January Theatre Performances

This month I have seen a few plays, and I thought I would give you a little info on each of them.

Everything Is Illuminated

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I read this book years ago, and while I don't remember much of it, I do know I enjoyed it. There is a movie based on this book featuring Elijah Wood, but I honestly can't remember if I've seen it (clearly my memory is fading...).

The play version at the DC JCC's "Theater J" was very good, even if I could only vaguely remember the story. The show only has five cast members, and I was very impressed how they portrayed multiple characters. And while the story itself is a sad one (a Jewish man is looking for his roots in the Ukraine, only to find the village from which his ancestors are from no longer exists), the comic relief is hilariously on-point.

I loved the set of this production. Simple backdrops always impress me more than big, over-the-top sets; it's sort of neat to see what they can make out of very little. Here is a picture from the set of this play:

I loved the books and boxes in the background. Image found here.

I really liked this play, and I highly recommend it. Now I want to re-read the book. I've never done that before, but seeing as I don't remember it...It'll be like reading it for the first time!

The Skin of Our Teeth

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I bought tickets to The Skin of Our Teeth when the Constellation Theatre was having a sale; I actually bought tickets for two shows, but I completely missed the first one! So I made sure to make it to this performance.

I had never heard of this play, and I think I have come to the conclusion that if I've never heard of a play before (i.e. it's not Shakespeare or based on a well-known book or story), I probably won't enjoy it. This story was very random, and it didn't have much of a plot.You follow a family of four during what seems like just two or three separate days, and they don't actually do much. The father supposedly invented the alphabet as well as numbers, the wife is a good mother and the daughter the perfect child (although rebellious at times), and the son is actually Cain from the Bible. They also have a pet dinosaur and woolly mammoth, but those are lost during a terrible cold ice storm in August (yes, in August). In the second act the the father is voted president and gives a speech in Atlantic City, where he falls for a pageant girl before the flood (as in the Noah's ark flood). The family gets split up at some point, but then they come together after "the war;" the mother and daughter were cooped up in the basement while the father went to war, and we find out the enemy was Cain himself. And then some of the cast members went missing so crew members had to play parts like galaxies representing ancient philosophers...There was more but I fell asleep because I was done (even if the play wasn't).

The woolly mammoth costume was quite creative. Image found here

The play was difficult to follow and didn't make a lot of sense on the surface. But my friend and I came to the conclusion that the family represents all of humanity, and that we all face the same issues throughout the centuries: rebellious children, violence among men, natural disasters, lust, etc. And even with new technology and "progress," we still have to deal with these things. They are and will forever be a part of our lives. So in a way the full message means something and is interesting to think about. I just wish the play had been more entertaining (and shorter) to get to the point.

But I did enjoy the set of this performance, just like the first play. Here's the set for the first act:

This is the family room. Bird sounds played in the background so you felt like you were in a cabin. It was cute and homey! Photo credit: Laura Wolz

I thought this stained glass was beautiful! This entire window/bookshelf hid up into the ceiling like a Murphy bed later on! Photo credit: Laura Wolz

Here's the set for the second act:

This represents the boardwalk in Atlantic City (you can just see the beach chairs in the corner). The sets were quite different! Photo credit: Laura Wolz

Along with the sets, my favorite part of this show was that one of the characters would "break the fourth wall" (i.e. she talked to the audience). Tonya Beckman played Sabine, who was both the maid/nanny to the family (and maybe the husband's first wife?) as well as the pageant queen in the second act (but still Sabine. Yeah...). She talked to the audience about not liking the play, wishing it were over, refusing to say certain lines...It was very funny, but since there already wasn't much a plot to begin with, her outbursts only added to my confusion.

I had contemplated buying tickets to see other shows performed by the Constellation Theatre Company, but after this one, I think I'm going to have to pass.

Jefferson's Garden

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I had never been to Ford's Theatre before, so I was excited to check it out. The venue itself is really neat! There's a fun gift shop that sells all-things Abe Lincoln (and fluffy eagle stuffed animals), and the theater space itself is simple but pretty (and there's no such thing as a bad seat).

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This play is a condescended version of America's history during the revolution and the few years afterward. We first meet a family emigrating from Europe, and we follow them and their son throughout the story. Although they are Quakers, the son joins the revolution for freedom and liberty. He idolizes Thomas Jefferson, and soon is mentored by the future president. Another character who comes in and out of the story is a slave named Susannah. Our protagonist meets her in a tavern in Virginia, later saves her life when he finds her fighting for the Red Coats, becomes her lover in Philadelphia, and meets her at the end when she has had their child but he's married to someone else. This love story is woven throughout the entire play, but the real focus is moving quickly through history to see colonists turning into soldiers and colonies becoming a nation.

I thought this play was done very well. The actors would occasionally speak directly to the audience, and in the beginning explained that we should be race/gender/age blind when watching the show (since many actors played multiple characters). They also emphasized that this story is historical fiction: some of it really happened, but some of it didn't (for example, the main characters of the love story probably didn't exist in real life). The acting itself was very good, especially that of Felicia Curry, who played Susannah.

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And as usual, I was impressed by the set. This one was quite minimal. In the first act, the only items used for the set were a lot of boxes (which were used as tables, storage, and even pushed together to create a ship), chairs, and the simple backdrop (that would show images like a picket fence to represent a farm or images of important documents like the Declaration of Independence). I actually was a little confused because I didn't get the connection to Jefferson's garden. But in the second act we move to Monticello, which is easily identifiable by the large windows and doors. We get to see more of Southern belles played by Kimberly Gilbert and Kathryn Tkel (whom I recognized from a Pride & Prejudice spin-off play that I saw in 2016), and their thick accents were very funny and appropriate for Jefferson's home and talk of the future UVA. These windows and doors also represented buildings in France when Jefferson was there. I thought the minimal sets were really great at transforming for the story's needs.

Out of these three plays, I think I would recommend this last one the most. I was engaged the whole time, and I could understand what was happening since I already knew a bit of the history. Plus, it was a great mix of action, romance, comedy, and education. And to top that night off, my friend and I got to enjoy free glasses of wine at the theatre's young professionals night. It's so good to see more young people supporting the arts!