Merry Gentlemen: A new Christmas classic

by Jenni Morin

When audiences usually encounter a play, it is a full production with a finalized script and all the technical bells and whistles to make it a polished theatrical performance. Local playwright Sheila Rinear’s Merry Gentlemen offers audiences a different experience with a staged reading in the Cellar Theater at The Playhouse San Antonio.

The staged reading is a bare-bones production where the cast sits with the script and reads it, complete with stage directions, to the audience. Director Matthew Byron Cassi has the cast act out a few scenes with blocking to give the audience a better feel for the show. A chalk and block set helps set the scene along with a few light and sound effects. This is about experiencing a script still in the writing process.

Those who have followed the evolution of this script may have attended the readings and talk back sessions over the past few months and will be glad to know the essence of the script – and its favorite characters – have stayed intact. While Rinear would still like to “massage” a few of the scenes, the script is at a point for a pared down production.

Rinear received a wide variety of suggestions for her script, which borrows elements from the infamous A Christmas Carol, to make it more fantastical, darker and a closer adaptation of the original. It is, at this moment, a modern Christmas story all its own. While several names and a few key elements still allude to Dickens’ classic, there are more mentions of classic film and pop culture that make the play feel more modern than previous drafts. A few of the improvements to the script include a more defined character arch for Ben Dickens, read by Marc Duratt, and a more obviously desperate and focused attitude for the crippled Tim Dickens, read by Bradley Fertilla. Since the characters are more developed, there is less explanation of lines, more action and an expanded plot.

The introduction of the Wigs character, read by Jakob Minton, helps advance the action and provide an inspiring and heartwarming element of hope to a somewhat grim storyline. The script also features several puns and comedic moments that lighten the mood. Actors John Minton as Fred and Catherine Babbitt as Miss Marley really highlight those gems while Kayli Hernandez as the little girl brings a load of sass.

One of the most exciting experiences of attending a staged reading is imagining the full production as a director or designer would when they first read a script. It’s a rare opportunity to focus on words, characters and possibilities from inside the artistic process. Rinear’s play is familiar, yet still different, as it touches on tragedy and comedy through a cast of fresh characters. Merry Gentlemen would be a welcome addition to the Christmas theatre canon.


Merry Gentlemen will run at The Playhouse's Cellar Theater through December 14 at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. Check with the box office for talk back sessions with the audience following the reading. For more information and to reserve tickets, visit theplayhousesa.org.

Sweater Curse: Cleverly Woven

by Jenni Morin

Elaine Liner’s Sweater Curse: A Yarn About Love currently running at The Classic Theatre is intelligent, well-tailored theatre with something for everyone – from seasoned knitters to classic film buffs.

Written and performed by Liner herself, the script is what you would expect from an award-winning writer and it has been vetted and lauded at numerous festivals including two runs at the renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. The 75-minute one-woman show proves that a sophisticated script can engage an audience just as well, if not better, than an over dramatized monologue or tawdry standup routine.

Directed by Tim Hedgepeth, Liner’s longtime friend and former classmate from Trinity University, the play is earnest, engaging and witty. Liner’s low smooth voice perfectly compliments her confident yet unassuming candor like a fitted cashmere sweater. She appears chic and stylish amongst her fibers as she commands the stage. The set pays homage to knitting with yarn-bombed furniture and a stockpile of sweaters knitted by Liner. Subtle lighting transitions help advance the monologue along with deliberate intervals of clacking knitting needles. After two years in rehearsal and performance, Liner has established a calm pace and captivating dialogue.

Her painstakingly constructed words illustrate the metaphor she draws between knitting and life, especially when it comes to love. In addition to a very relatable memoir of love lost, Liner weaves in mythology, history, pop culture, current events, film and, of course, theatre. From Odysseus’ Penelope to Shakespeare to Yarn Alive, the script transcends space and time to hone in on the old wives’ tale of the sweater curse. She discovers the truth behind the sweater curse, her own tendency to tempt fate, all the while shedding light on those sanskrit-like knitting patterns – and dating patters – doomed to repeat. While there is knitting vocabulary for the yarn crowd, non-knitters can appreciate references to literature and sharp-witted humor in addition to great acting.

Sweater Curse is where hobby meets intellect in a heartfelt tale of relationships and sundry purls of wisdom. Elaine Liner's care in crafting this script is just as evident as the love she puts into knitting her works of art.


Sweater Curse: A Yarn About Love will run at the Classic Theatre through December 7, 2014 with performances at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. on Sunday. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit classictheatre.org.

Ghosts: Classic clings to duty

by Jenni Morin

The Classic Theatre continues the theme of keeping up appearances with this season’s second show, Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts. Each character is haunted by secrets, past regressions and feigned propriety and unable to live happily while the judgmental rule of morality forces them to live in darkness with their ghosts.

Written shortly after one of Ibsen’s most famous works, A Doll’s House, Ghosts was meant to shock and appall audiences and critics. It did just that when it premiered in 1882 as it discussed such topics as adultery, venereal disease, illegitimate children, premarital cohabitation and flat out deceit. The play opens with Regine Engstrand, Mrs. Alving’s maid, arguing with her father Jakob Engstrand, who wants her to come live with in a sailor’s hostel he hopes to open. Pastor Manders, an old friend of Mrs. Alving and her financial advisor, comes to finalize the paperwork to dedicate a new orphanage to her late husband. Osvald Alving, Mr.s Alving’s son, has returned home from painting abroad in Paris because of his father’s passing and an illness he inherited from him. As the debauched past of Mr. Alving comes to light, the ghosts of these transgressions turn the lives of everyone involved upside down.

Ghosts constantly puts duty and ideals at war with truth and insists that deceit breeds unhappiness and ruin. The imagery of the light juxtaposed to the dark, where the ghosts live, is quite beautifully illustrated in the script. Osvald feels the full burden of his inherited disease as it manifests physically and eats away at his brain—quite a visual for how secrets can fester and consume. Ibsen makes his stance known early in the play during the pivotal scene when Pastor Manders confronts Mrs. Helene Alving about the books she’s been reading. This integral scene lacked the finesse necessary to nail Ibsen’s point in this production. At times the dialogue seemed chaotic as actors jumped their lines, but was calmed by the telling looks and silences. The staging and blocking by Director Omar Leos was often the driving force that kept the pace for the show as the actors seemingly danced around the stage to involve the audience positioned in stadium seating on either side.

As always, Andrew Thornton as Pastor Manders was the anchor for the entire cast with a superior and consistent performance. Sam Carter Gilliam as Mrs. Helene Alving was definitely in her element with this period drama. She embraced the melodramatic tendency of the script, especially in the scenes she shared with Trevor Chauvin, who fully committed to the self pitying romantic “reinstated son” Osvald. Julya Jara and George Burnette, as Regine and Jakob Engstrand, were steadfast and impeccable.

The set, designed by Ric Slocum, mirrored the staging as the two entrance and exit points toyed with dimensionality. The skewed placement of the partially hanging set was a wonderful commentary on how things appear depending on the point of view. The score, written and performed by Darrin Newhardt, was ethereal and chilling, a lovely complement to the understated technical elements, which brought the show together.

Classic’s production of Ghosts is a scandalous journey through deep dark secrets, complete with subtle gems of brilliance and a cast fit for Ibsen’s ire and candor.
Ibsen warns that secrets should be abandoned, people should live openly and not to judge too quickly or our sins will haunt us and our descendents. While some of the consequences to not following this advice seem harsh and graphic at times, it is the blunt and unabashed truth which continues to make Ghosts pertinent and impactful. Audiences should delve into shameful embarrassing secrets, discover their own definition of immorality and form their own opinion of this contentious drama.


Ghosts will run at Classic through November 23, 2014 with performances at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit classictheatre.org.

Kids4Kids supports immigrant children, uses art as a vehicle for change

by Jenni Morin

Last weekend, TFC premiered the short film La Llorona at ArteFest. The two-day Día de los Muertos celebration was anchored by the film which used the legend of the weeping woman to illuminate the issue of immigration, especially the harrowing tales of children crossing the border and often caught in violence on their way to freedom. This weekend, audiences have an opportunity to take action on this issue with Kids4Kids.

On Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2 p.m. The Playhouse San Antonio, Tova Rubin and Melinda Tucker will present Kids4Kids, a benefit performance aimed at raising funds and awareness for unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children. The is sponsored by Pioneer Energy Services and Shannon Sedgwick Davis and Sam Davis Foundation, allowing 100 percent of ticket sales to go directly to organizations stepping up to the cause.

Through the lens of children directly impacted by the work of St. PJ’s Children’s Home and RAICES to combat the immigration crises, the program will feature approximately 100 youth performers from various performing arts organizations around San Antonio. “The theme of the show is diversity, coming together to help children in need,” says Rubin. 

The performance is for children by children in that each piece selected displays compassion and empathy while using the power of the performing arts to tell the story of hope, love and friendship, Tucker explains. After learning of the immigration crisis this summer with an increasing influx of unaccompanied minors flooding the borders from Central America, Tucker teamed up with Rubin and Playhouse CEO Asia Ciaravino who pitched putting together a show to benefit the two organizations “on the front lines of serving the children by providing a safe shelter, compassionate counseling, nutrition, education, hope, love and legal support.” Audience members are encouraged to reach out to organizations like St. PJ’s and RAICES to offer help either monetarily, through donations of needed items, through volunteering or becoming a foster parent.

More than 66,000 minors crossed the southwest border illegally in fiscal year 2014, which is an 88 percent increase from 2013. Children are often fleeing extreme violence, oppression, trafficking and abuse, but they are making the journey alone without the promise of family, shelter or safety on the other side.

Kids4Kids uses the arts to tell this story to cut through the political nature of the issue and bring back the human side. “Using the arts as a vehicle of change is so important because it tells the story on an emotional level that is difficult to achieve by just reading the news or seeing a sound bite while flipping through the news,” Tucker says.

She thought it was important to give a face to the issue by involving kids who may be the same age as many of the children immigrants. “Sharing their talents for other kids gives them an opportunity to be thankful for all of their many blessings,” says Tucker. “It also provides the opportunity for the kids to learn the importance of using their creative gifts for the good of the community.”


Kids4Kids will have one performance only on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014 at 2 p.m. in the Russell Hill Rogers Theatre at The Playhouse San Antonio. Tickets may be purchased online through theplayhousesa.org or at The Playhouse box office. Those interested in making an additional contribution or unable to attend the performance can do so online at www.crowdrise.com/Kids4Kids.

Cuckoo's Nest Hits Home

by Jenni Morin

The Sheldon Vexler Theatre opens its season with a moving production of Dale Wasserman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. This 1963 play, adapted from Ken Kessey’s novel of the same name, reaches beyond institutional oppression to today’s conversation of mental illness.

The action takes place in a state mental hospital where the patients have become comfortable in their sterile environment. However, new admit R.P. McMurphy, who is faking insanity to ditch his prison sentence at the work farm, stirs trouble as he refuses to relinquish his identity to the institution, causing a rebellion among the patients. Nurse Ratched oversees the ward and is not amused by McMurphy’s insolence as he tries to get the best of her. She wields her power not just over the patients by threatening them with alternative treatments like shock therapy and lobotomies, but also over the entire staff, including the Dr. Spivey. McMurphy has a profound impact on everyone, especially the presumably deaf and mute Chief Bromden who depends on McMurphy to “grow big” and regain his courage to reenter society. Eventually, Nurse Ratched has enough and provokes McMurphy into violence, earning him the threatened treatment.

A prominent theme throughout is the idea that sanity is relative and what keeps most of the voluntarily committed patients hospitalized is their inability to adjust to the outside world. All of them find comfort in the predictability of the asylum and Nurse Ratched’s overbearing demeanor. She often uses the patents’ neuroses to cajole them into submission, embarrassing and debasing them in front of one another. On a larger scale, the oppression of the institution mirrors that of society as it stigmatizes and ostracizing the mentally ill. Often patients are referred to as “curable,” which in essence is the stripping of individuality and conforming to social norms. With so many stories today about mental illness being the cause, or at least a contributing factor, in so many deaths, suicides and slaughters, the piece is incredibly potent and thought provoking as audiences get a glimpse into these sick minds.

The Vex’s production uses every element to instill a lasting sense of an inescapable void. Audiences are greeted by masked faceless characters marching to the sound of ticking gears, moving the action forward to an inevitable and tragic end. Konnor Frazier’s set is complimented by Chad A Miller’s synchronized sound design and Ken Frazier’s haunting light design. Even the costumes by Tami Kai are meticulously chosen to symbolize the characters’ evolutions through the play. The set, however, complete with ticking gears, sliding doors, exhaust fans and vents is incredibly detailed, allowing each smudge and fingerprint on Nurse Ratched’s glass-encased surveillance booth to symbolize the patients’ asserting themselves. Director Dylan Brainard comes close to genius with this calculated display with its eerie symbolism.

While each and every actor held their own in this production, the standoff between Ken Frazier as McMurphy and Tami Kai as Nurse Ratched was the most compelling. Kai in particular masterfully manipulated each and every scene with a calm, power-drunk entitlement. Kailyr Frazier as Billy Bibbit was incredibly convincing and devastating. Scott Leibowitz as Dale Harding captured the frail, yet paternal, figure perfectly. Without a doubt, it was Ken Frazier’s McMurphy who advanced the plot and moved his fellow patients as well as the audience. Barry Goettl’s Chief Bromden was heart breaking and inspiring all at once.

For every small triumph, there seems to be a larger tragedy. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest begs audiences to recognize how what is normal can also be insane and vice versa. It’s not every day a production can speak so eloquently of such a pervasive issue. The Vex’s production of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is harrowing and cautionary and exactly what needs to be said and seen right now.


One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest will run at The Sheldon Vexler Theatre through September 20, 2014 with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. on Sundays. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.vexler.org.

Arms and the Man: More Appearances than Appendages

by Jenni Morin

The Classic Theatre’s season production of Arms and the Man is full of fresh faces and the unique brand of George Bernard Shaw’s comedy. In this modern age it may at first seem dated and inconsequential, but it speaks volumes about daily interactions and ideals that define positions in society and social circles.

Set in the mid 1880’s in Bulgaria during the Serbo-Bulgarian War, Shaw’s Arms and the Man pokes fun at notions of love and war. Raina Petkoff is a wealthy heiress engaged to Sergius Saranoff, a major in the Bulgarian army, but she doubts his capacity for bravery until hearing of his valiant charge on the Serbian troops. As the battle comes closer to the house, Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss in the Serbian army, climbs in Raina’s window to avoid the artillery and debunks her fiancé’s heroism, stealing her heart after eating her chocolates. Louka, her servant contemplates spilling her secret, but her fellow servant and fiancé Nicola convinces her she could improve her station if she acts appropriately. When Major Petkoff and Sergius return victorious from the war, Raina and her mother discover they have heard the embarrassing story of their hiding Raina’s “chocolate-cream soldier.” When Bluntschli comes to return the major’s coat he used to sneak away, the whole house is turned upside down, engagements are broken off and stations are abandoned.

Shaw pokes fun at the airs Raina and Sergius put on for each other as lovers, questions the validity of class stations when Louka rises above hers and makes the heroes out to be fools. Director Stacey Connelly does an admirable job conveying these points through her cast. At first, Maggie Tonra’s performance of Raina feels stilted and uninspired, but as the action progresses, it’s obvious the dramatics were by design, exactly the airs Shaw intended to expose. Tyler Keyes as Bluntschli is reminiscent of a Mel Brooks-inspired Cary Elwes, complete with a brazen honesty and sarcasm. Kathleen Couser and Allan S. Ross as Mrs. and Mr. Petkoff take the comedy to new heights, with an especially wonderful performance by Ross who elevates the entire cast.

Abigail Entsminger designed a versatile set able to quickly transform for new venues, while Gregory Starbird’s lighting design had its shining moments. As always, Rick Malone’s sound design set the mood, especially with its quick-paced, up-beat transitional music. Jodi Karjala’s costumes brought it all together with great attention to detail, right down to the puffed sleeves.

This piece is an important part of Shaw’s canon as it was one of his first largely successful plays. While it feels like a comedy of errors, complete with several stock characters, Shaw uses these theatrical conventions to make a satirical point about the behavior of “heroes” and people “in love.” Bluntschli serves as the constant in the experiment, always truthful, forthcoming and perhaps even honest to a fault since he does not care how his actions reflect upon him as he is confident in his own character. He also proves to be the most capable of the bunch, while Nicola is the most cunning because of his ability to accept his station and what that entails, then leverage that knowledge to his advantage. These two are the most insightful, but Raina and Louka have the largest character arcs as they come into their own. In today’s world where a digital veil masks the true person, it’s not surprising a generation is coming to age without knowing who they are and what interactions are real. This play points out this lack of self-awareness and makes this script a very current one.

Arms and the Man is a perfect production to open the Classic’s season. It showcases some new talent—at least on the Classic stage—and reinforces the abilities of some seasoned favorites. In addition, the production asks audience to reflect on their own airs. Arms and the Man is not to be missed, it’s a great comedy for audiences to kick off the fall season back to the stage.

Arms and the Man will run at Classic Theatre’s new venue, the Blackbox Theatre at the Woodlawn, through September 7, 2014 with performances at 8 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 3 p.m. on Sundays. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.theclassictheatre.org.

Playhouse opens script reading of Rinear's Merry Gentlemen to community

by Jenni Morin

A Christmas Carol is a holiday classic revived each year in theatres across the world to remind audiences to pay less attention to the ever-increasing commercialization of the season and more to the joy of yuletide togetherness.

Local playwright Sheila Rinear has paid homage to the timeless tale with her in-progress work, Merry Gentlemen. Back in June, Rinear had the opportunity to have the script read by some of San Antonio’s finest actors in the Cellar Theater at The Playhouse. Playhouse CEO Asia Ciaravino felt bringing the community into the project would allow audiences to become invested in the creative process.

While the script development process usually takes place behind the scenes, out of the public eye, it’s extremely helpful for the writer to hear the script read aloud, see audience reactions and get immediate feedback before the words are set. “The audience response tells me so much, as well as the actors’ readings,” Rinear explains. In terms of investing in the project, audiences can feel some ownership in offering feedback and see the script grow over several revisions and possibly through to production.

Both the audience and actors were not shy in offering edits to the script after the June reading. Rinear took each into consideration for the next revision, which will be read by the same group of actors, with a couple stand-ins, on Sunday, August 10 at 2 p.m. in the Cellar Theater.

The play begins with Tim limping around, cleaning the apartment and taking care of his recently retired father. As a historian, Ben is constantly occupied with the past and the making of things, so Tim always took care of running the household while Ben was busy at work. Tim often speaks to his deceased mother, Isabelle, who was killed 13 years earlier in a car accident. As his only confidant and friend, Isabelle must find a replacement to look after Tim and Ben when she soon moves on.

Enter Miss Marley, assistant principal at Cratchett High School where Tim is failing all his classes despite having always been a star student. In an attempt to involve Ben more in the troubled teen’s life, Miss Marley takes him to the run down mall where Tim works and where Ben and Isabelle first met and fell in love. Iggy and Fu-Cha, two teens from the high school tease Tim, among other things, while Fred, the mall manager and cousin of Ben’s, tries to run off the “varmints.” After Tim confronts his father about not taking over the fatherly duties even after retiring, Ben finds ways to spend more time with his son and connect with him with help from the whole cast of characters.

Despite some rather adamant suggestions to make the script dark and twisty and spotlight the three specters from Dickens’ version, Rinear’s rendition stays true to her original intention: “It’s not a new adaptation,” she explains. “I wanted it to be a whole new story that would sound familiar.”

There are no rattling chains, but each incarnation of the “ghosts” are present in the script. Audiences will recognize the names alluding to various characters and some not-so-obvious, very clever nuances that add depth. The action, as one might expect, takes place around the holiday season, but the main character’s isolating obsession is far from money. “The story stands on its own, but there are enough elements from the original incorporated where audiences will recognize it,” Rinear says.

One element she’s still struggling with integrating is Scrooge’s signature phrase, “Bah, Humbug!” While staying in South Jersey between readings, Rinear often walked the beach shouting different possibilities to replace the iconic idiom, but to no avail. She jokes about offering a door prize at the upcoming reading for anyone who can come up with a fitting expression.

Some of the biggest revisions that came out of the first reading included beefing up the roles of the main characters. Isabelle received an added sense of urgency. After hearing the reading of Ben, she looked harder at him to give him more range. She wanted both Ben and Tim to be more wounded so they could help each other heal together.

After the second reading on Sunday, there is a staged reading planned for December when audiences will get to see the script with more action and closer to completion. There are no plans for a full-fledged production, yet, but Rinear hopes if audiences receive it well in December, a local theatre might elect to add it to its season for next year.

The reading of Merry Gentlemen takes place on Sunday, August 10 at 2 p.m. in the Cellar Theater and is open to the public, no tickets required.