"The Light" at PCS

 "The Light" is the best new play I have seen in many years. Welcome Loy A. Webb to my List of Playwrights to Watch. I have not yet had time to ascertain if she is new to the scene, or just new to me. Regardless, I haven't been this excited about a playwright since discovering Stephen Adly Guirgis.

I will completely refrain from plot-summary, the play's brief 75-minute runtime would barely allow for it. Suffice it to say, there were many times I forgot that I was watching a play, which is a difficult feat to accomplish. Despite its very short length, it is almost as though there are two plays in one. The first is about very authentic couple's banter. You really believe these two characters love each other. The second half is such a drastic tonal-shift, it is miraculous that it doesn't seem abrupt, and thus ring-false . This is a mark of masterful writing, and is the element that made me want to know more about the author behind it. Go see "The Light," I've given you enough reasons, without a trace of plot-summary. That should tell you all you need to know.

"Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" @ PCS

 "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" @ PCS is a production I would sincerely call "unmissable." This production of the classic play by Edward Albee is phenomenal. The verbal-fireworks are unsurpassed in any other play of which I can think. Every second is almost unbearably tense. Most everyone should be familiar with the basic-plot, thanks  to the film-version, so I won't rehash them here. While the film is also a classic in its own right, I had not yet seen a stage-production of this play, and even such a mammoth cinematic treatment as that film, does not compare to the live experience. If you haven't had the electric pleasure of seeing it live, don't miss out. If you have, I don't have to tell you, it's worth having again.

Mrs Harrison at PCS

 "Mrs. Harrison", which opened last night at PCS, is a crackling two-hander. It was a late replacement in PCS' Season, but a good one.It takes place at a college-reunion, and explores a lot of things I personally fear about such events. Namely, living up to the high-expectations of classmates. There'a also a lot of debate about heady matters like which stories are allowed to be told, and by whom? I can't give it all away, but the play taps into anxieties we all share, and though it examines them thoroughly, it leaves them firmly in place. I highly recommend that you see it. Unless, of course, one of  those nerve-wracking events is around the corner for you. But, maybe, you should see the play instead of attending, and remind yourself why you made the right choice.

"The Maltese Falcon" @ Lakewood

Do you love mysteries? Do you want to see a U.S. Premiere? Lakewood has you covered, with "The Maltese Falcon." This just might be the best production I have seen at Lakewood. Yes, I'm a superfan of the novel and film, so I'll freely admit to a bias. But, I'm sure I'm not alone in that. I mean, director David Sikking named his son Dashiell, so I'm willing to bet he's in that group, too. In fact, the smallest facet of the production has "passion-project" written all over it, down to the pre-show score, which sets the mood instantly. The whole show has fabulous small touches like that, such as the rolling San Francisco fog. 

It's all just simply brilliant. Even the fact of Lakewood being the site of the U.S. Premiere, has me swelling with local pride. Director David Sikking was my Sophomore English teacher, and I credit him for introducing me to noir pulp fiction, though in my case, it was Hammett's contemporary, Raymond Chandler. As you might imagine, this made seeing "The Maltese Falcon quite special, and "appointment-viewing." I suggest that it should be "appointment-viewing" for you, as well.