"Creating Life Inside" @ Sellwood Playhouse

"Creating Life Inside" is a presentation of Rogue Pack, a sister-organization to the sadly now officially defunct Well Arts, producers of "Fierce Love"  Rogue Pack uses a very similar "collage" format, and shares the mission of telling the stories of under-represented groups on stage-in their case-focusing on youth. Their current show collects the writings of juvenile inmates at Donald E. Long Detention Center.  I was amazed by the insightfulness and general quality of the pieces, especially given the chaotic home-lives one would assume most of them endured, and a few of them actually write about, which in itself is an act of exceptional bravery in which many adults would not engage. The show itself is a very brief thirty minutes, and I really wanted more. Particularly from one searingly poetic participant, who managed to find an abundance of hope in his bleak circumstances. Much of his material is syncopated a bit like rap, but slow enough to be easily understood by those not used to the rapid-fire delivery of much of the genre.


I know I count among the readers of this website at least a handful of professionals involved in the larger theatres in the area. I assume that many of them are the kind of people who seek out work on the fringes, and if I can point them here I'd be honored to do so. Perhaps, they might also have ideas about bringing the show to a wider-audience, something the production richly deserves.




"Teenage Dick" @ Artists Rep

Oh, what a title! For months, my brother-in-law would make pederasty jokes every time he saw a postcard for "Teenage Dick." So, when two failures of transportation made me miss Opening Night, I took solace in the fact that at least my brother-in-law would shut up if I missed it.  I then read a review posted on Artist Rep's Facebook, which reminded me that the two leads had disabilities, and not just any disability--my own. Now I had to make sure I saw it. I have never been more glad to have made the effort!  I'll make the obligatory point about "representation" being important, and the further point about the all-too-rare casting of disabled actors to play disabled characters. (Especially when Bryan Cranston smells Oscar.) Yes, seeing oneself represented is every bit as gratifying as they say, and yes it is nice to see actors with disabilities on stage. Which made me wonder why this was not mentioned in the promotional materials, I doubt I would have known at all,  had that review not jogged my memory of it being mentioned in passing at the Season Announcement Party. Next time there's a show involving disability, (please let there be a next time) emphasize it more. I saw myself a lot in Richard, and not just in the obvious way, but also in the way that the cunning nerd never gets his due, either. (I've often said that evil genius is a symptom of cerebral palsy,  no one believes me.)

Please, please, see this show. It is momentous. I will do my part to spread the word among advocacy organizations and such. "We" need to flood into shows like this, so there will be more.

"Dial 'M' for Murder @ Lakewood

"Dial 'M' for Murder" is the kind of show where even the most cursory of plot summaries would amount to a smorgasbord of spoilers. So, let's jump right into the reasons you should see it. The title tells you everything you need to know about whether it is your cup of tea. It most certainly is mine, coming in second only to Lakewood's immediately previous production of "Inherit the Wind" as my most anticipated production of the metro-area's entire Season. In fact, the splendidness of these two shows has served to make me regret my inadvertent neglect of their shows as of late. It also must be noted that shows like "Dial 'M' are solidly in Lakewood's wheelhouse, it's always nice to see them do a show that has their "mark" as it were. Even the weather felt like a perfect complement to the show, the kind of night one might bundle in a blanket and watch its famous cinematic adaptation. In short, put this at the top of your list, it's run is rather brief.