“Trevor Allen gives brilliant performance in ‘Working for the Mouse”

By Stephanie Wright Hession

Arts and Culture Writer

Performing a one person show presents an array of challenges, the main one being how to keep the attention of audience members for an extended period of time, especially when the production doesn’t include an intermission. And yet that’s exactly what Trevor Allen did brilliantly during his 90 minute, solo show, “Working for the Mouse.” Directed by Nancy Carlin, based on Kent Nicholson’s original staging, and presented by the Black Box Theatre, it opened Friday Nov. 4 at the EXIT Theatre in San Francisco.

Through his engaging storytelling, hilarious impersonations and wonderful imagination, Allen relays his experience working some 20 years ago as costumed characters at Disneyland—Pluto, Smee, Alice in Wonderland’s White Rabbit and the Mad Hatter. All along, the audience is right there with him on a mirthful romp that makes for a delightful evening of theater.

“Working for the Mouse,” through Dec. 17 at the EXIT Theatre, 156 Eddy St., San Francisco. $20 advance, $22 at the door. For tickets call (800) 838-3006 or visit www.browpapertickets.com/event/201528

Photos by Cheshire Isaacs

San Francisco Surrealist painter Cynthia Tom displays new works during San Francisco Open Studios, Oct. 1 and 2, 2011

Meet Surrealist painter Cynthia Tom and see an exhibit of her new works during the San Francisco Open Studios, 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat., Oct. 1 and Sun., Oct. 2 at the 1890 Bryant Street Studios, 1890 Bryant St., S.F.

For those not familiar with her work, Cynthia's exquisite paintings possess ethereal, emotive and mysterious qualities. Don't miss this opportunity to meet and support a truly gifted, San Francisco artist.

“Circus Series: The Cloud Walkers”
Cynthia Tom

"Circus Series: Cloudwalkers, The Movie"
Cynthia Tom

Circus Series: Cloud Walkers, The Movie

"Land of Magic: Artists Explore Make Believe," a group show at the Bedford Gallery explores desire, escape and reverie.

By Stephanie Wright Hession

Arts and Culture Writer

Raised in Montreal, Rosemary Scanlon now makes her home in Canada's Yukon Territory, which influences the ethereal images of owls, raccoons, unicorns and the boreal forest that appear in her paintings.

"When I first started coming up to the Yukon, life up here was so surreal. It was so magical and strange - the atmosphere, the crisp quietness of when it gets really cold and really dark, the lynx slinking across the road ahead of you, wild adventures in pickup trucks, the things that go on under the midnight sun," she says. "My experiences here had a huge influence on my artwork and me. I like to attempt to locate that feeling of tension between the fantasy and reality of northern life."

Six of her watercolors will be part of "Land of Magic: Artists Explore Make Believe," a group show that explores desire, escape and reverie. Working with media ranging from printmaking to painting to photography to video installation, the 13 artists' imaginary settings possess distinctive characteristics and feature astronauts, pink trees, mystical creatures and castles, assembled from childhood memories and thoughts on the future.

In "Looking Glass," one of Scanlon's works in the show, a statue of Jesus juts from the head of a grizzly bear standing against a midnight blue background. Stems of flowers seem to dance about a large rainbow, intermingled with trees and plant stalks.

" 'Looking Glass' is probably the most playful of them all. ... I really just wanted to play with the different flora and fauna of the Yukon," Scanlon says. "All the animals in the painting are painted from images of taxidermy. Some of the flowers are fake or genetically modified. I was interested in fake and real representations of nature."

She also enjoys adding strange and random aspects, like the statue, which happened to be in the photograph of the taxidermy bear she painted from. She draws from northern folklore, First Nations storytelling and tales of the Yukon Gold Rush.

"I work intuitively, though to some extent there is an ever-present dialogue or narrative of place that occurs wherever you live, and that greatly informs my work. When an idea or image pops into my head, I write or sketch it down," she explains. "I then research these ideas, draw ideas from that research - which may in turn lead to other research. I also take a lot of photographs. I carry a camera with me to record interesting scenes or things that I come across."

Sun.-June 12. Noon-5 p.m. Tues.-Sun., 6-8 p.m. during performances. $3-$5 (free 12 and younger and first Tues.). Bedford Gallery, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. (925) 295-1417. www.bedfordgallery.org.

"Aurora Theatre produces 'The Eccentricities of a Nightingale,' one of Tennessee Williams' lesser-known plays."



By Stephanie Wright Hession

Arts and Culture Writer

Tennessee Williams spent decades retooling "The Eccentricities of a Nightingale," including revising the piece for 25 years before it opened on Broadway in 1976.

"Eccentricities" is one of Williams' lesser-known plays, but he's said to have identified with its main character - Alma Winemiller - more than any other he created.

Winemiller lives in pre-World War I Mississippi, and she's a spirited and creative woman who's called the "nightingale of the Delta" for her musical ability. She lives among people in a place and time that reject her nonconformist ways.

"I found 'Eccentricities' to be very moving," said Tom Ross, artistic director of the Aurora Theatre Company, which is staging the play as part of the celebration of Williams' 100th birthday.

"Tennessee said he could relate to Alma because it took her a long time to come out, as it did with him," Ross added. "She is definitely on a sexual journey in a repressive environment. Tennessee Williams writes from the vantage point of the universal heart and the mind."

San Francisco actress Beth Wilmurt, who portrays Winemiller, said that the 35-year-old play has not lost any of its appeal with age.

"The play has many relatable themes," she says. "Marginalization and repression of those who are different is certainly an obvious theme, and even though times have changed, still relevant.

"But there are other interesting ones that stand out to me," she adds. "What makes up our fantasy lives or what are our illusions that keep us going and able to cope with life, getting out from under society's judgments and the hold our parents have on us; the repercussions of honesty - of ourselves and others - and our judgment of that; and sexually forward woman and the judgments that brings on."

Ross says those ideas of self-reflection and self-understanding help with the show's appeal to a contemporary audience.

Williams' "themes and characters are timeless and wholly human," Ross says. "This is a play about a human being who comes to an understanding of who she is and who she really wants to be. The play follows her as she attempts to find true satisfaction in life. We all want that."

8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 2 p.m. Sun. Previews through Wed.; opens next Thurs. $10-$55. Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. (510) 843-4822. www.auroratheatre.org.

"'Outside In,' show at the 1:AM Gallery focuses upon graffiti as art"

By Stephanie Wright Hession

Arts and Culture Writer

Though graffiti dates to ancient civilizations, it took recent artists such as Keith Haring to nudge this counterculture art form toward the mainstream.

While not wholly embraced, an appreciation for the urban art continues to be nurtured with an increasing number of galleries and museums presenting it, corporations seeking it and - in an ironic twist - property owners desiring it for the enhancement, rather than the defacing, of their buildings.

"Outside In," an exhibition opening Friday at the 1:AM Gallery, features 36 pieces, ranging from 2 by 2 feet to 3 by 4 feet, by nine California artists including BUTER, JURNE, KEB, UFO and WAND.

"We got the idea by seeing graffiti blending into these urban landscapes, amongst the drugs, poverty, advertisements, traffic, noise, etc.," says Roman Cesario, the gallery's art director. " 'Outside In' is created to take graffiti off of the streets and in a more comfortable, personal viewing space, so the art can be approached, dissected and appreciated."

The gallery focuses on the positive qualities of urban and street art, with themed exhibitions displaying creations by local and international artists.

"I chose the artists by viewing their art for many years and carefully choosing graffiti artists that represent different styles and letterforms," Cesario says. "These graffiti writers represent graffiti as it should be. Good people that produce beautiful public works."

Artist Joseppi DiMarco, 29, who started using the street artist name KEB about 20 years ago, integrates hues of turquoise, blue and plum into his works - colors he says "represent life and the ability to create."

"My style is what I would call traditional funk - funky letters with cool color schemes and great characters," the San Francisco artist says, adding, "I often do murals inspired by my drawings, which are related to how I feel and what I see. I live to paint and create.

"This show will give everyone a chance to bond with graffiti and its artists. My art is for the city and its people. It's not selling you anything or saying more than 'I love to create.' I don't mind if it is not for everyone, nothing is. I just hope people embrace this culture and start to decriminalize the art by creating outlets for artists."

Opening reception 7 p.m. Fri. Through March 12. Noon-6:30 p.m. Tues.-Sat., noon-4 p.m. Sun. 1:A.M. Gallery, 1000 Howard St., S.F. (415) 861-5089. www.1amsf.com.

"Eugenie Chan's 'Bone to Pick', re-envisions the Greek myth of Ariadne, at the Cutting Ball Theater."

By Stephanie Wright Hession

Arts and Culture Writer

In 2008, Eugenie Chan debuted "Bone to Pick," her provocative re-envisioning of the Greek myth of Ariadne, at the Cutting Ball Theater. The San Francisco playwright set the tale in a post-apocalyptic world and reinvented Ariadne as a waitress toiling away in a diner.

Starting Friday, the company reprises "Bone to Pick," along with "Diadem," Chan's new companion piece, which serves as a prelude and depicts Ariadne as young and love smitten. Fast-forward a few thousand years in the second play, and the audience meets Ria, the embittered, betrayed waitress. In both solo performance works, directed by Rob Melrose, Paige Rogers, Cutting Ball's associate artistic director, returns to portray the two characters.

" 'Diadem' is about a giddy teenaged Ariadne in the first blush of love, romance, and desire - and what happens when she realizes she's been abandoned by her hero," Chan says. "It's about how she grows up, fast. In 'Bone,' Ria's been living, serving up cups o' joe and waiting for her man alone on that island for millennia. She's seen everything - seen her island, her home, her country, her family, her civilization blown up and destroyed. Her heart has been broken in so many ways. Yet dutiful temple suppliant that she is, she will serve her customers day in and day out with the utmost professionalism and aplomb.

"In short," Chan says, "she's been around and around the block for thousands of years, and now is her time of reckoning."

Chan says she chose the atmosphere and period in which "Bone to Pick" occurs to pose an intriguing question.

"We're in a time of war the world over. For us, it's the U.S. in Iraq, Afghanistan. It made sense to me to play out a time when the occupation of civilian life has overtaken. What would it be when the weight of the world fell on the shoulders of one woman, as she is simply living out her daily life in her job as a waitress?" she asks.

Although based on ancient Greek mythology, Chan says the works contain timeless elements relevant to contemporary society.

"At heart, these plays are about how people, in particular these two women, try to wrestle their lives to get what they believe their dream is," Chan says.

"The impact of human action, the nature of our hopes and love - our complicity in our own demise and betrayal - and the demise of our world. Especially in 'Bone,' it's about our complicity in the fizzling American Dream."

8 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 5 p.m. Sun. Check website for complete schedule. Through Feb. 13. $15-$50. The Cutting Ball Theater at Exit on Taylor, 277 Taylor St., S.F. (415) 419-3584. www.cuttingball.com.

"African-American Shakespeare Company's production of 'Cinderella' enchants and delights"

By Stephanie Wright Hession
Arts and Culture Writer

San Francisco actor Khamara Pettus often plays characters that possess a sinister nature. She recently portrayed Ashley, a member of a chain saw touting, pool of office workers at the Cooney Lumber Mill, who collectively kill a lumberjack once a month, in the Crowded Fire Theater Company’s production of “The Secretaries,” a satirical comedy by New York’s The Five Lesbian Brothers.

For this holiday season, she’ll play the antithesis of such a personality when she stars as the endearing, ball gown and glass slipper wearing lead in the African-American Shakespeare Company’s new production of “Cinderella,” directed by Velina Brown and opening Dec. 3. This presentation of the classic fairytale promises to be magical, humorous, whimsical and with a soulful flavor.

“I actually do a lot of dark comedy work and a lot of character work, so Cinderella was a refreshing change for me personally,” Pettus says. “It gave me a different way of working on a character because my characters are usually so outlandish and Cinderella is sweet and charming and light—that’s what I like about her.”




Cinderella (Khamara Pettus) loses her glass slipper.
Photo by Lance Huntley


Featuring a 20 person, ensemble cast, the story shifts between the here and now and the magical kingdom of an African American monarchy where Prince Charming (Matt Jones) lives.

Cinderella (Khamara Pettus) finally meets her Prince Charming (Matt Jones).
Photo by Lance Huntley

“It’s been really fun to put on the dress; it’s been really fun to do the photographs, the whole process,” she says. It’s been a fairytale come true for me personally.”
Actor and director Velina Brown decided to direct this version of “Cinderella,” after L. Peter Callender, the company’s new artistic director, approached her about it. Fellow actors, the two have worked together throughout the years at the American Conservatory Theater and other companies.

“The basic tale is the same but with the African American Shakespeare Company they do the classic with color so that’s the main difference,” Brown says. “It’s with an African American Cinderella and Prince Charming and that is something that I’m really excited about sharing with the little ones.”

She changed up aspects of the production, adding Afrocentric elements to it, casting women as the two stepsisters and presenting them as attractive. In the past, the company has cast men and portrayed the siblings as homely. Brown is doing so to emphasize fortify the lesson of the significance of internal beauty.
“I decided that I wanted them to be women because I wanted to have the conversation about ‘pretty is as pretty does,’ and ‘ugly is as ugly does,’” she says.

The African-American Shakespeare Company presents “Cinderella,” Fri.-Sun., Dec. 3-19. Buriel Clay Theatre, African American Art and Culture Complex, 762 Fulton St., San Francisco. $10-30; special gala event $50. (800) 838-3006, www.african-americanshakes.org.

"San Francisco Trolley Dances offers a mirthful ride"
Stephanie Wright Hession
Arts and Culture Writer

As Sara Shelton Mann choreographed a work in the San Francisco Botanical Garden, she didn't expect a troupe of boisterous squirrels to become her muses.

"When I went there to rehearse, there were these squirrels, so I named all of them Fred, and it's about Fred the squirrel," she says. "Through a process, I just built a lovely little piece that I hope people will enjoy, based around leaning and falling and running around and jumping into people's arms and the joy of being outside."

For it, the dancers will move to Norman Rutherford's aptly named score titled "Fred."

Part of the San Francisco Trolley Dances, an outdoor festival linking dance, public transit and the city's neighborhoods, it's one of several free (with purchase of Muni fare), site-specific performances by groups including Epiphany Productions, Ensohza Minyoshu, Joe Goode Performance Group, Christine Bonansea-2x3 Project and the Sunset Chinese Folk Dance Group.

Each embraces influences taken from the locations where the rides begin and end - the Harvey Milk Center for Recreational Arts, Duboce Park and the San Francisco Botanical Garden.

Kim Epifano, who produces and organizes the event through her Epiphany Productions, developed the idea for this unusual public fete after seeing the Jean Isaacs San Diego Dance Theater do the Trolley Dances down south.

During Epifano's mixed piece this year, more than a dozen dancers will take to the Great Meadow at the Botanical Garden, where Epifano tapped into historical, emotional and landscape aspects. She imagined sand dunes and horse-drawn carts, the loneliness of a person sitting on a bench seeking refuge or contemplating a situation and the nature of the garden.

"You really feel like you're out in nature in a wonderful way. I'm in that meadow with the beautiful cypress tree. One day it can be hot and sunny, then foggy and cold. How the weather is, changes the personality of the piece," she says. "The other fun thing is the animals, the wild Canadian geese and the red-shouldered hawk. I lived here for 25 years and I had never been to the botanical gardens."

11 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Sat.-Sun. Free with paid Muni fare. Tours leave from the Harvey Milk Center for Recreational Arts at Duboce Park (Scott Street at Duboce Avenue), S.F. www.epiphanydance.org.

Aurora Theatre’s “John Gabriel Borkman,” mixes powerful performances with melodrama

By Stephanie Wright Hession
Arts and Culture Writer

Although Henrik Ibsen wrote “John Gabriel Borkman” in 1896, its story of Borkman (James Carpenter), a greedy, power hungry banker suffering from delusions of grandeur still resonates today given what happened with Bernie Madoff and the recent upheaval in the U.S. banking industry. Berkeley’s Aurora Theatre presents a fresh version of this Victorian era drama written by David Eldridge and a taunt production wonderfully directed by Barbara Oliver.

In the opening scene, we see Borkman’s wife Gunhild (Karen Grassle) living in the downstairs of a dark and thoroughly depressing home, while her husband Borkman lives upstairs in his bedroom. After serving time in prison for embezzling funds from his customers to build his own personal empire, this disgraced bank manager still isn’t free. He refuses to go outside, instead choosing to spend each day of the last eight years pacing back and forth, recounting his mistakes and plotting his comeback.

Meanwhile, the embittered Gunhild, who declines any contact with her husband, has turned her energies toward destructive means and placing all of her ambitions with their son Erhart (Aaron Wilton). She works diligently to persuade him to reject his father and take up her cause to restore the Borkman name to the respectable standing it once held in local society. Extremely possessive of her son and intent on punishing her husband for causing her to live such a horrible, meager existence, Gunhild doesn’t consider that perhaps Erhart may have other plans.

Enter Ella Rentheim(Karen Lewis), Gunhild’s estranged twin sister, whom she despises because Erhart looks upon her as a beloved aunt and because Gunhild’s sudden poverty forced Erhart to be raised by Ella, whose wealth remained untouched by Borkman. Now Ella is demanding to take Erhart to live with her for reasons we have yet to learn.

James Carpenter's commanding portrayal of Borkman makes for an engrossing and chilling performance, bringing this delusional, biting and power obsessed villain wonderfully to life. Karen Grassle gives an intense, emotional performance as the harsh, embittered Gunhild. Karen Lewis portrays Ella with tenderness and vulnerability.

Jack Powell gives a sweet portrayal of Vilhelm Foldal, an aspiring poet and the only loyal friend Borkman has left. Aaron Wilton plays the carefree, young Erhart with the perfect level of joie de vivre. Pamela Gaye Walker gives a delightful performance as the effervescent Mrs. Wilton, the woman helping Erhart plan his escape from the tight clutches of his mother and aunt. When she enters the theater, it’s as if someone opened a window, allowing fresh air into the staid atmosphere of the Borkman’s dreadful abode.

While Eldridge’s script contains some absorbing scenes, at times it drags and the melodrama reaches such levels that it elicits unintended laughter from the audience.

“John Gabriel Borkman,” plays through May 9 at the Aurora Theatre, 2081 Addison St., Berkeley. For tickets call (510) 843-4822 or visit www.auroratheatre.org. Photo by David Allen.

Cirque du Soleil’s “Ovo” offers a charming glimpse into the world of insects

By Stephanie Wright Hession
Arts and Culture Writer

Insects surround us every day—in the air, underground and sometimes underfoot. Yet because of the tiny stature of most bugs, the majority of people don’t give them much thought. That’s what makes Cirque du Soleil’s “Ovo” so delightful. It presents these petite creatures in full, life size view, by focusing on a bustling day in the life of butterflies, grasshoppers ants, spiders, scarabs and more. The production opened and made its U.S. premiere Nov. 27, under Cirque’s familiar royal blue and sunflower yellow grand chapiteau, just outside AT & T Park in San Francisco.

“Ovo” means egg in Portuguese, which makes sense given that Deborah Colker, its writer, director and choreographer, is from Brazil. When audience members first enter the tent, they encounter a huge, glowing egg on a stage dotted with dandelion stalks and back dropped by a honeycomb.

It all takes place on Gringo Cardia’s changing set, with Éric Champoux’s ethereal lighting and Fred Gérard’s acrobatic rigging designs. Liz Vandal’s vividly hued, whimsical costumes and Julie Bégin’s playful make up design add richness to the production. Composer and musical director Berna Ceppas provides the lively, Latin rhythm inspired score. It's all under the artistic leadership of director of creation Chantal Tremblay and Cirque du Soleil’s artistic guide, founder Guy Laliberté.

Colker’s story centers upon a flirty, ditzy ladybug (Michelle Matlock) who becomes enamored with the Foreigner (François-Guillaume LeBlanc), a goofy, over the top fly, under the overbearing supervision of Master Flippo (Joseph Collard). Providing comic relief, the characters' antics are charming for the most part but also get a bit tedious at times. However, Lee Brearley as Creatura, who appears intermittently throughout the show, keeps the audience thoroughly amused with this dancing, Slinky like insect. Moreover, the stunning circus acts, presented in the highly imaginative manner for which Cirque du Soliel is known for, make “Ovo” a must see.



Vladimir Hrynchenko gives a breathtaking, hand balancing performance as a dragonfly atop a plant during “Orvalho,” in which he exhibits the tremendous strength and control required to execute such an act. Later, he gracefully glides his lithe body along the plant’s curves.

In “Cocoon,” Marjorie Nantel enthralls during an aerial silk performance as an immersed caterpillar undergoing a metamorphosis.

In the romantic “Butterflies (Spanish Web Duo),” Maxim Kozlov and Inna Mayorova epitomize elegance and grace in a performance that blends an aerial flying act, hand-to-hand ballet and contortion, all taking place on ropes on which they soar above in harmonious unison.

In the engaging “Spiders,” Svetlana Belova, Marjorie Nantel and Robyn Houpt twist their bodies in seeming impossible contortions.

In “Acrosport,” Anna Gorbatenko, Natallia Kakhniuk, Khrystsina Maraziuk, Elena Nepytayeva and Olga Varchuk also defy preconceived notions of physical limitations as they fashion themselves into a series of flawlessly balanced, human sculptures, in an act that blends acrobatics and dance.



Spiderman Li Wei challenges gravity and physics with his nimble balancing in “Slackwire,” including riding the wire while perched on an inverted unicycle.

“Ovo’s” finale includes the thrilling “Trampo-wall,” featuring Anton Alferov, Michel Boillet, Lee Brearley, Kasper Falkesgaard, Laura Houson, Yahia Icheboudene, Karl L’écuyer, Marjorie Nantel, Ludovic Martin, Zeca Padilha, Gary Smith and Hironori Taniguchi as power tracking, trampoline hopping, wall walking and running crickets taking flight and leaping onto a massive wall, sans any support equipment.

“Ovo” plays through Jan. 24, 2010 at A T & T Park in San Francisco and Feb. 4-March 7, 2010 at the Taylor Street Bridge in San Jose. $54-$135 regular admission and $175 to $250 for Tapis Rouge package. (800) 450-1480. www.cirqueduesoleil.com.