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Hawaii
DURING my quick, week-long trip to London, I managed to take in 10 plays, and while this isn't a Top 10 list from best to worst, there's a London stage
highs, lowsmethod in the manner of selection. Of the 10 I attended, just one was a musical, "Chicago." I was happy to note that the national road company of the musical which played Honolulu recently compared quite favorably to the London production. Some of the characters who played Honolulu were better than their London counterparts, though Annette McLaughlin was superb there as Velma Kelly ... The other big-cast show I attended was "The Graduate," which I saw on my last night in town. Amanda Donahoe had taken over the key role of Mrs. Robinson, looking for all the world like a young Lauren Bacall. It was an excellent production, complete with Simon & Garfunkle music, and Lolly Susi, who's spent time in Hawaii and directed "Blood Brothers" at Manoa Valley Theatre, was terrific in a key role. There was even a photo of her in the program ... I took in a French farce masquerading as a British sex comedy on opening night with critic Sheridan Morley, who lacerated the show in the International Herald Tribune. "Under the Doctor" won't likely be long with us ...
Keep it short and small
IT was quite apparent that the new plays coming out in London are short -- typically 90 minutes long -- and with small casts. All seven of the remaining plays I saw featured two, three or four actors ... The first show I saw was a matinee featuring three Americans calling themselves "The Reduced Shakespeare Company" and the work, "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" was a riot. MVT will be doing the same group's "Complete History of America (abridged)" this season ...THERE was a cast of four in the wonderful revival of the late Joe Orton's play, "Entertaining Mr. Sloan," at the historic Arts Theater. I say "historic" because that is where Peter Hall directed the first ever production of Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot," and the premiere of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" was staged. I was in the Hawaii premiere productions of both of those plays at UH more than 40 years ago ...
Small casts, big cheers
TWO years ago in London I was mesmerized by Conor McPherson's "The Weir," set in an Irish saloon, and enjoyed "Art," a three-man play about an all-white painting by Yasmina Rezas, both of which made the Atlantic crossing to Broadway. Now both authors are back, the Irish McPherson with "Port Authority," a series of monologues by a young man, a middle-aged fellow and a senior citizen -- a kind of "Three Ages of Man." I loved the show but Morley called it abysmal, likening it to "The Weir" in which he again joined the nay-sayers of critical acclaim. Rezas' "Life X 3" had its moments, but I couldn't get into it as well as some critics. It was nominated as best play at the Olivier Awards, but lost out to a play which had closed before I arrived ...EASILY the most bizarre play I saw -- or have ever seen for that matter -- was Caryl Churchill's "Far Away" at the Albery Theater. Scene one was intriguing but it went straight downhill from there, ending almost in mid-sentence. Fortunately, the play was just 50 minutes long ...
TOMORROW we'll wrap up the vacation report with the two remaining plays seen in London as well as an intriguing pair in S.F. before returning to Hawaii news Monday ...
Dave Donnelly has been writing on happenings
in Hawaii for the Star-Bulletin since 1968.
His columns run Monday through Friday.Contact Dave by e-mail: ddonnelly@starbulletin.com