GOOD THINGS COME IN THREES FOR ACTORS' GANG AT THE IVY.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic I GUESS it's accurate to say the three Japanese one-acts that make up the Actors' Gang's ``Blood! Lust! Madness!'' do indeed touch upon those particular subjects in roughly that order. They cover quite a bit of other thematic territory as well. And say what you will about the Gang's politics, their work is never boring and often arresting. Associate artistic director Brett Hinkley first staged ``Blood! Lust! Madness!'' in 1992. Hinkley's current revival slices the ceremonial ribbon on the Gang's new home at the Ivy Substation in Culver City Culver City, city (1990 pop. 38,793), Los Angeles co., S Calif., a residential suburb of Los Angeles; inc. 1917. It is a center of the U.S. motion-picture industry, whose roots in the city date to c.1915. Its chief manufactures are rubber products and computers. . With a production of this caliber to break the seal, it would be tough to recall when the Ivy has looked any better. The sight lines are clear, the seats are comfortable and John Zalewski's sound design - which includes plenty of drumming - rings flawlessly through the house. Set designer Sibyl sibyl (sĭb`ĭl), in classical mythology and religion, prophetess. There were said to be as many as 10 sibyls, variously located and represented. The most famous was the Cumaean sibyl, described by Vergil in the Aeneid. Wickersheimer has decorated the stage in a minimalism minimalism, schools of contemporary art and music, with their origins in the 1960s, that have emphasized simplicity and objectivity. Minimalism in the Visual Arts favoring a mixture of wooden slatted platforms (suitable for climbing) and a newspaper-festooned doorway. The performers employ traditional Japanese makeup as well as commedia del'arte masks. Expertly shifting tones between plays, Hinkley takes the mood from existentially grim (``The Razor'') to sweetly comic (``The Madman on the Roof'') to a weirdly celebratory finale (``The Dressing Room''). The short plays by, respectively, Kichizo Nakamura, Kan Kikuchi and Shimizu Kunio have no distinct thematic links and different actors are employed for each segment with almost no crossover. Nonetheless, the trio makes for a most complete evening and ``The Dressing Room,'' Kunio's ode to the world of the stage, is nothing short of a knockout. So let's begin at the end, in ``The Dressing Room,'' where a trio of actresses, each wearing a long frizzy friz·zy adj. friz·zi·er, friz·zi·est Tightly curled; frizzly. friz  zi·ly adv. blond wig, are primping, flinging tissue paper and blowing their noses (all in synchronization (1) See synchronous and synchronous transmission.(2) Ensuring that two sets of data are always the same. See data synchronization. (3) Keeping time-of-day clocks in two devices set to the same time. See NTP. ) in preparation for a stage entrance. Actress C (played by Beth Tapper) is about to go on as Nina in Chekhov's ``The Seagull seagull a noisy, gregarious bird that frequents the seashore. Web-footed, hook-billed, white with gray wings. Member of the family Laridae and of the genus Larus. .'' The ladies flanking her (Vanessa Mizzone and Lindsley Allen) know that part, too. As well as many others. After the performance, a fourth ``actress'' named Kiko (Angela Berliner) enters the dressing room. She's actually C's former prompter who is newly returned from an insane asylum, and claiming that the role of Nina rightfully belongs to her. The diva-ish C, not surprisingly, disagrees. And there's a rather interesting twist. As an examination into the phenomenon of theater-lust, ``The Dressing Room'' is witty, on target and very creative. The interplay between the actresses is playful and fun; apparently you never lose your status as a second bit player until ... well ... that's best left unsaid. There's nothing that is light about ``The Razor,'' which finds miserable town barber Tamekichi (Silas Weir Mitchell
Silas Weir Mitchell (January 15, 1829–January 4, 1914) was an American physician and writer. , quite frightening) looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a way, any way, out of the monotony of his life. The man has an equally unsatisfied wife (Kaili Hollister) who pines for the type of life that visiting cabinet honcho Honcho A slang term describing the leader or person in charge of an organization. Notes: The CEO of a company could be referred to as the honcho or "head honcho." See also: CEO, CFO, COO, Insider, Leprechaun Leader Okada (Simon Anthony) might provide. Somehow Okada ends up in Tamekichi's barber's chair with the only question being: Will the barber use that razor to cut his rival's throat, his wife's or his own? ``Madman on the Roof,'' the program helpfully explains, is a ``Kyogan'' - an interlude interlude, development in the late 15th cent. of the English medieval morality play. Played between the acts of a long play, the interlude, treating intellectual rather than moral topics, often contained elements of satire or farce. play that bridges the two tragedies. To the consternation of his parents (Steven M. Porter and Toni Torres), a young boy - quite daft - can't keep himself off the roof. Efforts to cure him and coax him down are generally unsuccessful. What's needed, therefore, is a change of perspective. Stylewise, ``Madman'' is certainly the most burlesque burlesque (bûrlĕsk`) [Ital.,=mockery], form of entertainment differing from comedy or farce in that it achieves its effects through caricature, ridicule, and distortion. It differs from satire in that it is devoid of any ethical element. of the trio. All three segments, by the way, make use of an on-stage prompter who helps supply forgotten lines. But even with flubs, this bloody, loving and mad evening is one to savor. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com BLOOD! LOVE! MADNESS - Three and one half stars Where: The Actors' Gang at the Ivy Substation, 9070 Venice Blvd., Culver City. When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; through Nov. 19. Tickets: $25. Call (310) 838-4264 or visit www.theactorsgang.com. In a nutshell: A splendid return to a trio of Japanese one-acts. ``The Dressing Room'' is a knockout. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Daisuke Tsuji and Sienna sienna: see ocher. McCanless appear in ``Madman on the Roof,'' the second of three Japanese one-act plays from the Actors' Gang at the Ivy Substation in Culver City. |
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