Download/View File - Fullerton Observer

MID FEBRUARY 2011
REVIEWED by Jennifer Matas
Nerve at Chance Theater
Not your average date night out,
Chance Theater’s Nerve takes a playful,
yet disquieting look at the ever-nervewracking
first date, experimental first kiss
and the baggage we hide from each other.
Elliot (Casey Long) and Susan (Jessie
Withers) chat awkwardly in a New York
bar on their first date. They philosophize
on dates, first kisses and relationships, getting
a little bolder, but never less awkward.
As they open up, information
about themselves starts spilling out—their
quirks, then their neuroses—things not
normally discussed on a first date. The
relationship and the confessions become
more intense, until the breaking point,
when they will decide either to stay
together or part forever.
At several points during the play,
Withers has the opportunity to portray
Susan’s swinging emotions through dance,
choreographed by Kelly Todd, in which
the audience gets to experience Susan’s
soaring joy and bitter insecurity. Withers’
grace and passion when dancing displays a
side of Susan hidden behind first-date
nerves during dialogue with Elliot. Long’s
Elliot gains the audience’s empathy when
he beats himself up either in front of
Susan or on his own over saying the
wrong thing or saying the right thing too
soon. His backpedaling rambles and
head-in-hands moments feel uncomfortably
familiar.
The play itself may leave one with a case
of nerves, as the exaggerated relationship
between the characters sits uneasily in the
mind and gut, but the second half of the
evening is pure fun. Wine, stories and
conversation liven up the space and bring
FULLERTON COLLEGE
CAMPUS THEATER
321 E. Champan, Fullerton
Tickets: 714-992-7150
•OPENING MARCH 10: MAN OF LA
MANCHA - book by Dale Wasserman,
lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch
Leigh. The inspiration to dream "The
Impossible Dream," Man of La Mancha is
the story of "mad" knight, Don Quixote,
the alter ego of Miguel de Cervantes, a prisoner
awaiting trial during the brutal era of
the infamous Spanish Inquisition.
Cervantes enlists his fellow prisoners to perform
in his magical play in his quest for justice,
love and freedom. The winner of five
Tony awards, Man of La Mancha has
proven to be one of the most enduring
works of musical theatre worldwide today.
$15/adult; $12/seniors, students & kids. -
8pm, thru March 17
CSUF PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER
800 N. State College Blvd.,
on the Cal State Fullerton campus
Tickets: 657-278-3371
•10 ANNUAL NEW MUSIC
FESTIVAL SCHEDULE MARCH 4-6
•March 4 @8pm: Cornelius Dufallo, violin/composer
& Paola Prestini, composer.
Meng Concert Hall $15
•March 5: Composer-performer symposium,
panels, lectures, demos 10am-6pm in
the Recital Hall. Free
•March 5 @8pm: CSUF New Music
Ensemble w/faculty & guest artists. Meng
Concert Hall $15
•March 6 @8pm: University Symphony
Orchestra featuring the premiere of Pamela
Madsen’s work with Artic photographer
Camille Seaman. Meng Concert Hall $15
THEATER
Above: Susan (Jessie Withers) and Elliot
(Casey Long) share a tender moment
after their first kiss.
PHOTO BY DOUG CATILLER TRUE IMAGE STUDIO
the actors and audience together.
Directed by Khanisha Foster, Long and
Withers narrate their own love stories:
simultaneously sweet and amusing. Stay
for this second act to hear why tube socks
saved Withers’ skin and why Long found
a cherub exasperating.
To spend an evening dwelling on the
charm, uncertainty and risk of love, visit
Chance Theater, 5552 E. La Palma,
Anaheim Hills by February 27. For tickets
call 714-777-3033 or visit
www.chancetheater.com.
CSUF PERFORMING
ARTS CENTER
800 N. State College Blvd., on the
Cal State Fullerton campus
Tickets: 657-278-3371
•YOUNG THEATRE: TARTUFFE
OPENS MARCH 4 - A classic comedy
written by Moliére, adapted by
Constance Congdon, and directed by
James R. Taulli, this recent Broadway
hit and long overdue production features
CSUF’s graduate students! The
wealthy Orgon and his prudish, bigoted
mother, Madame Pernelle, have fallen
under the spell of Tartuffe, a con man
masquerading as a holy man. Orgon
invites Tartuffe into his home, hilarity
ensues and a clever, sexy story that
could be ripped from today’s headlines
has kept audiences rolling in the aisles
for over three centuries! -8pm thru
March 19, with matinees at 2pm on
March 6, 12, 13, 19, and 20. $10
•HALLBERG THEATRE:
365 DAYS OPENS MARCH 11 -
Based on the renowned, now classic,
book by Dr. Ronald J. Glasser, 365
DAYS is a gut-wrenching chamber theatre
piece, which follows the harrowing,
actual experiences of Glasser, during his
time as a medic overseas, in the
Vietnam conflict. After a series of
unforgettable, highly charged, emotionally
resonant, immersive scenes involving
a group of soldier's deadly experiences
in jungle warfare, we gradually
focus down to the interaction between
one, badly burned young soldier and
Dr. Glasser's heroic and sometimes conflicted
attempts to save the boy's life.
Directed by Kari Hayter. -8pm thru
March 26, with matinees at 2pm on
March 13, 19, 20, 26, and 27. $10
HUNGER ARTISTS THEATER
Tickets: (714) 680-6803
or online at www.hungerartists.net
699-A S. State College, Fullerton
•FEB 11-MARCH 13: WAITING
FOR GODOT by Samuel Beckett,
directed by Glendele Way-Agle. An
eccentric pair of men ponder their
existence and wrestle with their memories
as they await a meeting with
their mysterious friend, Godot.
Company member Glendele Way-
Agle has previously directed "Bat Boy:
The Musical" and her own adaptation
of "Lysistrata."
COMING UP
•THE GREAT AMERICAN
TRAILER PARK MUSICAL by
David Nehls and Betsy Kelso, directed
by Nicole Dominguez. A musical for
the redneck in all of us portrays the
lives of the residents of Armadillo
Acres Trailer Park. Opens March 25thru
April 23.
•MATT & BEN by Mindy Kaling
and Brenda Withers, directed by
Garrett T. McDonald. In 1955, childhood
friends and Hollywood hopefuls
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck struggle
to make it big. Until a mysterious
screenplay entitled “Good Will
Hunting” falls from the sky in front of
them changing their lives forever.
Opens May 6 -thru 22.
STAGES THEATER
400 E. Commonwealth, Fullerton
Tickets: 714-525-4484
www.stagesoc.org
•OPENING FEB. 25: TWELFTH
NIGHT by William Shakespeare,
adapted by Adam Evans. Never send a
boy to do a man’s job, especially if that
boy is a lady....Shakespeare’s classic
comedy is presented with a few new
twists! The original tale follows Viola,
a shipwrecked young maiden, disguised
as a man, dodging the affections
of the crazed Olivia while dodging
her own affection for her master,
Duke Orsino - who happens to be in
love with Olivia. If that wasn’t confusing
enough, she must dodge the suspisions
of Olivia’s court of fools and
confidants. This chaotic farce has been
infused with new music, extreme
physical comedy and madcap humor.
COMING UP
•JULIUS CEASAR by William
Shakespeare, directed by Casey Holm,
opens March 5 and plays thru April
2nd. An Elizabethan playwright shed
light upon a political coup carried out
1500 years earlier and in a few deft
strokes illuminated both the English
language and the politics of the
moment. A new dramatic interpretation
of William Shakespeare's play
Julius Caesar. This timeless tale has
been moved into the 21st century and
immerses the audience in a web of
intrigue and politics. A story as relevant
today as it was when it was first
written.
FULLERTON OBSERVER Page 13
3-D THEATRICALS
Tickets: (714) 589-2770
online at www.3dtshows.com
Plummer Auditorium,
201 E. Chapman, Fullerton
•THRU FEBRUARY 27: THE
DROWSY CHAPERONE by Bob
Martin and Don McKellar, with music
and lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg
Morrison. A die-hard theater fan plays his
favorite cast album on his turntable, and
the musical bursts into life in his living
room, telling the rambunctious tale of a
brazen Broadway starlet trying to find,
and keep, her true love. $22-$56
Coming up: All Shook Up inspired by
and featuring the songs of Elvis Presley.
Into a square little town in a square little
state rides a guitar-playing roustabout
who changes everything and everyone he
meets in this musical fantasy. Opens May
13- thru May 29
MAVERICK THEATER
110 E. Walnut, Fullerton
Tickets: 714-526-7070
mavericktheater.com
•OPENING FEB. 18: THE WED-
DING SINGER -thru April 9
COMING UP
•THE COUNT OF MONTE
CRISTO opens April 15 -thru May 21
•CHICAGO opens May 27 -thru July
30.
•GET SMART opens August 12 - thru
September 17