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'Dining Room' actors pull off blizzard of character shiftsBy Jeanne LemerFor Northern LightsWhat a joy it is to find areal theater gem in the community theater setting! That is exactly what happens at the La Habra Depot Theatre production of “The DiningRoom,” by A.R. Gurney. Directed by Susan Marx, the talented cast pulls off a miracle of ensemble acting.The playwright was bom in Buffalo, N.Y., the son of pillars of Buffalo society. He lived a life of privilege, attending private schools and graduating from Yale School of Drama. He used his experiences in this upper class environment to create his portrait of WASP society in this play. Although thespoof is hilarious and the manners parodied in royal fashion, like all good comedy, this *play *surface. Susan Marx has done a masterfully creative job in blocking out the entrances and exits of six actors who play 57 roles in 18 successive scenes. The actors move from character to character and era to era with ease.Judi Gish returns to the Depot in her second performance and brings to it many sliining performances in her different roles in this play. She is marvelous as the Irish maid and gives hints of Judy Holiday as the docile but frustrated upper class wife. But she is really top notch in her portrayal of the married woman in love with another man. She and her married romantic interest steal the scene from children as they wait for ice cream and cake.Karl Schott plays Judi’s romantic interest in the scene of illicit love and he is marvelous, ♦too. The passion he displays inTheater reviewWhat The Dining Room' Where: La Habra Depot Theatre, 311 S. Eudid St When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, through March 22 Admission: $12 adufts, $10 students and seniors over 55, group discounts availableBox office: (562) 905-9625body language, voice and facial expression and comes off beautifully. Karl is excellent in several other roles, primarily that the aging father who really would prefer to be left alone than to have his married daughter and her three children descend on him. He plays an older person well without lt;resorting to tricks.Susan Eiden lias a beautifully trained voice and great* istage presence. Her comedic powers are shown in the scene where she tries to seduce the carpenter who came to repair the dining room table. She also provides unity to the show when she introduces the final scene of the dinner party.Alan Bravin is very effective as the father in the opening scene and marvelous as the aging grandfather trying to control his own funeral. The opening scene helps establish the setting and characters and Alan really brings that off.Carrie Theodossin is appearing in her second show at the Depot. In this show, she really brings the frustrations and inability to cope with her own life together in her role as the married daughter who wants to come home, bring her children and recapture her youth. As she reveis the muddled relationships she has stumbled into, • she develops a realisticpicture of a character.»Craig Pinza is really good in his development of the children’s roles. His other standout portrayal is as the nephew who is photographing his aunt with her possessions for his anthropology class.Two members of the backstage crew deserve kudos, too. The first is Prop Master Angela Presentadi.Although only 14 years old, she is able to keep track of a multitude of props essential to the show’s development. As the backstage manager, Megan McLellan keeps track of the entrances and exits of the characters and keeps the show moving efficiently.Producers Debbie Presentadi and Cheryl Malm are to be congratulated for the job they did in bring this rarely seen but delightful show to production. Just to round out the Presentadi family, son Phillip is the light and sound operator andHoag q orpnf inhhas poignant 'moments' and1 - counterpoint to the children’s hints of sadness beneath1 the' birthday party is done with
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Irvine World News
Irvine, California, US
Thu, Mar 06, 2003
Page 199
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