne and hors d'oeuvres and be the first to hear our exciting lineup of shows! New benefits for subscribers and improved subscription plans will also be announced.
Please RSVP at (707) 864-7199 or Email by Monday, March 10th.
"Intimate Apparel" a Start to Finish Gem
"Karen Aldridge gives a tour de force performance in the role of Ester. Restrained, exuberant, vulnerable, strong – she lived in each moment on the stage.... This transforming and engrossing work is not to be missed. The audience was so into the story that audible gasps could be heard at the revelation of each plot twist... This funny, compelling, challenging and wonderful play is the show of the season."
- Tony Wade, The Daily Republic
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2/22/08:
Solano College Theatre at your local Library!
Bring your family to discover the joy of Arnold Lobel's world of Frog & Toad. In celebration of SCT's upcoming musical A Year With Frog & Toad, our cast will be making appearances at Libraries across Solano County! Audiences will be treated to both a reading of one of the classic Frog & Toad stories as well as a performance of a song from the musical. View/Print the Flyer!
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Tuesday, March 4 – Fairfield Civic Center Library 1150 Kentucky Street, Fairfield Becker-Balmer Room 4-5 p.m. |
Thursday, March 6 – Fairfield Cordelia Library 5050 Business Center Drive, Fairfield Meeting Room 4-5 p.m. |
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Tuesday, March 11 – Vacaville Public Library with WALTER THE GIANT 1 Town Square Place, Vacaville Meeting Room 7-8 p.m. |
Thursday, March 13 – John F. Kennedy Library 505 Santa Clara Street, Vallejo Joseph Room 4-5 p.m. |
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Tuesday, March 18 – Rio Vista Library 44 South 2nd Street, Rio Vista Meeting Room 3-4 p.m. |
Review -- 'A Year with Frog and Toad'
By Scott Robarge | Daily Republic CORRESPONDENT | March 24, 2008 15:46
Fairfield -- Solano College Theater brings its latest production, 'A year with Frog and Toad', to the SCT stage, and there's fun a-plenty to be had on that Lilly pad.
Whether you are a long time fan of Arnold Lobel, a parent with youngish children looking for a pleasurable family evening outing, or are yourself just young-at-heart and looking for a respite from the ordinary, go see it -- you'll be glad you did.
The play, which originally debuted on Broadway in 2003, and is based upon the books of Arnold Lobel, centers on the friendship shared between two perhaps unlikely amphibian amigos -- Frog and Toad. Theirs is a story of the bonds and bounds of friendship, the ups and downs -- calm and gently please, the lessons learned, the shared experiences, and the commonalities that bind us to one another, if only we'll take the time to explore.
The cast leads are Edward Hightower as Frog, the more centered of the two characters, and Brian Herndon as Toad, a bit more excitable and somewhat of a worry-wart -- please pardon the pun -- at heart. Both actors possess fine vocal abilities, which are shown to good advantage throughout the show.
Others in the cast, including Steven Mox and Laura Pedersen-Schulz (Man Bird and Lady Bird/Mother Frog respectively), Taylor Jones (Lady Bird and Turtle), John Rivard (Snail and Father Frog), and Sofia Tovar (Young Frog) were in excellent voice on opening night as well. The rest of the cast is rounded out with an assortment of Squirrels, Moles, Ziegfeld Girls (!), Seedlings, a Mouse and a Lizard, all of who contributed exceptionally well to the overall production and storyline.
The dialog -- befitting the gentle nature of the source material -- emphasizes the friend's fond and good-hearted respect for and concern of one another. Each friend's treatment of the other, as well as their interaction with the others in their environment, embodies a good deal of acceptance and tolerance for others; lessons we all do well to be reminded of periodically.
There is also a subtlety of contrasts; the visual brightness juxtaposed against the emotionally pastel, the measured assurance of Frog as compared to the at times frenetic misgivings to which Toad tends, and contained within all, an over-riding decency that colors their interactions, a politeness that is perhaps summed up well and contained within Frog's observation of Toad that, 'He's not so good at sports, and of course he's got those warts, but Toad has been a lovely friend to me.'
And lyrically speaking, the lyrical content, courtesy of Willie Reale, is noteworthy not only for the clever twists and turns of phrase, but also for the use of wholesome double entendre. Mild and never off-color, and some of which perhaps sailed right over the heads of younger spectators, it drew many appreciative guffaws from the older audience members as the tale unfolded.
This is not to insinuate that the younger set will be unengaged, or somehow feel left out -- I witnessed several younger attendees laughing gleefully and clapping along, eyes alight as they turned and pointed out their favorite moments to their respective codgers in the audience.
Director Holli Hornlien kept things moving right along. The pacing was even, the set changes were rapidly accomplished and relatively frequent -- yet not distracting, and the overall tenor of her cast seemed well suited to the themes of the material -- steady, at-ease and comfortable.
Other notables included Tom Segal's choreography, Stephen Wathen's well designed, functional, and finely detailed sets, Hannah Phillips-Ryan inventive and colorful costuming, and Jackie S. Hill's lighting, which was understated, yet effective.
Perhaps opening night's magic was in the air -- the audience seemed particularly raucous and more than willing to enjoy the combination of sweet and dry humor. But please, go sample for yourself this droll and gentle romp for all ages, and perhaps you too will stroll out into the evening air humming, 'Getta loada toad, getta loada toad, getta loada toooaad!'
Scott Robarge lives in Fairfield. He can be reached at nestcepas@sbcglobal.net
2/19/08:
Reaching for love: SCT's 'Intimate Apparel,' is about a woman's fortitude
By Richard Bammer/Features Writer
Article Launched: 02/15/2008 06:04:28 AM PST
In "Intimate Apparel," playwright Lynn Nottage casts a wide-open, honest eye on race, class, gender equality and religion. She tells the story of Esther Mills, a 35-year-old black American woman and spinster who discovers that her longing for love leaves her painfully vulnerable to enter into a relationship with the wrong man.
"I see Esther as kind of a tragic heroine, because of her lack of self-esteem and the fact that she's living in a bigoted and oppressive society," said Robin Stanton, who directs a new version for Solano College Theatre that will open Thursday at Harbor Theatre in Suisun City. "In the end, she loses everything except what she's always had - the strength and the will to go on despite all the odds and the oppressors around her. Her husband is abusive and society is prejudiced."
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Corsets and conversation -- 'Intimate Apparel' a 'people play'
By Amy Maginnis-Honey | DAILY REPUBLIC
SUISUN CITY - The story of a 35-year-old unmarried African-American woman who makes a living sewing women's undergarments is the focus of 'Intimate Apparel,' which opens next week.
The woman, Esther, has customers from all walks of life. And, for some reason, helping them adjust their new corset breaks down the traditional barriers of propriety and she becomes privy to all sorts of private information.
'Intimate Apparel' was penned by Lynn Nottage. The SCT production is directed by Robin Stanton.
Cast members are from around the Bay Area, including Vallejo's Millee Holliday as Mrs. Dickson and Justin DuPuis as Mr. Marks; Fairfield's Mayme Morgan Frazer as Mrs. Van Buren and Vacaville's Stewart Evan Smith as George Armstrong.
Rounding out the cast are Karen Aldridge, of Richmond, as Esther and Leontyne Mbele-Mbong, from Alameda, as Mayme.
Nottage brings together a cast ranging from Mrs. Van Buren, a wealthy white woman in an unhappy marriage, to Mayme, an African-American prostitute.
While Esther visits both worlds, she seems most comfortable in that of Mr. Marks, a Romanian Jew, from whom she buys her fabric.
This is just the background. The main plot is Esther's attempt to find love. While Nottage's story addresses the difficulties faced by unmarried black women in the work force circa 1905, it also looks at the gender roles at the time.
'Granted, the main character is a woman,' said Smith. 'And the cast is four women as opposed to two men. But the show transcends gender. It transcends race. It transcends class. It's really a people play.'
While Smith bashfully said, 'being in a play with a bunch of women in underwear is nice, I guess,' he added: 'It's really more of a secondary thing with me.'
He has spent most of his time focusing on his character George Armstrong. 'He's a guy who wants to dream big. He's ambitious. He's just trying to establish himself.
'But he gets caught up in this vicious class and race struggle going on at the turn of the 20th century. That hardens and embitters him. At his core, he's a pretty decent guy. He gets frustrated when things don't go his way,' Smith said.
This is his fourth show with SCT. Smith was in the ensemble for 'Seussical the Musical' and 'Beauty and the Beast.' He was also in 'Raisin in the Sun.'
He's a graduate of the Actor Training Program. While doing 'Comedy of Errors' someone approached him with the script and suggested he try out for the show.
'I like it because it's subtle, but not in the sense you can't tell what goes on,' Smith said of 'Intimate Apparel.' 'There are a lot of undertones. There are a lot of things said and a lot of things that are not said.'
The 2003 Will C Wood High School graduate began his acting career as a junior when he played the Mad Hatter in the school's production of 'Alice in Wonderland.'
This is Holliday's first SCT show. She likes her character, who is Esther's landlord for many reasons. 'She has an elegance about her,' Holliday said. 'She's not what you would consider a traditional woman of color for that era. She is a woman of substance.'
Holliday wanted the role. 'The characters are strong and true to life,' she said.
Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 or amaginnis@dailyrepublic.net.
2/4/08:
“Curvy Conversations” at Solano College Theatre Free one-night only engagement featuring Bobby Goldman, author of Curvy Widow
Get the inside scoop about Curvy Widow, the hit new stage comedy, starring four-time Golden Globe winning actress Cybill Shepherd. Curvy Widow playwright Bobby Goldman will talk about her play, working with Ms. Shepherd, the foibles of dating in the internet age, and other topics onstage at Suisun City’s Harbor Theatre on Monday, February 11th at 7:30 p.m.
Ms. Goldman’s autobiographical one-woman show stars Ms. Shepherd as a strong-willed, successful woman who finds herself widowed and lonely. In this digital age, she assumes that new love will be just a point-and-click away. Her character’s encounters with mid-life dating range from pathetic and ridiculous to delightful and fulfilling, raising questions on the nature of love, gender bias, sexuality, and self-fulfillment which will resonate with people everywhere.
Although Curvy Widow is her first play, Ms. Goldman is no newcomer to showbiz. Her husband James Goldman wrote The Lion in Winter and the book for Stephen Sondheim’s Follies. Following his death, Ms. Goldman’s attempts to re-enter the dating scene provided much of the material for Curvy Widow.
Curvy Widow plays through March 9th at the Post Street Theatre, 450 Post Street, in San Francisco.
Please join us for this free event. Playwright Bobby Goldman will appear in conversation with actress Julia Motyka and Solano College Theatre Artistic Director George Maguire at the Harbor Theatre, 720 Main Street, in Downtown Suisun City on Monday, February 11, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
For more information, call the Solano College Theatre Box Office at (707) 864-7100,
11/20/08:
Shadow Box; an exercise in living to die
By Kevin Ryan | Daily Republic CORRESPONDENT | November 19, 2007 13:45
Suisun City - The reality that none of us will get out of this alive is rarely dealt with dead on, unless you are the one doing it.
We approach our demise with gallows humor or indirectly as the notion of our death is by nature rather inconceivable. Our communal confession is expressed in the profound and pithy comment of Woody Allen, 'I really don't mind dying, I just want to be there when it happens.'
The Shadow Box is an uncommonly performed 1970s Tony and Pulitzer-winning play spawned in the torrent of interest released by the watershed 1969 research of psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler Ross.
She proposed five stages of grief we process after learning of impending death. The impact of her research was underscored by the near simultaneous emergence from Britain of the concept of Hospice under the tutelage of Dame Cicely Saunders.
Although death is timeless, 'The Shadow Box' is largely a period piece. During the 30 years since its release, wonderful work in the field of medical eschatology (end of life issues), AIDS, theatrical works such as 'Angels in America' and numerous performance artists dramatically raised our awareness.
We now know that the five stages of grief are not rules, checkpoints or sequential, but are tools we recognize to help us cope.
'The Shadow Box,' as the first major work to address Dr. Ross' concepts, focuses on the lives and families of three people with terminal diagnoses living in a hospice setting who struggle to come to a conclusion about their existence. It is an exercise in living to die.
The script is rich in pithy quips and weighty quagmires of tumultuous thoughts. Director George Maguire cleverly presents it in a dioramic fishbowl utilizing alternating dramatic vignettes on a superb single set by Kate Boyd.
Family units struggle in their individual hospice cottages which are perfectly lit in dappled thought-shadows designed by Michael Palumbo. The set declares that death is not a subject to be kept hidden like an embarrassing relative.
Although the music is at times either too loud or simply too dour and melodically unforgiving and not helpful, the script aptly orchestrates the characters through painful experiences where the grist of the melody of life lies.
The scaffolding upon which Maguire has each of these characters splay out the tails of the waning comets of their lives is clever and utilizes not so apparent interviewers. Soon, the audience is in the fishbowl as well.
Joe, played by Michael Lie Murphy, is a blue collar 'New Joisey' guy well-adjusted to his fate. His wife, Maggie, played by Glenda G. Zahhradka, so fears losing him that she won't enter his cottage; to her it is his coffin.
Brian, played by John Greer, is a bisexual academic intent on talking himself to death using his words as swords to parry and fend away his terror as his lover, Mark, played by Stephen Baumann, cares for him.
The flamboyant, clichŽd ex wife, Beverly, played at times quite on target by Morgan Frazer, unexpectedly visits and her trashiness both illuminates and inflames all.
Showing her professional Actors Equity chops, Solano's Actors Training Program Conservatory Director Carla Spindt is Felicity, whose comportment is a superb living antonym to her name.
This elderly, cantankerous, conveniently episodically senile goat stays off her considerable pain and death, much to the burden of her long suffering less favored daughter Agnes, played by Gabrielle Santos, by being buoyed by the delusion that the long-dead favored daughter, Claire, shall soon return.
The play has dramatic contrivances and is dated. In addition, actors who have not had cancer, been threatened with the realistic notion of their own demise or are simply young will understandably struggle with the at times overwrought script which occasionally assumes the pedagogical role of an illustrated self help guide to dying.
Nonetheless, 'The Shadow Box' and its ensemble under the obviously careful direction of insightful Maguire, solidly sends home some very worthwhile messages.
Although ideally one wishes the dramatic presentation to partner equally with the script, the weightiness of the material and the strong script suffice to clearly illustrate how man wrestles with the visceral reality of a universally shared outcome. Understanding our mortality is crucial when we are dying to live.
I admire Maguire for bringing this challenging play to our community. That is one of the hallmarks of strong artistic directors. They develop their conservatory while conserving an important vehicle for their audience's consciousness to wrap around a notion they can never escape our own demise.
Kevin Ryan is a retired colonel, physician, musician and author who lives in Fairfield. Reach him at ryan_k@comcast.net.
11/9:
Out of the shadows -- SCT's production of 'The Shadow Box' mixes love with tragedy
By Tony Wade | Daily Republic CORRESPONDENT | November 08, 2007 12:50
FAIRFIELD - Solano College Theatre will debut its production of the Tony and Pulitzer-winning play 'The Shadow Box' at the Harbor Theatre in Suisun City on Nov. 15.
The life-affirming piece was written by actor/playwright Michael Christofer and first performed in 1977. It weaves together the tale of three separate hospice patients who are asked questions about the process of dying by an unseen interviewer.
While the topic is undeniably a heavy one, theater goers need not feel the play will put a damper on their evenings. Director George Maguire insists it is quite the opposite.
'It's like Romeo and Juliet the first half of which is a romantic comedy. It's only after Mercutio is killed that it becomes a tragedy,' Maguire said. ' 'The Shadow Box' is filled with humor. For instance there's a scene where one of the patients, Joe (Michael Lie Murphy), is visited by his wife, Maggie (Glenda Zahradka), who brings him a ham because when people die you bring them a casserole. Now she hasn't seen him in six months and has no idea if he can even eat the ham and there's a wonderfully funny argument about it. It's sort of Archie and Edith Bunker-like.'
Contemporary audiences probably equate the disease with AIDS, especially since one of the characters is bisexual. However, the AIDS epidemic did not really come into popular consciousness until four years after the play's debut.
The disease is never mentioned by name but is strongly hinted at being cancer. However, focusing on what the specific terminal malady is misses the point of the play the triumph of the human spirit when faced with impending death.
'The Shadow Box' has similarities to another Pulitzer-winning play about dealing with terminal illnesses (which Maguire also directed), Margaret Edson's 'Wit.'
'That play had the unintended result of actually saving lives. By the time you find out you have ovarian cancer, it's too late. So after seeing the play, women got checked,' Maguire said. ' 'The Shadow Box' can do likewise. Nowadays people exercise and lift weights and may get a pain and think they pulled something. By the time they discover they didn't pull something, it's too late. If you have a pain, get it checked. This play can be enlightening in that way.'
Maguire summed up a theme of the play quite nicely: 'The hope is to spend every day blessing the fact that you can wake up and hopefully have a good time doing it. If not, why else do it?'
Reach Tony Wade at getthelowdown@sbcglobal.net
Shakespearean humor -- The Comedy of Errors tells tale of twins separated at birth
By Amy Maginnis-Honey
SUISUN CITY - Julian Lopez-Morillas has spent almost half of his life directing the works of William Shakespeare.
Hell bring all that experience and more as he directs the Solano College Theatre production of 'The Comedy of Errors,' which has often been referred to as Shakespeares funniest work.
'In a sense I come at it from the other end,' Lopez-Morillas said. 'Farces are built on fear. Usually there is a strong situation at the center that drives people to extreme behavior. Its a fear of exposure, in this case. Theres something serious at the bottom of every comedy that motivates characters. The laughs are better if theres a basic truth to the situation and the what the characters are going through.'
The show, set in the eastern Mediterranean in 1910, centers on two sets of identical twins separated at birth, who unknowingly end up in the same city, leading to a day of confusion that reunites them.
'The Comedy of Errors' is one Shakespeares most popular plays and has been adapted to every age. Shakespeare borrowed the plot from Roman playwright Plautus while Plautus borrowed ideas for his play from Greek predecessors.
Much later, Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart turned 'The Comedy of Errors' into the hit Broadway musical 'The Boys from Syracuse.'
When it comes to directing Shakespeare, Lopez-Morillas said language and character are the main challenges. 'You have got to respect Shakespeares language,' he said. 'Its the dynamics that powers the action.'
With a cast of students at varying levels, some having done Shakespeare before, others not, Lopez-Morillas said his role can often blend into that of language coach as well as director.
'I have pretty well articulated ideas about the characters,' he said. 'And Ive been able to give my actors a good head start on interpreting characters.'
For Shakespeare works to carry over well on stage, one needs to be true the play, Lopez-Morillas said. 'Where people go wrong is striving to do something new. They stray away from what makes the play work. The important thing is to understand the play and what makes it work.'
Recent Arty theater award winner Rachel Quinonez is playing Olga the merchant. Her character is a pirate. She said mastering the accent has been the biggest task. ' 'Its been challenging and fun working with a Russian dialect,' she said.
She played Lord Montague in 'Romeo and Juliet' at Armijo High School. 'Shakespeare is always a learning experience,' Quinonez said. 'What I have found helpful is to put his words into modern words to help me understand. Shakespeare gives an actor all they need to know in the text. The challenge is sitting down and finding it.'
Does winning an Arty make her feel any more comfortable on stage?
'Comfort, for me, is different for each performance and each audience can give me a different level of comfort from the energy they give off,' she said.
Reach Amy Maginnis-Honey at 427-6957 or amaginnis@dailyrepublic.net.