"Between Us" at TheatreFIRST

TheatreFIRST photo (uncredited)

Something new for me: I got invited by TheatreFIRST to attend the opening of their new play(s) as "press." It's kind of cool to find myself sitting in a row toward the back of the audience with several real theater critics. Not that what I do is actually theater criticism in any formal sense, but at least on the scale of TheatreFIRST, I have an audience, so they wanted me to see the shows early for once, in hopes that I might encourage some of you to come, too.

So I want to reassure you that this won't make any difference in how I approach discussing the show(s), which actually seems timely, since I'm going to have to be a little different about Between Us, just because it's a rather unusual way to present theater, as you'll soon notice.

The Premise

First, we're not talking about a play. Between Us is a suite of seven solo plays around a loose theme. I've written before about the unique mission and approach taken by the current edition of TheatreFIRST about equity and inclusion and local artists and such. That's all there in this production, but with some additional twists. TheatreFIRST doesn't rest on just being different; they want you to feel the difference, right down to your core.

As noted, it's not a play, it's seven plays. All seven are solo plays, meaning a single actor portrays a character in the first person. There is a mixture of self-narration and live action, and for the most part, it works fine. All seven plays are distinct: each could easily stand alone, though each is on average about a half-hour long. So they come packages as two separate programs (cleverly labelled "Program A" and "Program B").

The unifying theme, such as it is, it the portrayal of revolutionaries, meaning either people actually leading large-scale social change or simply people living in key moments in history. So seven local playwrights have selected and tackled seven subjects, at least five of whom are real figures from history, and the rest who are composites.

The Execution

 The two programs, A and B, run as separate presentations. Program A contains four plays, and B contains three. On weeknight evenings, the two rotate in repertory. On weekends, both programs play each day: one in an afternoon matinee and the other in the evening. Discounts are available for those who want to see both programs.

Yesterday's opening, being a Sunday, consisted of Program A in the afternoon and Program B in the evening. There was plenty of time to wander down into North Berkeley's "gourmet ghetto" between programs, which gave an opportunity to reflect and get some tasty food.

Seven plays is a lot. But here at Too Much Theater, that's what we look for. And in fact, because the shows come in sort of manageable chunks, it's not as overwhelming as you might think.

Keeping in mind that all seven of the plays are still new and basically under development, it comes as no surprise that there is a bit of variety in the quality of both the writing and the productions. Layer on that the fact that there is a real difference in the experience levels of the artists in the different plays, and it stands to reason that some of the pieces come out more polished than others.

The Plays: Program A

No way am I going to do justice to any of the individual plays here. I will give only very brief descriptions to give an idea, and try to point to some of the better bits.

The first show in Program A is Laveau: A Conjuring of Marie Laveau by Brit Frazier. Marie Laveau was known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, and as portrayed by Dezi Solèy under the direction of Margo Hall, she demonstrates the power of a woman willing to exercise unconventional methods to operate on her own terms. At some point the almost constant voodoo practice distracts a bit from the overall message, but Laveau is a terrific character to introduce the theme of the show. I learned a lot about Laveau and her story, and the portrayal is quite solid.

Next up is Seven Fingers: The Story of Larry Itliong by Jeffrey Lo, who also directs Mike Sagun in the title role. Itliong was the organizer of the Filipino migrant farm workers who eventually overcame their differences with their Mexican counterparts to form a unified and effective farm workers union. Sagun's portrayal of Itliong is both charming and touching, and the overall message works really well. As we stepped out for a brief intermission, I heard several comments about the power and intensity of the two opening plays.

Following the intermission comes Katie May's play Pussy Hat: The Story of One Woman's March, starring Jennie Brick under the direction of Phoebe Moyer. Brick is wonderfully appealing as an unassuming sort of reluctant warrior, driven to act by the confluence of her personal story (cancer) and the political environment (the 2016 elections). This story takes some unexpected turns, and thereby manages to be both more poignant and striking than it initially seemed it would be.

And finally we got Just One Day: A Story of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy by Cleavon Smith, featuring Sam Jackson as a single working woman struggling with the decision of whether to take off for the first official observance of the MLK federal holiday, even though her employer threatens to fire anyone who does so. This piece struggles a bit to find its feet, in part I think because we don't really get to know enough about either the main character or the few others in her life. I was disappointed because this was probably the piece I most wanted to like, having some personal connections to MLK and the fight over his holiday. It may still come through, but it still needs work.

Overall, Program A is very strong. All of the first three pieces present compelling characters with important stories to tell, and really take us through their journeys.

The Plays: Program B

Coming back from a stroll and a bite to eat, I'm ready for some more good stuff. Program B having only three plays, I'm expecting it to go quickly.

First up is La Profesora: The Story of Nibia Sabalsagaray, written and directed by Noelle Viñas and featuring Virginia Blanco. The story itself is painful and compelling, about a 24-year-old teaching prodigy who was tortured and killed by the military regime that ruled Uruguay in the 1970s. Of the seven plays, this one feels the least complete. It eventually settles into a pretty compelling narrative about reconciling oneself to relatives who collaborated (or worse) with the oppressive regime, but the early part of the script is an awkward presentation of an awkward sort of exit interview that just seems to wander in search of a path to the story it wants to tell. I'm OK with the character struggling to tell the story, but the narrative in which she's portrayed she seems to be struggling even to get through the struggles. The material here is good, but the writing still needs some work.

Next we get Turning the Page: The Story of Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga, by Jeanne Sakata, directed by Jeffrey Lo and featuring Heidi Kobara. This one is a story about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II (as subject we've seen last year at TheatreFIRST and elsewhere). It's a little difficult to evaluate this one, as Kobara really didn't seem to have mastered the text, so there were a lot of stumbles and repetitions. The story as written is interesting, though, as Aiko goes from being interned as a teen to a career as a medical secretary who is obsessed with researching the history of internment, eventually discovering important documents in the national archives. I think this will eventually settle into a much better piece, but as I saw it yesterday, it was just not ready for prime time.

Finishing up the evening was The Racket: The Story of Smedley Butler, a historical piece by the brothers Tracy (James Tracy and his brother, TheatreFIRST Artistic Facilitator Jon Tracy), directed by Robert Parsons and performed by Aaron Murphy. This is an appropriate bookend to the day, as it is, like Laveau at the start of the day, a complex, polished, and intricate production of a provocative story about an interesting historical figure. Butler was a soldier, a Marine, eventually a general, and then later deeply involved in politics, the Bonus March, campaigning for FDR, and then being recruited by Wall Street to lead a military coup against FDR. It's fascinating to see the portrayal of this very complicated character. Given the rough presentations of the two preceding pieces, it's a good way to close out the show.

The Overall Impression

As you would expect of a collection of seven discrete plays, all still under development, there are various degrees of completion and effectiveness. All of the pieces have potential, and a majority deliver strong emotional and intellectual punches. The focus on individuals as both the movers and the moved at key moments in history is fascinating, and the chosen characters and situations are all worthy subjects.

It's a little disappointing to see several of the plays not really ready for opening night, and the overall balance between the two parts of the program isn't very even at this point. Program A is really very good, all the way through, but Program B really only has one solid play at this stage. This is one of the reasons I generally avoid going to plays so early in the run. On the other hand, they did announce that if there are open seats at future showings of the same program, one's ticket would be good for free admission. So I'd be intrigued to go see how Program B looks in a couple of weeks, for example.

Maybe the Best Part

I do need to mention that in the introductory speech before each program, Artistic Facilitator Jon Tracy mentions that TheatreFIRST has been doing some youth outreach on the subject of revolutionaries, including sending a playwright to Berkeley High to develop their own interpretations of the revolutionary theme. Apparently ninety students participated, and Tracy brought two or three to present their 2-3 minute solo presentations. Those might have been the most compelling part of the entire day, and they speak well of TheatreFIRST's efforts to reach out into parts of the community not normally included in theater.

Bottom Line

Man, this is a lot to cover! Seven separate pieces is a lot to absorb in one day, but I'd say the separate programs are pretty reasonable lengths. And the full-day weekend presentation manages not to overwhelm, given an intermission and a break between programs.

I would say at this stage that Program A is most definitely worth seeing, and Program B will probably get there soon. TheatreFIRST is showing once again that they not only aren't afraid to take on difficult projects, but in fact are actively seeking them out and attacking them with great vigor. It's hard to develop new works, and obviously harder to develop a bunch of them at once. On the other hand, they are providing valuable exposure and experience for a lot of artists.

I'm looking forward to seeing what these pieces turn into over time. I plan to go back and see each part again later. There is definitely a lot of good stuff in this pair of programs already, and the potential is there to be truly compelling. These are seven stories well worth telling, and well worth hearing.