This afternoon’s matinee of Betrayal, by Harold Pinter, at The Downeaster Theatre was a backwards dive into a web of affairs, lies and, well…the title sums it up. 

We start in 1977 as Emma (Kathryn Willis) and Jerry (Isaac Sprague) meet at a bar two years after their seven-year affair has ended, to note the end of Emma’s marriage to Jerry’s best friend, Robert (Aiden James). Pensive, Pinteresque pauses and cryptic, naturalistic dialogue convey a wistful discomfort with how it all has turned out.

As we work our way back to the beginning of the affair in 1971, we explore assorted lies and deceptions— of self and partners — along the way. Here’s hoping all your marriages are in better shape than these.

Kathryn and Isaac were very convincing, though they are somewhat younger than their 35-40 ish characters. Aiden James, however, as Emma’s husband Robert, seemed too young to be believed in this role, though he had a dignified demeanor and convincing British accent. (It didn’t help that he looks very much like my 12-year old grandson.)

All three did well on the accent; the script has so many British idioms and references, it has to be done in dialect. Kudos to new director Elijah Burton and to the very busy set changing crew. Welcome to Marcia Beer, returning to the stage after 35 years as an able bartender and waitress. I enjoyed the between-scenes music as it devolved back to the era of MY first marriage.

This was another under-attended show in the glut of theatres that represent the G.L.U.T.  Both new theatres, East Lansing Community Theatre with its Shakespeare, and The Downeaster with its ambitious schedule of both adult and children’s shows, are struggling to fill the seats but worthy efforts, nonetheless.

Betrayal continues at 8 pm tonight and through next weekend.
8 pm Fridays; 
2 & 8 pm Saturdays; 
8pm Thursday 3/30, 
2 pm Sun 3/25 only (no Easter show)

The Downeaster Theatre
1120 N. Pennsylvania, 
renovated church building between Oakland and Grand River. 

http://www.thedowneastertheatre.com

​STREET SCENE is another impressive production of MSU Opera Theatre, with a lush, 39-member orchestra directed by Guest Artist Hal France. (Another “guest artist” was Phineas Reed, as young Willie, a cute almost-12-year old who brought a bright, clear voice and boyish charm to his role. You can read Phineas and Hal France’s bios in the program — along with a three-page summary of the story.)

The show is a blend of opera/musical, developed from a play that premiered in 1929 - and the opera/musical premiered in 1947, winning for composer Kurt Weill the first Tony Award for “Best Original Score.” He had prestigious and diverse collaborators. As director Melanie Helton says in her notes, “Street Scene remains an indelible piece of Americana, a remarkable collaboration between trio of remarkably prescient artists: Kurt Weill, a German-Jewish refugee from the Nazis, Langston Hughes, an African-American poet of the Harlem Renaissance, and Elmer Rice, and expatriate New Yorker returned home.”

This is a large undertaking, double-cast in most roles, as usual with MSU Opera, to give more singing students a chance to shine in this 60+ member cast. Their heads pop in and out of many workable windows on the realistic brownstone set (Elinore Loomis). There are super-titles to help us out, even though they speak and sing in English. (These are extra useful during Abraham Kaplan's (John Henrickson) amusing song about “kepitalism” with ethnic spellings.) 

There are fun “slice of life” moments, but the show, on the whole, was not my favorite type; it addressed domestic abuse, sexual harassment intolerance of diversity, gossip and innuendo — certainly current/persistent topics — but to my non-opera-tuned sensibilities, it still felt dated and sappy and sort of righteously depressing. 

STREET SCENE continues at Fairchild Theatre at MSU (NOT Thursday) but Friday and Saturday at 8 and Sunday at 3.
http://www.music.msu.edu/event-listing/street-scene-by-kurt-weill

DOG ACT is a wild, challenging script by Liz Duffy Adams, that offers both horror and humor in MSU's Arena Theatre. It’s obvious from Christina Traistor’s Director’s Note that it offered a feast of theatrical opportunity which this talented company of MFA students has been chewing on for over a year. They present a post- apocalyptic world where nomadic “vaudevillians” preserve some twisted/evolved/devolved version of culture and entertainment. 

"Rozetta Stone" is earnestly played by Karen Vance, on a trek to perform in a mythical “China” with her “Dog” (Greg Hunter) who is eloquent and engaging and “a good boy." Vera Similitude (Kristy Allen) appears with her fast-talking “Jo Jo the Bald Face Liar” (Kathryn Stahl). They team up with various profundities and back-stories, threatened by thunderous, sudden season changes, and hunted by “Coke and Bud” (Curran Jacobs and Matt Greenbaum) two violent, futuristic ruffians who speak a sort of devolved, F-word-peppered Shakespearean dialect. The acrobatics, fight choreography and songs (loved Dog's little can-drum) were imaginative and well done.

Costumes/Hair/Makeup were impressive (Jenna Light) as were scenic design and props (Ray Kelley) and lighting (Freddy Pascolinei) and Sound (Griffin Irish) combined for earth-shaking effect. 

This 2 hour 50 minute extravaganza is a lot to absorb at first viewing; I’d recommend googling some reviews/descriptions to prepare yourself. The “evolved” language is fascinating but sometimes hard to understand. It would be interesting to read this script to inspect the quirky language. Don’t ask me to explain “The Wendy” - I did see the burger chain logo in the gypsy cart - but other references reminded me of Peter Pan…?

Dog Act continues through this weekend
http://theatre.msu.edu/#event|dog-act-5|1157


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